Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review: The pros and cons
Our Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the most versatile big-screen telephone withal, making information technology all-time for ability users who are willing to pay a premium.
For
- Dynamic 6.9-inch 120Hz display
- Smoother S Pen functioning
- Streams Xbox games
- Powerful 50x zoom camera and laser autofocus
- Very good battery life
Against
- Expensive
- Photographic camera crash-land is pretty large
- Curved brandish tin badger at times
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Samsung Milky way Annotation xx Ultra is the virtually versatile big-screen phone nevertheless, making it all-time for power users who are willing to pay a premium.
Pros
- +
Dynamic 6.9-inch 120Hz display
- +
Smoother S Pen performance
- +
Streams Xbox games
- +
Powerful 50x zoom camera and laser autofocus
- +
Very good battery life
Cons
- -
Expensive
- -
Photographic camera crash-land is pretty large
- -
Curved display can annoy at times
- -
Update: The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has basically superseded the Galaxy Note twenty Ultra. But if yous want to ponder over which 1 to buy, check out our caput-to-head comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy Note twenty Ultra (from $1,299) is still the telephone to get if you want a handset with a stylus, especially since Samsung has confirmed that a Galaxy Note 21 isn't happening.
So is the Annotation twenty Ultra worth the ultra-premium toll? Later thoroughly testing this big-screen telephone, my previous answer was yes. Nevertheless, most should wait for the Samsung Milky way S22 Ultra, which is rumored to include a born stylus and could be a proper replacement for the Galaxy Note.
Samsung Milky way Note 20 Ultra specs
Cost: $1,299
Os: Android 10 with 1 UI 2.0
Display: 6.9-inch AMOLED (QHD; 120Hz)
CPU: Snapdragon 865 Plus
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 128GB, 512GB
Rear camera: 108MP wide (ƒ/1.8); 12MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom (ƒ/3.0); 12MP ultrawide (ƒ/two.2)
Front camera: 10MP (ƒ/2.two)
Battery: 4,500 mAh
Battery life: 10 hrs 26 min (7:59, 120Hz way)
Colors: Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White
Size: vi.48 x 3.04 10 0.32 inches
Weight: 7.33 ounces
The Galaxy Annotation twenty Ultra boasts a huge 6.9-inch display with a dynamic 120Hz refresh charge per unit, a sharp 108MP photographic camera with laser auto focus and a more responsive S Pen. The regular Galaxy Note 20 is the improve selection for those who can live without a 120Hz brandish and and more advanced cameras.
The Samsung Milky way S21 Ultra is the improve phone overall, as information technology offers more advanced cameras and a faster Snapdragon 888 chip. And the newer Milky way S22 Ultra launch is tipped for February.
However, as yous'll see in my total Samsung Galaxy Note xx Ultra review, this is an excellent device.
- Samsung Milky way S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note xx Ultra: Which is better?
- Galaxy Note 20 vs. Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Which is best for you?
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Galaxy Notation 20 Ultra review: What I like
- Dynamic 120Hz display is great: Scrolling feels like butter when y'all accept the Adaptive motion smoothness setting turned on. And optimized games similar Dead Trigger 2 look really smooth.
- The Note twenty'southward S Pen feels better than pen and paper: You get a fast 9ms response fourth dimension and offering a pen-to-paper feel. Scribbling notes on this panel feels completely natural to the bespeak I forget I'm writing on a screen.
- Infinite Zoom photographic camera is very impressive: I got in very shut with the Annotation 20 Ultra's 5x optical zoom, putting my iPhone 11 Pro Max's 2x zoom to shame. And the digital zoom stayed steady up to 20x; it got shaky at 50x.
- New Due south Pen tricks are addictive: The new Air Deportment tin come in handy (like drawing a a quick arc in the air to become Home). But they don't always piece of work the outset time.
- Wireless DeX mode and Link to Windows work (pretty) well: I managed to get the Note 20 Ultra to connect to my TCL Roku TV wirelessly and use the phone as a touchpad. And Link to Windows lets you run Android apps on your PC.
Milky way Note 20 Ultra review: What I don't like
- This camera burl is quite large: The camera patch on the dorsum of the Note 20 Ultra protrudes a great deal.
