Samsung’s long-awaited new flagship Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has been recently introduced. We shared the preview of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which we received as soon as it has been introduced, right after the introduction. This time, we are taking an in-depth look at the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which we have been using actively since August 5.
In this review, we will explain in detail everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Of course, in the review, which will also include information about the Galaxy Note 20, another model of the family, we will share with you all aspects of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, from technical analysis to performance, camera capabilities, S Pen features and detailed battery performance.
It is obvious that the Note 20 Ultra is also an expensive model, so we think you should know all the prominent features. So now let’s start our journey from the general information to the experience and features of the phone.
Samsung has introduced 2 models with the Galaxy Note 20 series this year. The more interesting of the phones introduced as Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is of course Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. While Samsung is doing well with the Galaxy A series in the premium mid-segment phone category, it has made a similar work in flagship status this year.
Design of Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is another of the larger phones that we are now getting used to. Note 20 Ultra, which looks more like the Galaxy S20 Ultra in terms of design, with larger sizes and screen than last year’s flash model Note 10 Plus, has 3 distinct color options. The phone, which can be found in Mystic Black and Mystic White as well as the Mystic Bronze color, looks incredibly beautiful with its copper color called Mystic Bronze.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Screen Size
Note 20 Ultra is not a phone that you can use with one hand. It is a large model with a length of 164 mm, a width of 77 mm and a thickness of 8.1 mm, shaped in the frame of its 6.9-inch giant screen. However, I have to say that it looks more polite than the S20 Ultra, which we have examined in detail before, because it is a slightly thinner and slightly lighter phone.
The weight of the phone is 208 grams. Of course, you still feel its weight when you take it in your hand. Especially when you play a long game or watch Netflix, you will remember what we said.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Camera
The camera on the back of the phone, which carries the Note genes with its design lines as well as looking beautiful in bronze, is a relic from the S20 Ultra. There is a huge camera block at the back. Of course, these cameras have many abilities; we will talk about its features, but we cannot say that we like it very much with its design. We mentioned similar things in the S20 Ultra review, this large camera block looks like a hump that made the phone bulky by design.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Gorilla Glass Victus Protection
Samsung is switching to a new protection with the Note 20 Ultra. The phone uses Gorilla Glass Victus, which is launched as the new Gorilla Glass class. According to the statement made by Corning, this new standard is the most durable material ever made. While this protection is said to be resistant to drops of up to 2 meters on hard and uneven surfaces, numerous tests have been made for scratches.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Is Water Resistant for 30 Minutes!
Meanwhile, another protection is at the water point. IP68 certification is also available for the Note 20 Ultra. Thus, the phone is protected against fresh water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. Especially during the epidemic period, water-resistant phones are obviously great comfort. When you come from outside, you can wash it immediately.
The biggest difference that separates the Note 20 Ultra from the Note 20 in terms of design is that this phone has the material used by glass and metal alloy. Because in Note 20, glass-like plastic material called “Glasstic” is used.
In Note 20 Ultra, the glass and metal surface are matte, so it is advantageous that it does not hold many fingerprints. The side frames are also made of aluminum, and the lower edge has an S Pen slot, USB-C port and a speaker grille. The second speaker is also placed in the handset part, and the box includes AKG supported headphones. We can easily say that the Note 20 Ultra is a very satisfactory phone in terms of sound with both speakers and headphones.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra can store up to 1TB!
The phone has sound and power buttons on the right side, and a SIM card and microSD card drawer on the upper edge. Note 20 Ultra allows you to increase the storage capacity up to 1 TB with a microSD card. It also supports dual SIM cards, but when you want to install your second line, you cannot use the microSD card.
What are the screen features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra?
Note 20 Ultra, with its screen, has great differences in terms of both design and features compared to Note 20. One of the differences is that this phone uses a curved screen, while the Note 20 has a completely flat screen. Again, in the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the screen is 6.9 inches as we say, while the Note 20 has a 6.7-inch screen.
Note 20 Ultra’s screen is curved towards the edges as we are used to from the series. Thus, while it looks more aesthetic, the side frames do not cut the image, providing a wide viewing experience. However, when you try to use it with one hand, when you try to touch the upper left corner of the phone with your thumb, of course, you touch the screen accidentally with your palm from time to time due to this wide and endless screen.
