The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra shows Samsung’s unending supply of will power to keep manufacturing distinguished smartphones under the Galaxy Note series. It succeeds last year’s Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus, with features that make for a better Samsung Galaxy Note device in almost all ramifications. It is a tad more premium than the Galaxy Note 20.
Where to Buy Samsung Note 20 Ultra
Jumia Nigeria – See Offers | Jumia Kenya – See Offers | Jumia Ghana – See Offers
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Key Specs & Features
- Android 10, One UI 2.5
- 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED Display, 1440 x 3088, Up to 120Hz Refresh Rate
- Octa-core Exynos 990 (Global)
- Octa-core Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865+ (USA)
- 108MP + 12MP + 12MP Triple Rear Camera
- 10MP Front Camera
- 128GB / 256GB / 512GB Built-in Storage, SD-Card Support
- 12GB RAM
- Fingerprint (Under Display, Ultrasonic)
- Fast Charging (25W Capacity)
- Reverse wireless charging (9W)
- 4500 mAh Non-removable Li-ion battery
Display and Design
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ultra’s chassis design and build is a refinement of what we got last year on the Note 10 ultra. It’s a more appreciable setup that befits the status of a Galaxy Note.
For starters, we have got a more sturdy build which comprises of Gorilla Glass Victus on the rear and front panel, which promises a 2m drop protection as well as double the scratch resistance of the Gorilla Glass 6 on the Note 10 plus.
Still speaking on protection, you also get an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, which has pretty much become the standard for most high-end Android smartphones. This IP68 rating indicates it can survive in 1.5m of water for 30 minutes.
Upfront on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is a massive 6.9-inch display with a resolution of 1440 x 3088 and a density of 496 PPI. Comparing sizes with the Note 10 Plus reveals a 0.1-inch increment.
This display is based on the Super AMOLED display 2 technology, which promises more vivid colours. You also get an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, which automatically dips when running tasks that do not require as much as a 120Hz refresh rate.
Much like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, it’s impossible to merge the 120Hz refresh rate with the 1440p resolution. Samsung requires enthusiasts to dip the resolution down to 1080p before they can make use of the 120Hz refresh rate.
Flipping over to the rear, we have a squared camera bump that houses three cameras and an LED flash. We also have the Samsung branding which indicates its a Samsung smartphone.
People who read this article are also interested in the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G.
An Improved S-Pen
For starters, the S-Pen was shifted from the right side to the left side, making the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra the first Galaxy note to have the S-Pen deployment on the left.
The change in the S-pen’s deployment isn’t really the upgrade here. The upgrade is actually in the latency. The S-Pen on the Note 20 ultra has a latency of 9ms as opposed to the 42ms latency on its predecessors.
Having the latency reduced from 42ms to 9ms means the S-Pen will register inputs way faster than its predecessors. This places the S-Pen in place to go toe to toe with the likes of the Apple Pencil on the Apple iPad Pro 12.9 2020.
The Cameras
The cameras on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, aren’t really something to be super wowed about, especially when you take cognizance of the already released smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S20 ultra.
The rear camera department features a 108MP primary camera with an aperture of f/1.8, a 12MP periscope telephoto camera that offers up to 50x zoom, which is way less than the gimmicky 100x zoom advertised with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.
The third member of the trio of rear cameras is a 12MP ultrawide camera with an aperture of f/2.2
This rear camera setup lets enthusiasts shoot videos up to 8K @ 24fps. Other modes includes 4K@30/60fps,1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps.
Selfies on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are manned by a 10MP camera with an aperture of f/2.2. This camera is capable of recording 4K@30/60fps and 1080p@30fps.
Hardware and Software
The fact that this smartphone bears the ultra moniker gives a hint that enthusiasts are up for some impressive performance. This has actually been the case for other flagship note smartphones from the past.
The Note 20 Ultra offers two processor and GPU variants. Enthusiasts in the USA will get the Snapdragon 865 Plus processor and the Adreno 650 GPU, while others will get the Exynos 990 Processor and the Mali-G77 MP11 GPU.
The non-peculiar stuff is the 12GB RAM and the storage options which include 256GB and 512GB of UFS 3.0 storage. Enthusiasts will also get a 4500mAh Li-ion battery, which is by 200mAh bigger than the 4300mAh battery on the Note 10 Plus and also smaller than that of the Samsung Galaxy S20 ultra.