- Curved brandish can arrive the way: While information technology looks cool, the curved display can sometimes lead to accidental screen taps when holding the phone.
- Very pricey: $ane,300 is a lot to pay for a phone, fifty-fifty 1 as fully loaded every bit this flagship.
Galaxy Annotation 20 Ultra review: Release date and cost
The Samsung Galaxy Notation xx Ultra had a release date of August 21, 2020, and is available through all of the major carriers. The 128GB version of the Milky way Note 20 costs $1,299. The 512GB version costs $one,449 — the aforementioned price Samsung charges for its Galaxy Z Flip 5G foldable telephone.
Note that the Galaxy Note twenty Ultra frequently goes on sale, and we've seen it for as low as $one,049 on Best Buy with activation.
Samsung Galaxy Annotation 20 Ultra review: Pattern
Samsung has made its most elegant looking phone notwithstanding with the Milky way Note xx Ultra. The squared off edges combined with the sophisticated Mystic Statuary color give this handset a corner part vibe.
I also like that the finish does a skillful chore resisting fingerprints, unlike the Aura Glow end on the Milky way Note 10 Plus. Yous tin too get the Note 20 Ultra is Mystic Black and Mystic White.
In that location'due south a couple things I don't like about the design. I, the photographic camera patch on the back is big and bulky, which non only reminds me of brass knuckles — it props up the entire phone. You can hear the phone wobble when y'all press down on the acme of the display.
And while the curved brandish is sexy, it can sometimes cause accidental taps when yous're but holding the telephone. In some cases my screen taps did not register, equally I didn't realize my other hand holding the phablet was interfering.
Measuring 6.49 10 3.03 ten 0.32 inches (164.eight x 77.2 x viii.1 mm) and weighing vii..3 ounces (208 grams), the Milky way Note 20 Ultra is non as large as the Galaxy S20 Ultra (vi.6 10 ii.7 x 0.34 inches and 7.7 ounces), but it's nevertheless a handful compared to the Milky way Note x Plus (6.4 x three x 0.31 inches and 6.9 ounces) which had a smaller 6.viii-inch display.
There have been some complaints from Galaxy Note 20 Ultra owners that the camera housing has been collecting dust and condensation underneath the drinking glass. Nonetheless, our review unit has not exhibited this outcome.
Overall, despite some small-scale complaints the Galaxy Note twenty Ultra really does expect and experience similar a $1,300 handset.
- Samsung Galaxy Annotation 20 Ultra vs. Galaxy Annotation 10 Plus: What's different?
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review: Display
The massive 6.9-inch OLED quad HD+ display on the Milky way Note xx Ultra is large, assuming and colorful. More of import, this is the get-go Samsung telephone to offer a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate.
The Milky way S20 lineup introduced a faster refresh charge per unit to Samsung phones, delivering smoother scrolling as well as amend visuals, especially for games and movies. But it was a feature you had to manually suit. With the Note 20 Ultra, the refresh rate automatically adjusts based on what content is on screen, which should save on battery life.
When using the display I found scrolling to be super smooth and fast in Chrome with Adaptive mode turned on. Y'all can always cull 60Hz manually if yous desire to salve every last drop of juice.
I likewise tried the Expressionless Trigger 2 games, which is one of the titles optimized for the 120Hz console. As I ran around shooting zombies and navigating dark corridors the game looked shine and felt extremely responsive.
The Notation 20 Ultra'southward panel is exceedingly bright and is fairly easy to read in direct sunlight. The brandish hit a fairly high 662 nits on our light meter, which is very good but not as high every bit the iPhone eleven Pro's 752 nits.
The Note 20 Ultra's screen produced 121.v% of the sRGB colour gamut in Natural Way and 201.two% in Vivid mode, compared to 118.6% for the iPhone xi Pro Max. The Note 20 Ultra beats Apple on accuracy, registering a Delta-E score of 0.24, compared to 0.28 for the iPhone xi Pro Max (where 0 is perfect).
