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Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Reconditionné

Our Verdict

Lesser line: If you're a loyal Galaxy Note buyer, the Notation 20 Ultra is the all-time possible version ever made. Featuring a much-improved S Pen feel, a huge photographic camera upgrade over previous Annotation versions, and every possible spec y'all could ask for, this expensive monolith is worth the price of admission. You merely accept to know you need it.

For

  • Ane of the best telephone displays out there
  • Impeccable performance
  • Great camera functioning
  • Southward Pen upgrades
  • All-day battery life

Against

  • Inexcusably tiresome and inconsistent fingerprint sensor
  • Curved brandish causes imitation touches
  • Very expensive

At i point, I was going to starting time this review with a sentence like, "Samsung's never really screwed up the Galaxy Notation; every version has been ameliorate than the last." I got well-nigh halfway through writing that judgement, and so it all came flooding back — the summer of 2016, when reports of Note 7s communicable fire started trickling in. Then came the recall, and so the reissue, then the second recall, and so the bans. How could I have forgotten, even briefly, something that fundamentally changed Samsung, and the wider smartphone industry, so dramatically?

I forgot it for a moment considering Samsung's done such a greatly good job helping us forget information technology. In the wake of the Note 7 debacle, the company returned the following April with the Galaxy S8, which turned out to be its all-time-selling flagship ever, followed by the Note 8 a few months later on. A year afterward, the Notation ix was the outset premium Android telephone to justify its thousand-dollar price tag, and the following twelvemonth Samsung gave us two Notation 10 models to gawk over every bit it worked hard to convince us they stood apart from their Galaxy S counterparts.

Then now we have the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which borrows more than a bit of its full-blooded from the huge and ultimately flawed Galaxy S20 Ultra. That phone, as you may have read, had some major bug with its cameras, from autofocus woes to exaggerated claims of telephoto prowess. Thankfully, the Annotation 20 Ultra makes up for those shortcomings and then some.

The Annotation 20 serial heralds the culmination of the Note line, but Samsung took the best $.25 of the lineup and added it to the mainstream Galaxy South serial — the stylus tech made its style to the Milky way S21 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold iii foldable in 2021. And in a move that will delight Note fans, an integrated S Pen is baked into the Galaxy S22 Ultra, making it a spiritual successor to the Notation 20 series.

Samsung Milky way Note 20 Ultra Toll & release date

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central)

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was initially announced on August five, 2020, then subsequently released on August 21, starting at $one,300 in the U.South., with an optional $1,400 model available offering 256GB of storage. Lucky for you, in the fourth dimension since its release, the cost has come downwards past a bit, downwards to $one,040 equally of February, 2022, at select retailers like Amazon.

It's also much more affordable if y'all trade in your current smartphone or if y'all buy it through a carrier. In the U.South., like most all Samsung products, the Notation twenty Ultra is available at AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, along with smaller regional carriers and MVNOs. And because it'south a 5G phone, yous'll demand a 5G programme to have advantage of the phone's cellular speeds.

You can get the Note xx Ultra in iii colors: Mystic Bronze, Mystic White, and Mystic Black. We're reviewing the new Mystic Bronze version and think it's the best color for the new phone.

Samsung Galaxy Notation 20 Ultra Hardware & design

Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central)

If information technology looks like a Note and smells like a Annotation, it must be a Note. That's basically what you get with the Annotation xx Ultra since it hews closely to Samsung's indigestible-body-curved-display design language employed since the Notation 8 three years prior. This fourth dimension, though, the Notation 20 distills the design language to a science, executing tolerances that few manufacturers can achieve at scale.

From the forepart, information technology'south really hard to tell the Note 20 Ultra apart from 2019's Note x+.

From the front, information technology'south pretty hard to distinguish the Annotation xx Ultra from the Notation 10+, downwardly to the only-slightly-larger half dozen.9-inch screen size. Plow it around, though, and the Ultra'southward enormous photographic camera module is the start matter you meet — especially because it prevents the phone from lying flat on a table.

