After months of rumors, the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are finally here. Samsung took the wraps off its new phablets at an online event today (August 5).
If you were following along with each and every rumor, you got an excellent picture of what Samsung had in store. For a deeper look at both phones, check out our looks at the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
The Galaxy Note 20 will face stiff competition this fall from the new iPhone 12 lineup, but based on what we’ve seen so far, Samsung is poised to deliver some of the best big phones yet.
Here’s everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra now that we’ve seen the phones, including when the phablets will arrive in stores.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 20 specs
| Galaxy Note 20 | Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | |
| Price | $999 | $1,299 |
| Screen size | 6.7 inches (2345 x 1084) | 6.9 inches (3096 x 1444) |
| Screen refresh rate | 60Hz | 120Hz |
| CPU | Snapdragon 865 Plus/Exynos 990 | Snapdragon 865 Plus/Exynos 990 |
| RAM | 8GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB | 128GB or 512GB |
| Rear cameras | 12MP main, 64MP telephoto, 12MP ultrawide | 108MP main, 12MP telephoto, 12MP ultrawide, laser focus sensor |
| Battery size | 4,300 mAh | 4,500 mAh |
| 5G? | Yes | Yes |
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 price and release date
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 costs $999; its lone configuration features 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The Note 20 Ultra is a bit pricier at $1,299 for a model with 12GB of RAM and 128GB storage. The 512GB version costs $1,449.
Samsung will start taking pre-orders for both phones on August 6. The Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will arrive in stores on August 21.
You’ll be able to pick up the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra from all the major carriers — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Xfinity Mobile has also said that it will offer the phones.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 design and display
Both Note models feature an AMOLED panel. Samsung’s promising the brightest most vivid screen on a smartphone.
The Note 20 has a 6.7-inch screen with Full HD resolution, while the Note 20 Ultra’s display is bigger at 6.9 inches. It also offers sharper QHD resolution.
Screen size isn’t the only difference between the two displays. The Note 20 Ultra features a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate that adjusts depending on what you’re using the phone to do. You’ll get a standard 60Hz refresh rate with the Note 20.
The Note 20 uses plastic materials in a bit of a change for the Note lineup. The Galaxy Note 20 uses metal and glass with a new finish on the back designed to minimize fingerprints and smudges. Samsung is promising the toughest glass in a smartphone.
As for Galaxy Note 20 colors, you’ll get three choices no matter what version you buy: Mystic Gray, Mystic Green and Mystic Bronze.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 cameras
If you remember the cameras introduced in the Galaxy S20 Ultra and Galaxy S20 Plus this spring, the Galaxy Note 20 cameras will look familiar.
The Galaxy Note 20 has a 12MP main sensor, augmented by a 12MP ultra wide camera and 64MP telephoto lens. That camera’s capable of a 3x lossless zoom.
As for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, it adopts the 108MP main camera of the S20 Ultra, helped along a laser autofocus sensor aimed at eliminating some of the focus issues Samsung’s previous phone suffered from. Additional lenses on the Note 20 Ultra include a 12MP ultra wide lens and 12MP telephoto lens that can deliver a 5x optical zoom.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 specs and processor
The leaked benchmarks are correct — the Snapdragon 865 Plus is found in both the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Outside the U.S., Samsung is expected to use its own chips, an Exynos 990 specifically.
Whatever chipset the Galaxy Note 20 uses, the new phones work with 5G networks. And that’s true of both sub-6GHz 5G as well as higher-speed mmWave-based 5G.
One disappointing spec is that the Note 20 only features 128GB of storage with no microSD card slot for boosting capacity. If you want more storage, you’ll have to opt for the more expensive Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 S Pen and special features
The S Pen remains one of the marquee features for the Galaxy Note lineup, so it’s no surprise that the Galaxy Note 20 has introduced new features, led by faster response times. The Galaxy Note 20 has shortened S Pen latency to 26ms, while it’s down to 9ms on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
In addition, Samsung has built on last year’s Air Gestures by adding new Anywhere actions. These gesture controls let you return to the home screen or earlier apps, among other features.
Samsung’s DeX feature lets you use its phones as a portable computer. With the Galaxy Note 20, you won’t need a cable or a dock to connect to a monitor, though — now the feature is wireless, provided the display supports Miracast.
Samsung also has a tie-in with Microsoft’s xCloud game streaming where you’ll be able to play Xbox games on your Galaxy Note. That will be particularly helpful on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and its 240Hz touch latency.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 battery and charging
Expect bigger batteries no matter what Galaxy Note 20 you turn to. The standard Note 20 has a 4,300 mAh battery while the Ultra has a beefy 4,500 mAh power pack. Samsung promises fast charging that can deliver up to a 50% charge in 30 minutes.
Galaxy Note 20 outlook
The Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra both boast notable improvements over past Samsung phablets. To see whether those improvements pay off, we’re going to need to spend more time with the phones.
Stay tuned for additional Galaxy Note 20 coverage, including our reviews of the phones.