Some Galaxy Notation 20 Ultra owners are complaining that a green tint is appearing on the screen when the brightness is lowered. We have not experienced this outcome on our review unit. Nosotros reached out to Samsung but they practise not take any annotate at this fourth dimension.
- Samsung Galaxy Note twenty Ultra vs OnePlus 8 Pro: Which phone wins?
Samsung Milky way Note 20 Ultra review: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra features a trio of rear cameras, plus a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation car-focus sensor that should address one of our bigger complaints near the Galaxy S20 Ultra and its problems with focus.
The phablet'southward photographic camera array starts with a 108MP wide camera with a a f/1.viii aperture, and information technology'southward paired with a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view and f/2.2. The 12MP telephoto lens delivers a 5x optical zoom and upward to a 50x super resolution zoom.
The power of 50x zoom. Its kind of scary. #GalaxyNote20Ultra flick.twitter.com/LpGPCuzyzGAugust 18, 2020
I tired out the powerful Infinite Zoom on the Notation 20 Ultra with this tree as the field of study. As you can run into in the gallery beneath, the results expect fairly sharp all the way up to 10x zoom, just the 20x and specially the 50x shots look blurry. Still, this is better than what y'all get from the iPhone correct now.
The 108MP camera option may seem like overkill, but information technology can come in handy when you want to take the freedom to ingather way into a photo after the fact. Simply make sure you have enough ambient lite, as this setting is best used outdoors.
As you lot tin come across in this photo of Halloween decorations, I could ingather in on just a few of the straw the people, a ghost and witch, and you can still make out plenty of detail. There's just a flake of noise in the frame.
The Galaxy Notation xx Ultra's Night Style is good but it's not quite as vivid or colorful every bit what the iPhone 11 Pro could muster. You can see the difference in this photo of a fruit handbasket taken in almost complete darkness. You can make out more of the lemons and Apples, every bit well as the basket itself.
The Annotation 20 Ultra delivered meliorate results than the iPhone 11 Pro in this close-upwardly of a flower. The Notation twenty Ultra'south shot is closer to reality as the petals look more than ruby than violet and the white balance is better. Withal, the iPhone's shot blurs out less of the groundwork.
The Annotation 20 Ultra did a fairly good job with portraits, merely Samsung's trend to slightly wash out faces is prevalent here, and you can see that it had a fleck of problem with the sunlight on my arm. The iPhone 11 Pro Max'southward portrait is more pleasing and make me pop more against the background, even if the pic is overly warm.
Where the Note 20 really beats the iPhone is with its zoom. In this 10x zoom of a tree straddling a creek, you can make out more item in the bark and surrounding leaves. The just bummer is that Samsung blows out some of the highlights.
The Samsung Milky way Note 20 Ultra'southward camera turns out to exist a formidable cooking partner. It managed to capture the juice on acme of this steak while grilling and the flames below while keeping everything in focus.
If you want to record the sharpest video possible, you'll be pleased to know that the Samsung Galaxy Notation 20 Ultra can record 8K video with a 21:nine aspect ratio at up to 24 frames per second. There's likewise a new Pro Video style that lets you control the focus, exposure and zoom speed. Plus, y'all can use the onboard mics or external mics, such as the Milky way Buds Live.
The 12MP selfie camera up front end (f/2.2) has a 120-degree field of view, which should come in handy for group selfies. in this selfie, the Note 20 Ultra did a great job capturing the lush greenish background at a nearby park, and the blue in my shirt really pops. Nevertheless, my confront looks a bit also smooth and a trivial washed out.
Samsung Galaxy Annotation 20 Ultra review: S Pen
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra benefits from a swift 9ms response fourth dimension for its Southward Pen, which is designed to evangelize more than of a pen-to-paper feel when taking notes or drawing.
In addition, the Due south Pen now offers five new Anywhere actions, which build on the Air Actions from the Galaxy Note 10 series. You can return to the abode screen, have a screen shot, return to a recent app and more than through various gestures. But information technology will take some do before you can remember every gesture-based Anywhere activeness.
Other South Pen upgrades come up on the software forepart. The improved Samsung Notes app now includes Alive Sync so you tin can salve all of your notes to the clouds and so access them from any device.