Equally with all Samsung AMOLED displays, the ane on the Note 20 Ultra is stunning — nearly perfect in many regards — with seamless color whorl-off, inky blacks, incredible daytime brightness that's some 20% higher than its predecessor (though during regular usage, information technology'southward difficult to tell the departure), HDR10+ support, and more. The upside is that, once once again, Samsung'south made the best mobile screen out at that place, right in line with that of the S20 series and even competitive with the newer Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Joe Maring / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Joe Maring / Android Central)

Samsung made some slight alterations to the manner 120Hz works versus the S20 series, too; instead of asking you to manually choose betwixt keeping the refresh rate at either 120Hz or 60Hz, when set to the higher rate, the system decides when to dynamically stride down to 60Hz again. Past taking the onus away from the user in deciding whether they desire to prioritize smoothness over battery life, Samsung landed on the best of both worlds, and I only noticed a few instances where the step-down was awkward and noticeable.

You notwithstanding can't practice 120Hz at the Notation xx Ultra'due south full resolution; yous'll demand the newer S21 Ultra for that.

OnePlus did the same affair with its OnePlus 8 serial, simply outdid Samsung in one important area: it allowed 120Hz at the telephone'southward highest 1440p screen resolution. With the Note 20 Ultra, Samsung nonetheless limits Dynamic Motion Smoothing, as it calls the feature, to 1080p. I actually think this is a skilful motility since 120Hz at FHD resolution is a far meliorate feel than 60Hz at QHD, but the option to override (and kill the battery much more rapidly in the process) remains exclusive to the newer S21 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Joe Maring / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Joe Maring / Android Central)

At that place are two areas where I wish Samsung would accept taken critics' criticisms of the previous Notation serial to middle. The first is that Samsung did not meliorate the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor inside the Note 20 serial. Information technology's the aforementioned wearisome, unpredictable module from Qualcomm that debuted in early 2019 with the S10. The touch area is too small, and there's minimal visual or haptic feedback to signal you've identified the right location. The best the Note xx Ultra tin can do is offer a small fingerprint overlay when the e'er-on-brandish is enabled, which it isn't past default.

I've complained about this fingerprint sensor through four Samsung phone generations at present, and the response commonly falls into ii camps: people who recall I'k completely overreacting and have no issues with usage at all, and those who, similar me, despise the sensor and would prefer literally any other biometric pick than this one. My frustration is exacerbated past the fact that, back in Dec 2019, I saw Qualcomm's second-generation ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in action, and its promise was incredible: bigger, faster, and less error-prone. I'1000 just glad the S21 Ultra finally brings a newer sensor.

This hardware is massive and beautiful, only Samsung withal uses its annoying and tiresome ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which is tragic.

My other area of complaint centers around the Notation'due south curved drinking glass. With any curved surface, palm and errant impact rejection demand to be perfect. But it's not. On dozens of occasions during my fourth dimension with the Note 20 Ultra, I had to either repeat touches that weren't registered or correct errant taps in the wrong places. I know it'due south a hard problem to solve, but information technology's i of Samsung's own making; the company didn't put curved glass on the mainline Notation 20 considering it's cheaper. Samsung fifty-fifty lessened the severity of the curve radius on the S20 serial prior to the Notation 20 series debut. But the Note twenty Ultra reinforces the fashion-over-function the series has been struggling with since the Note v back in 2015. Subsequent software updates have lessened the problem, but this shouldn't have been a problem to begin with.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Daniel Bader / Android Key)

Of course, the Note has always strived to appeal to both manner and function, and the Notation twenty Ultra, at least in this Mystic Bronze colorway, is stunning. Like, nicest-hardware-ever gorgeous. There were more a few moments during my time with the phone when I just sat with it and admired the amount of piece of work and the years of exhaustive iteration that led to this finished production. Yeah, I retrieve it'due south a bit too big for my personal tastes, simply this phone is beautiful as a physical object.

Samsung'due south decision to go matte with its cease this year should exist applauded, too. Glass phones are fragile, yes, but they're also disastrous fingerprint magnets. This phone is both hardier than previous Milky way phones, outfitted with Corning'southward new Gorilla Drinking glass Victus on the front and dorsum, but information technology's the particular low-cal-arresting blanket on top of it that I appreciate about. Contrasted with the reflective color-matched aluminum frame, I'thou all-in on this particular design decision, and I hope Samsung keeps it around for generations to come up.