This 6.9-inch screen brings us a resolution of 1440×3088 pixels. With the Dynamic AMOLED screen prepared with 496 ppi pixel density, HDR10+ support and 120Hz refresh rate, we have a really nice screen. We are used to the fact that Samsung has used a very good screens on every phone for years, and this tradition is not broken in the Note 20 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Screen Refresh Rate
However, unfortunately, you cannot benefit from the 120Hz screen refresh rate at full resolution, just like the Galaxy S20 Ultra. If you want to view the screen as 120Hz, the resolution is limited to FHD+. The WQHD+ resolution is unlocked only if you use the screen at 60Hz.
The 120Hz experience is really enjoyable. Nowadays, when we are used to high refresh rates in monitors, it is pleasing to see this on the phone screen. Especially when you put the 60Hz and 120Hz screens side by side, you can see the difference, the fluency between applications and between screens.
By the way, we have to say that another difference between Note 20 Ultra and Note 20 is revealed here. Because the Note 20 uses a Super AMOLED screen and therefore the 120Hz refresh rate unfortunately does not exist.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Face Recognition and Fingerprint Reader
Finally, let’s say that the fingerprint reader is also under the screen in Note 20 Ultra. Of course, the sensor works fast, and you can also run face recognition via the front camera.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Operating System
Note 20 Ultra has Android 10 as the operating system. We see One UI 2.5 version as the interface. Samsung continued its software journey, which started with the TouchWiz interface with the S series, and continued for a while with Samsung Experience, and finally introduced One UI on its latest phones. This interface, which we find incredibly positive in terms of user experience, is very successful in optimization and allows you to find everything you are looking for quickly.
In fact, we have talked a lot about the details of this interface, which is simple in terms of visuality and offers rich options in terms of developability, in our different reviews.
However, if we touch it again, we can start by talking about the fact that you can access many shortcuts in the upper drawer. There are many options here, from blue light filter to dark mode, from screen video recorder to secure folder, from Smart View, where you can share the screen with other devices, to Edge lighting options.
Note 20 Ultra Game Launcher App
On the other hand, the Game Launcher application, which collects games together and analyzes the time you spend in each game, is also in place in Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. It should be said that this application also offers a large number of special options for players.
For example, from the Game Booster section here, you can determine whether the game performance will be played at a balanced or high performance, you can activate Dolby Atmos sound support, or if you want a longer gaming experience by saving power, you can also set the screen refresh rate to 48 Hz.
What are the features of Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra S Pen?
Samsung has set the bar higher with every Galaxy Note series it has introduced so far, and has brought new features to its phones every time. While the S Pen has witnessed very important changes since the Galaxy Note 4, in general terms, each new model hosted more superior features than the previous one. This time too, this tradition has not changed, and new abilities have arrived in the S Pen.
S Pen, which gained remote control capability with the Galaxy Note 9 model, is able to convert the notes you took in Note 10 to text, and with AR Doodle, it provided the opportunity to doodle on photos and videos via the front camera, offering a different option, especially for those with drawing skills.
Note 20 Ultra Remote Camera Control
Of course, it is possible to control the camera with the S Pen in Note 20 Ultra and take photos remotely. You can switch cameras, switch modes, zoom in and out of view with aerial movements.
On the other hand, the Note series has been preferred by those who prefer to take notes with pen as well as for drawing phones for years. Note 20 Ultra has improvements in both directions. With the Samsung Notes application, you can easily synchronize the notes you take between the phone and the computer.
Meanwhile, the sensitivity of the S Pen has also been increased. Delay time has been reduced to 9ms. This makes it feel as if you are writing on the screen with a real pen when using the S Pen on the screen.
What are the features of Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra?
Now let’s get to the technical features and performance notes of the phone. Galaxy Note 20 Ultra uses a familiar processor. Samsung has decided to use the Exynos processor, which is highly discussed in the Galaxy S20 series, in the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and set out in this way.
Performance Difference between Exynos 990 And Snapdragon 865
The main criticism of the use of the Exynos 990 processor, which is also in the Galaxy S20 series, is the difference in performance between the Snapdragon 865 in the US version of the phone. While the version with Snapdragon 865 runs faster, it is also known that the versions with Exynos processors run out of battery life faster and heat more. According to the latest information, Samsung will not give up the Exynos processor in the coming period and will continue on its way in this way. Of course, this Samsung’s decision should be respected, but in the coming days, we’ll talk about how the US version of this phone with the new Snapragon 865+ processor makes a difference in performance.