Plus, the Note twenty Ultra is smart enough to time sync your notes along with vocalism recordings, so you tin hear what was existence said right when you lot scribbled down that thought.
I tried recording a phonation memo in the Samsung Notes app, and certain enough, I could see the words I wrote highlighted every bit I played dorsum the clip.
In addition, the Samsung Notes app now makes it easier to find your notes with a more PC-like file folder structure. The software tin can even straighten out your handwriting.
Samsung Galaxy Annotation xx Ultra review: Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Note twenty Ultra is ane of the fastest Android phones around, as it's 1 of the first handsets with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 Plus processor. This chipset boosts the clock speed past x% up to 3.1 GHz and the graphics is also ten% faster than the regular Snapdragon 865 chip inside the Galaxy S20.
This processor is paired with 12GB of RAM and either 128GB or 512GB of internal storage. For $i,299, I wish the Ultra started with 256GB of storage, merely at least you can expand information technology via microSD card slot by up to 1TB.
I handed the Annotation twenty Ultra to our resident Fortnite good, my 12-year-old son, and he constitute the gameplay to exist and so shine that I had to lobby hard to get the phone back.
On Geekbench, which measures overall performance, the Note 20 Ultra striking a multi-core score of 3,294, which is ahead of most Android phones only behind the Asus ROG Phone 3 with the same Snapdragon 865 Plus flake, which notched three,393. The iPhone 11 Pro scored an even higher iii,500.
The Note 20 Ultra also trailed the iPhone on our video editing test, taking took one minute and 16 seconds to the iPhone'south 45 seconds.
On the GFXBench graphics test, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra scored 1,455 frames on the Aztec Ruins (High Tier) off-screen benchmark, compared to ane,657 frames for the iPhone 11 Pro.
As y'all would look for a premium flagship, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra supports both flavors of 5G, and so yous should be able to hop on both sub half-dozen-GHz networks and mmWave networks with ease where they are available.
In New Jersey I saw decent download speeds on T-Mobile's 5G network, ranging between 40 Mbps and 99 Mbps. But information technology was not exactly blazing. Uploads ranged between 10 and 35 Mbps.
Some reviewers take complained that the Milky way Annotation 20 Ultra tin can run a little hot. A Note xx Ultra teardown has revealed that the phone uses a multi-layered graphite thermal pad to aid with heat dissipation instead of the copper piping and vapor bedroom arrangement used in the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Notwithstanding, nosotros have not experienced whatever heat issues.
Galaxy Notation 20 Ultra review: DeX and Link to Windows
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is geared toward power users who are looking for a productivity boost, and this telephone offers a couple of large upgrades on that front.
Multitaskers will also capeesh the improved DeX experience, which is at present completely wireless, instead of requiring y'all to apply a cable or dock to connect to a monitor. Now yous tin can axle what's on your Galaxy Note 20 Ultra screen to a uniform smart Telly from across the room; the TV needs to support Miracast, though.
Later some tinkering I was able to go the Wireless DeX mode to work on my 55-inch TCL Roku Telly. Later on connecting to the TV I could use the Note twenty Ultra's screen as a touchpad to move the cursor around the display. Although the move was a bit jerky, I enjoyed being able to pull up pics from the Google Photos app and bear witness them on the big screen.
I also tried streaming the Asphalt 9 racing game to the TV, but the gameplay stuttered. The Note 20 Ultra delivered better operation when playing Fortnite; using a PS4 controller my 12-year-old son was able to play a match and make a couple of kills with not too much lag.
Another key upgrade is Link to Windows integration, which allows you to admission mobile apps on your Windows 10 PC via the Your Phone app. I was able to send and receive letters, make calls, and come across my notifications on a Galaxy Tab S laptop. I also could scroll through my photograph gallery.
The fun really starts when you showtime running Android apps on your laptop. I tried a few games, including Cobblestone 9, which ran smoother here than it did over DeX mode. The keyboard controls actually worked well, though you can also use your laptop's touchscreen.
Some apps ran at full screen, but the Skyforce shooting game stayed in a minor window. Samsung says that Link to Windows will eventually let yous run upwardly to six mobile apps on your PC at in one case.