Samsung Galaxy Notation xx Ultra Hardware, functioning, and battery life

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra macro

Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Central)
Category Galaxy Notation 20 Ultra
Operating System Android xi
One UI iii.one
Display 6.nine-inch
AMOLED
3088 x 1440
120Hz refresh rate
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+
Memory 12GB LPDDR5
Storage 128GB / 512GB
Rear Photographic camera 1 108MP primary
f/i.viii
OIS
Rear Camera ii 12MP telephoto
f/3.0
5x optical zoom
Rear Camera 3 12MP ultra-wide
f/2.2
Forepart Camera 10MP
f/ii.2
Bombardment 4,500 mAh
Water Resistance IP68
Dimensions 77.2 10 164.8 x 8.1mm
Weight 208g
Colors Bronze
Black
White

It should come up as no surprise that the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra runs perfectly. The Snapdragon 865+ inside it isn't much changed from the 865 in the Milky way S20 series, but the 10% crash-land in the Prime number core clock speed, along with a GPU ten% faster, should exist enough to satisfy y'all if peak performance is a priority.

I really tried to taxation the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, from trying my hand at S Pen-assisted video editing to playing round later circular of COD: Mobile, and the phone apparently passed muster. Of course it did; information technology cost $one,300 at launch. If you tin find anything on the Android platform that is legitimately onerous to the Snapdragon 865+, I'll purchase you a beer. (Seriously, tell me what you do to tax your phones aside from constructed benchmarks.)

The Note 20 Ultra also comes with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM standard, which should exist more than enough for even the most spasmodic of multitaskers; 128GB of UFS iii.0 storage is the baseline, with an optional bump to 512GB for $100 more. And a microSD slot lengthens the however-plastic SIM tray (Samsung, up your game hither); frustratingly, neither the regular Annotation 20 nor the newer Milky way S21 series offers expandable storage. The Note 20 Ultra may exist the last Samsung flagship to exercise and then.

There should be nothing surprising well-nigh the rest of the Note twenty Ultra's spec sail: it has impressively full and loud stereo speakers, which I ofttimes used to play nursery rhymes for my two-yr-sometime daughter; an IP68 rating, which protected the telephone from the fourth dimension my girl grabbed it and dropped it into a bathtub total of water (it survived); and a 4,500mAh bombardment, which did a pretty good job lasting through almost days.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Joe Maring / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Joe Maring / Android Central)

I tin can confidently say the Notation 20 Ultra volition be an all-solar day phone for the vast bulk of people who purchase it, even with 120Hz enabled. I institute my unit was usually nearly dead by around 9 pm or x pm most nights, afterwards having removed information technology from the wireless charger next to my bed at seven am that morning. With an average of six hours of screen-on-time, I'm happy with the Note's uptime, simply if bombardment life is more of import than anything else, I'd stick with something in the Milky way S20 or S21 lines.

My colleague, Hayato Huseman, who produced our companion review video, told me he got over seven hours of screen-on-time per day, and then your mileage may vary.

The 5G dilemma

It would be like shooting fish in a barrel to ignore the elephant in the room, the single-biggest matter weighing on Samsung's recent smartphone pricing: 5G and the Snapdragon 865.

While 5G is certainly promising, right now, it'south difficult to justify the added hardware cost that'south built into information technology. Qualcomm charges the phone makers a lot of money for its tiptop-of-the-line chip, and while some, like OnePlus, have chosen to cut diverse corners to go along their flagships nether $grand, Samsung leans into the reality.

Source: Android Central (Image credit: Source: Android Fundamental)

At the moment, the U.Southward. is in a transitional stage, with T-Mobile in the best position to prove its force. And in markets where it inherited Dart'due south 2500Mhz-based 5G network, it's a not bad value proffer, but the vast majority of the cities where the visitor operates take slower-than-LTE 600Mhz 5G.

AT&T suffers from the same problem: where its 5G network is available, it'due south only sending slower, more weather-hardy signals over the 850Mhz spectrum, which makes it similar to LTE in most regards.

Verizon's 5G, while considerably faster, is harder nonetheless to come by, and the company even admitted that it'due south not worth spending extra money on right at present when it chopped the additional fee it used to charge to admission its mmWave 5G network.

The problem is that, at the moment, if you lot want to spend good money on a phone in the U.S., you lot're essentially paying a 5G tax. That tax is less pronounced on devices running Qualcomm'southward less powerful chips similar the Snapdragon 765, including the Motorola Edge, but it's still there. If you don't care near existence on the latest wireless network right at present, and I don't blame you if that's the case, you lot have to make the choice to wait for the networks to improve or the phones to get cheaper. Either manner, it'due south difficult to recommend spending four figures on a phone when you lot know then much of that investment is going to waste right now.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Joe Maring / Android Central (Paradigm credit: Source: Joe Maring / Android Central)

The S Pen — Joe's take

Twelvemonth after year, the distinction between the Galaxy S and Annotation serial becomes increasingly difficult to identify. The Note used to stand out as Samsung's power-user smartphone, only we now live in a globe where the Galaxy Due south handset that comes out earlier the Note is every bit as fast and capable. Even more recently, the Note's futurity has been further obscured as rumors flood that Samsung will terminate making them, instead bringing Due south Pen support to other devices similar the S21 Ultra and future Z Fold models. Still, the S Pen has been i of the Note'due south greatest strengths since the very beginning, and with the Note twenty Ultra, information technology picks up a few key features and improvements in an endeavor to make information technology stand out equally a legitimate benefit over the already great S20 lineup.