Charging capacity maxes out at 25W, which in my opinion is sort of low class considering the class of the Note 20 Plus and also the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S20 ultra features a 45W fast charging capacity.
On the software side, we have the One UI 2.5 interface running on the Android 10 operating system.
Compare Prices
Connectivity
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ultra features Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and NFC. It also features a USB Type-C port with Ultra-wideband technology (UWB) for fast transfers.
Please note that enthusiasts in UK, USA, and most other countries will be getting the 5G only variant of the Note 20 Ultra. However, enthusiasts in Australia will have the option of a 4G -only variant.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Price and Availability
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra price starts at around $999.99 at leading online stores. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra costs around 500,000 Naira in Nigeria, 20,600 EGP in Egypt, 119,000 KES in Kenya, and 6,000 GHC in Ghana.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was announced on August 5th, 2020 and is expected to go on sale on August 21st, 2020
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Specs
Here are a few specs of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra:
General Features
- Platform: Android 10, One UI 2.5
- Processor: Exynos 990 (2×2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2×2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) – Global OR Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865+ (1×3.0 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 585) – USA
- GPU: Mali-G77 MP11 – Global or Adreno 650 – USA
- Memory: 12GB RAM
- Colours: Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White
- Dimension: 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm
- Weight: 208 g
- SIM Type: Dual-SIM
- SIM Count: Nano-SIM
Display
- Display: 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED Display, 1440 x 3088, 120Hz@FHD/60Hz@QHD refresh rate
- Screen Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
- Foldable Display: No
Camera
- Rear Camera: 108MP (Wide) f/1.8 + 12MP (Periscope Telephoto) f/3.0, 5x Optical Zoom, 50x Hybrid Zoom + 12MP (Ultrawide) f/2.2, 120˚
- Rear Camera Features: LED flash, auto-HDR, Panorama, 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS
- Front Camera: 10 MP Camera, f/2.2, Dual video call, Auto-HDR, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps
Storage
- Built-in Storage: 128GB / 256GB / 512GB
- Memory Card Support: microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)
- Bundled Cloud Storage: –
Network Support
- 2G GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
- 2G CDMA 1X: –
- 3G WCDMA: 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
- 3G CDMA EVDO: 2000 1xEV-DO
- 4G LTE: LTE
- 5G:
Internet & Connectivity
- GPRS: Yes
- EDGE: Yes
- 3G/WCDMA/HSPA: Yes
- HSPA+: –
- CDMA EVDO: Yes
- 4G LTE: Yes
- 5G: –
- WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot: Yes
- Bluetooth: 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX
- NFC: Yes
- Infrared Blaster: –
- USB Port: Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go
Messaging
- SMS/MMS: Yes
- Instant Messaging: Yes
- Push Emails: Yes
- Email Protocol: Yes
Entertainment
- Music Player: Yes
- Video Player: Yes
- FM Radio: Yes (Snapdragon model only; Market/operator Dependent)
- Loudspeaker: Yes
- 3.5mm Jack: No
Navigation
- Navigation: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
- Maps: Yes
Sensors & Control
- Digital Compass: Yes
- Accelerometer: Yes
- Proximity Sensor: Yes
- Light Sensor: –
- Barometer: Yes
- SpO2: –
- Pedometer: –
- Heart Rate Monitor: –
- Gyroscope: Yes
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, (under display, ultrasonic),
- Iris Scanner: –
- Face Unlock: –
- Stylus Pen: Yes
- Intelligent Digital Assistant: Yes
- Motion Sensing / Gesture Control:
- Voice Control: Yes
Other Features
- Video Streaming: Yes
- Active Noise Cancellation: –
- Wireless Charging: Yes (15W Fast Qi/PMA)
- Built-in Mobile Payment: –
- Water Resistant: Yes (IP68, up to 1.5m for 30 mins)
- Dust Resistant: Yes
- Image Editor: Yes
- Video Editor: –
- Document Viewer: –
- Document Editor: –
Battery
- Battery: 4500 mAh Non-Removable Li-ion Battery
- Talktime: –
- Standby Time: –
- Fast Charging: 25W Fast Charging Capacity