Terminal simply not least, you lot can mirror the Milky way Annotation 20'south interface directly on your Windows laptop and run apps from at that place. I had no problem firing up Twitter and scrolling through my feed. You can't do this with an iPhone.
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review: Xbox Game Pass
Through the ability of Microsoft's xCloud game streaming, the Galaxy Annotation xx Ultra can play more than 100 Xbox games via Xbox Game Laissez passer (currently in beta). Titles include Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, Minecraft Dungeons and Halo: The Master Chief collection.
I tried a few rounds of Forza, and the gampplay was surprisingly fluid using a PS4 controller, despite the fact I was streaming over the deject. The just bummer was having to wait a while for each game to load; all the same, this fourth dimension could be less once Xbox Game Pass is out of
Xbox Game Pass costs $15 a month, and when y'all pair the Annotation 20 Ultra with a game controller information technology could feel similar a mini console. (Those who pre-order the Notation 20 Ultra can get a three-month gratuitous trial.) The fun gets underway September xv when the service officially kicks off, so we'll report dorsum with final impressions.
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review: Battery life and charging
The Milky way Annotation twenty Ultra packs a pretty beefy iv,500 mAh battery, which held up well in daily utilise.
After unplugging at 9 am I used the Notation xx Ultra with a wide range of apps. I watched over an 60 minutes of Umbrella Academy on Netflix, streamed Spotify with the screen on for an hr and a half and played well-nigh 40 minutes of Fortnite. I besides used Twitter for well-nigh an hour, surfed the spider web and checked email.
After all that I still had near 27% juice left at 9 pm. That'south keen.
| Bombardment life (hrs:minutes) | Battery size | |
| Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (60Hz/120Hz) | 10:26/seven:59 | 4,500 mAh |
| OnePlus viii Pro (60Hz/120Hz) | 11:05/9:02 | 4,510 mAh |
| Milky way S20 Ultra (60Hz/120Hz) | 11:58/9:13 | 5,000 mAh |
| Galaxy S20 Plus (60Hz/120Hz) | 10:31/8:55 | 4,500 mAh |
| iPhone xi Pro Max | 11:54 | 3,969 mAh |
| iPhone 11 | 11:16 | three,190 mAh |
| Galaxy Notation 10 Plus | ten:47 | 4,300 mAh |
| Google Pixel 4a | 8:55 | 3,140 mAh |
The Note xx Ultra endured for 10 hours and 26 minutes on the Tom's Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness over 5G. In this case we used T-Mobile'southward network. This was with 60Hz screen manner on. The device lasted just 7:59 with the 120Hz screen fashion turned on.
By comparison, the Milky way S20 Plus with its 4,500 mAh battery lasted 10 hours and 31 minutes and 8:55 in 120Hz manner. And the OnePlus eight Pro lasted xi hours and 5 minutes in 60Hz style and 9:02 in 120Hz mode. The handsets on our best telephone bombardment life listing all last over 10 hours.
The Note 20 Ultra comes with a 25-watt charger, which juiced the device to 56% in thirty minutes. That's good, but it's not as fast as the OnePlus 8 Pro's 63% in the same amount of time.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review: Verdict
The Samsung Milky way Note 20 Ultra is nearly the superlative of Android phablets — and it should be for $1,299. Information technology offers a best-in-course brandish, a better S Pen experience and a boatload of features for work and play. The cameras are very good, fixing the focusing problem with the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and the powerful zoom and Xbox gameplay give the Notation 20 Ultra a couple of advantages over the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is the superior camera telephone based on our testing, equally it includes a bigger main sensor that lets in more calorie-free, a LiDAR sensor that speeds up autofocus and Dolby Vision video recording and editing. And the new iPhone boats a tougher Ceramic Shield display. Only it lacks the Note 20 Ultra's 120Hz brandish and South Pen support.
Some may prefer the newer Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra for $1,199. It delivers a faster processor, fifty-fifty meliorate cameras and optional Southward Pen back up. But if you lot actually want the stylus built in I'd become with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, especially since a Galaxy Note 21 reportedly isn't coming this year.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-note-20-ultra-review-pros-and-cons
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