As we said, the Note 20 Ultra has an Exynos 990 processor. This processor has an 8-core structure and 2 of these cores work at a frequency of 2.73 GHz as Prime, while the other 6 have a frequency of 2.0 GHz with a focus on efficiency.
Storage and RAM
The phone has 12 GB of RAM. There is no difference in storage capacity, while the model we have is 256 GB, the phone also has a 512 GB version. As we said, you can increase the memory of the phone up to 1 TB with a microSD card. However, if you buy the Note 20 model, be aware that this possibility is not available on that model.
How is Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Performance?
Now let’s get to our notes on the performance of Note 20 Ultra. Note 20 Ultra is of course an extremely powerful phone. However, due to the processor preference, it probably shows a lower graphics than the Snapdragon 865+ model. Since we do not have that model, we cannot say anything about it for now, but the test results of that model will also emerge in the coming days, we will also share them with you in our news and make comparisons.
AnTuTu Benchmark Test Result
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra can collect 530 thousand 864 points from our AnTuTu Benchmark test. With this score, we see that when we place the Note 20 Ultra on the table with the other phones we have, it is one step ahead of the Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra. Note 20 Ultra, which managed to surpass the Huawei P40 and Huawei P40 Pro in overall performance, on the other hand, falls behind the OPPO Find X2 with the Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro, which have Snapdragon 865.
By the way, another important model that draws attention to the table is the Galaxy S10 Lite. This phone also has a Snapdragon 855 processor and it is an appropriate alternative to flagships by collecting 468 thousand 31 points in the AnTuTu test.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Geekbench Result
In Note 20 Ultra, the results do not change much. Note 20 Ultra, which collects 939 points with the Geekbench single core score, is currently at the top with the S20 Ultra. Poco F2 Pro and OPPO Find X2 are just behind them, while the S20 Plus and Huawei P40 follow them.
When we come to the GeekBench multi-core conclusion, the Note 20 Ultra, which scored 2774 points, falls in the 4th place on the list, taking the Huawei P40 in front of it.
Of course, although these are basically the basic values that show real performance, it is difficult to notice the difference in daily use. Because after all, there is no difference in numbers. Note 20 Ultra is a powerful enough phone anyway.
Samsung and Xbox Collaboration
With the Note 20 series, Samsung also announced its collaboration with Xbox. Xbox’s cloud-based game service Project xCloud will start broadcasting on September 15. Note 20 Ultra will also benefit from this service with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and will allow its owners to play Xbox games on their phones in a cloud-based way.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Battery Performance
Let’s move on to battery performance. Note 20 Ultra has a battery with a capacity of 4500 mAh. With this battery, the Note 20 Ultra is a phone that can roughly take a day of heavy use. But when you examine it a little more, you can see that you can get different battery performances on the phone.
Now in the first 2 scenarios we will explain, we will go over the default battery settings when the phone is out of the box. In each test, we tried to run almost the same applications and use the same screen on time. Of course, the results may still differ depending on your use.
In the first scenario, we ran the screen at 120Hz. With Note 20 Ultra, which we unloaded at 9 o’clock in the morning, we reached a total of 6 hours and 30 minutes of screen on time. Approximately 3 hours of this period was spent watching movies on Netflix, we texted WhatsApp for 1 hour and 17 minutes during the day, and we were on Instagram for 30 minutes. Of course, whether it’s the phone calls made or many other apps running in the back, the phone’s charge dropped to 11 percent around 00:30 at night when the day ended.
In the second scenario we applied the next day, we pulled the screen to 60Hz to see the difference. We worked similarly during this time and the difference was clear. When the day was over, the charge of the phone was at the level of 45 percent at around 00:30.
So, looking at these results, we can say that the difference in battery consumption is 34 percent between 120Hz and 60Hz screen refresh rate in the default battery settings.
Adaptive Power Saving Mode
The next day, we tried a different way and we activated the Adaptive Power Saving mode, which can be found in the battery settings of the phone, which can save power when necessary, and we took the screen back to 120Hz and started the day earlier.
In this scenario, we exposed the Note 20 Ultra, which we pulled from the charge at 07:00 in the morning, to wide multimedia usage with a total screen on time of 9 hours and 53 minutes. As a result of about 5 hours of watching TV series on Netflix, followed by 1.5 hours of Full HD video playback and of course, social media usage and phone calls during the day, the phone is completely discharged at 23:00 in the evening. So in this scenario, the Note 20 Ultra made 16 hours with intense use.
