The Note series has always been Samsung’s line-up for the power users. The brand serves as a heavy-duty mini-tablet like smartphone, with lots of specs packed under the hood for those who do literally everything with their phone. In the recent unpacked August event, two smartphones were announced; that is the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra.
Samsung Note 20 (5G)
This is the base model of the Note 20 series. It comes at a low price of $999 (UGX 3,682,029) only. In the midst of a pandemic, that’s the highest low price you’ve seen right? For the first time in my life, a Samsung phone is more expensive than an iPhone.
How shall the future be if Samsung continues this trend? Apple devices will then become the next budget phones for the poor. Anyway, the smartphone maker has made some major upgrades to this line-up compared to the Note 10 series and some of them are:
- 64MP telephoto lens
- 5G for the base model
- Faster chip (Snapdragon 865+ though only for the US)
- 8K video recording
- The S pen now has a reduced latency of 26ms from 42ms of the note 10 plus.
However, the downsides are several even though it’s a few hundred dollars less ($351) than the Note 20 Ultra. Based on the specifications listed, the ones below don’t make the cut despite being very expensive;
- 60HZ refresh rate in 2020
- 26ms latency for the S pen (compared to the 9ms of the Ultra)
- No Gorilla glass Victus (Gorilla glass 5)
- Plastic back
- Smaller screen to body ratio and resolution than the Note 10 plus
- Lower storage option of 128 GB (base model Note 10 came with 256GB minimum)
- No card slot yet the Note 20 Ultra has one
- ‘Slow’ fast charging of 25W (than the Note 10 Plus 45W fast charging)
- 4300 mAh is still low especially for a 5G device
- Quite expensive
Samsung Note 20 5G Spec sheet
| Price | $1,299.99 |
| OS | Android 10 with One UI 2.5 |
| Display | 6.7” flat FHD+ Super AMOLED Plus, Infinity-O Display (2400×1080) |
| CPU | Snapdragon 865 Plus |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Camera | 12MP Ultra Wide Camera, 12MP Wide-angle Camera, 64MP Telephoto Camera |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh |
| Weight | 192g (Galaxy Note20 mmWave model weighs 194g) |
Samsung Note 20 Ultra (5G)
This is Samsung’s idea of the ultimate power phone but starting at $1300 (UGX 4,791,429). Well, what do you get for your money?
- Slightly bigger battery from the previous note series
- 120HZ refresh rate and an adaptive mode to switch from 0 to 120Hz automatically.
- Better cameras and video recording
- Gorilla glass 7 (strongest glass in a smartphone)
- One of the biggest Samsung AMOLED phone panels of all time and 92.5% screen to body ratio
- A premium build quality with a lovely stainless steel frame and attractive colour options
- One of the fastest chips so far this year
- Good storage variants and a card slot (up to 1TB)
- An amazing S pen better than the competition
Samsung Note Ultra Spec sheet
| Price | $1,299.99 (UGX 4,790,500) / $1449.99 (UGX 5,527,500) |
| OS | Android 10 with One UI 2.5 |
| Display | 6.9-inch AMOLED (QHD; 120Hz) |
| CPU | Snapdragon 865 Plus |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 512GB |
| Camera | 12MP Ultra Wide Camera, 108MP Wide-angle Camera, 12MP Telephoto Camera, with Laser AF Sensor |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh |
| Weight | 208g |
All this seems okay but there is no perfect phone. The price, to begin with, can get you almost any flagship you choose in 2020 and the fast charging is definitely not the fastest at 25W. At this price point, you can get yourself an S20 Ultra with 5000mah or the iPad Pro ($799) + Pixel 4a ($349) + Apple Pencil 2 ($129) and a few more bucks to buy a drink.
However, Samsung offers options to trade in your Note 10 Plus or S20 for a Note 20 5G, your phone has to be in good condition. Another is to pay in instalments.
For those looking to buy the non-5G version of the Galaxy Note 20, then you should be prepared to dish out £849 (UGX 4,066,967). The 4G-only variant comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage. Below is a spec sheet screenshot from Samsung offering a simple and clear picture in comparison for the 3 devices;
If you are a Samsung Note lover who resisted the temptation of the S20 Ultra, or you want the best power phone available on market with a fancy giant AMOLED panel, and a stainless steel frame all the while not minding the ridiculous price. Then these Note series phones have all you want.
But if these devices don’t appeal to you and the prices seem exaggerated, then your heart is elsewhere and you shouldn’t bother investing that much into a smartphone.
Also read: Why Online Games Are a Great Way to Spend Your Time During the Quarantine Period