Of course, the scenarios can be diversified, but we can say that the Adaptive Power Saving mode does its job well and allows you to make the most of the phone. By the way, these are intensive use scenarios. These results show that you can extend the battery life of the phone to the second day with less multimedia usage. Of course, there are modes such as Medium Power Saving and Maximum Power Saving that you can use on the phone. With these, you can extend the open time even more.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Full HD Video Test
Another test is the classic Full HD video test. In the scenario where it has full screen brightness for 90 minutes and is connected to Wi-Fi, the Note 20 Ultra, which consumes an 11 percent battery at the end of this period, appears in the normal line with this value. Let’s also say that Huawei P40, one of the other flagships we have reviewed last for your comparison, also lost 10 percent at the end of the same period.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Charge Speed
With the charger included in the box of the phone, you can charge the Note 20 Ultra at full capacity within 65 minutes in total. The phone, which charges 20 percent in the first 10 minutes, can be charged 59 percent in 30 minutes and 87 percent in 50 minutes. It can reach full capacity after 1 hour and 5 minutes. With this result, I have to say that it is charged very quickly and in a balanced way. We say balanced, because it is clear that extra fast charging also damages the battery over prolonged use.
- 10 Minutes: 20 percent
- 20 Minutes: 42 percent
- 30 Minutes: 59 percent
- 40 Minutes: 74 percent
- 50 Minutes: 87 percent
- 1 hour: 94 percent
- 1 Hour 5 Minutes: 100 percent
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Camera Features
Yes, we came to the cameras. It is clear that the rear camera block of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is extremely large. We have been used to seeing large camera setups in high-end smartphones lately, but frankly, it is a fact that this preference makes the phone quite cumbersome in design. Samsung also joined this caravan with the Galaxy S20 Ultra and chose to continue with the Note 20 Ultra. So, does this giant camera really shoot as effectively as it is big, and on the other hand, is there really a need for such big cameras?
Main Camera Features
In Note 20 Ultra, which has a triple camera array, the main camera is the same as the S20 Ultra. Adding laser autofocus to this, Samsung aimed to solve the focusing problems experienced with the S20 series. The 108 MP resolution main camera is here, supported by OIS with f / 1.8 aperture and 26mm focal length, and phase detection autofocus.
Secondary Camera Features
The second camera on the phone is a 12 MP periscope telephoto camera. This camera with phase detection and OIS support is capable of 5x optical and 50x hybrid zoom. Yes, with the S20 Ultra you can zoom 100x, with the Note 20 Ultra you can zoom up to 50x.
Third Camera Features
The third camera is also in the form of 12 MP. You are using this 120 degree camera to take ultra-wide angle photos.
There is no depth camera on the phone. If you remember, the ToF 3D sensor is used in the S20 Ultra, but Samsung did not prefer it in the Note 20 Ultra.
Front Camera Features
When we come to the front camera, we see that there has not been much change after the Note 10 Plus. While there is a 10 MP selfie camera here, this camera also consists of a wide-angle lens with f/ 2.2 aperture. The only capability of this camera, which includes Dual Pixel phase detection autofocus, compared to its predecessor, is the practical ability to record 60 frames of video in 4K. In Note 10 Plus, 30 frames of video could be recorded in 4K.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Camera Performance
The performance of the Note 20 Ultra’s cameras is fine. But to be clear, the 108 MP lens owner does not make a significant difference to its competitors in photography, and there is no big change compared to the Galaxy S20 Plus. Therefore, we think that such a large camera block is not necessary. If the request is a design choice that attracts attention with its large camera block, we have nothing to say to it.
You need to turn this setting on to be able to take 108 MP photos with the Note 20 Ultra. When you select 108 MP from the top of the camera interface, your zoom options disappear. However, the details are getting richer in the landscape photos you take. You can really take pictures of beautiful scenery.
The camera, which you can use in the form of 12 MP in normal mode, also gives satisfactory results. You will love the results if you combine blue and green in the shots that we find very satisfying in terms of color saturation and vividness.
In a Nutshell
We think we have answered many questions about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. If you are still confused, you can share with us in the comments.
As a result, Samsung has made a good flagship with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, but it also has its shortcomings. It is also clear that it is not a model with significant changes and exciting innovations. In fact, this is not only for Samsung, we do not see key features that we can call milestones in the smartphone world recently, but on the other hand, prices continue to increase exponentially.
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