Peradventure the most notable upgrade the S Pen sees this year is its reduced latency. The Note twenty Ultra boasts an impressive latency response of just 9ms, which is considerably less than the 42ms latency previously offered on the Note 10. That'due south a flashy number to tout on paper, just the real-world benefits are more difficult to discern.

I don't have an artistic bone in my body, which means my use of the Southward Pen is reserved for navigating the user interface and taking handwritten notes. The Note 10's S Pen never felt deadening or unresponsive to me, and using it side-by-side with the Note 20 Ultra, I personally tin can't detect much of a divergence. The but time where I could visibly run into the Ultra'due south reduced latency came into play when drawing long lines very speedily on the screen. Where the Note 10's S Pen gets e'er-so-slightly alee of the line that was beingness drawn, the S Pen on the Note twenty sticks with its virtual ink as if you lot were writing on real newspaper. Information technology's great to run across that Samsung is constantly working to amend the Southward Pen experience, even if this is likely something that merely skilled artists volition see whatsoever truthful do good from.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Daniel Bader / Android Key)

The other big upgrade for the S Pen is a new batch of Air Actions. Air Actions were introduced on the Note 9 every bit a way to remotely interact with the camera app, and with the Note twenty, they're expanded as a new way to navigate the phone and quickly open apps. In that location are 5 actions/gestures y'all can perform with the S Pen, and each one tin can be customized every bit a navigation button, South Pen feature, or app shortcut.

The Due south Pen's Air Deportment are pretty unreliable, which means well-nigh people will abandon them before they're memorized.

The idea is to expand the functionality of the Due south Pen and make information technology more than of a remote for the Note rather than just a stylus. In my testing, however, I found these Air Actions to be incredibly unreliable. Air Deportment require an insane amount of precision to be performed accurately, and because of this, the bulk of my fourth dimension spent using them saw me making the wrong action or messing up the gesture altogether. The idea of having five app shortcuts that you can call on at any time is excellent, simply after my 10th failed endeavor at using Air Deportment, I generally gave upwards on the feature.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Joe Maring / Android Central (Prototype credit: Source: Joe Maring / Android Central)

Samsung's also packed a bunch of smaller tweaks into the Samsung Notes app, and while there's naught here that's revolutionary, they all help Samsung Notes feel fifty-fifty more than fleshed out than it already was. Notes tin can now exist organized in desktop-like folders for vastly better organization. There's a new PDF import tool for rapidly annotating files and an Auto Straighten feature that automatically straightens out your handwriting with the tap of a button.

I of the flashier additions is Audio Bookmark, which works when you're jotting down notes while recording audio from a business organization call, lecture, etc. In one case the recording is complete, you can tap on any notes yous took during it and spring to that section of the recording. It's a very specific feature that a lot of folks may completely ignore, but it's honestly quite handy and could prove to be a lifesaver during especially long Zoom calls.

Hither's the matter. Fifty-fifty though the reduced latency isn't super noticeable and the new Air Deportment are disappointing, the S Pen was already the best stylus available for a smartphone. Even if Samsung but made it marginally better, it already had an incredible foundation to brainstorm with. At that place's nothing hither that'll completely modify your mind about the S Pen if you already weren't a fan of information technology, merely if it's a tool you've relied on for years, the Note 20 Ultra offers the best experience y'all can get for it.

The South Pen — Daniel's take

Because of how much space the camera housing takes upwards on the right side of the phone, Samsung moved the S Pen's housing to the left side of the phone's underside, next to the bottom-firing speaker and the USB-C port. A lot of people accept complained about how this interrupts musculus memory or that it's not platonic for right-handed users. These are all true, and it's as well true that even if you're coming from another Galaxy Note, you'll likely get used to it within a couple of days. I did.

The more meaningful thing to know about the Southward Pen is that, while physically identical to the 1 on the Annotation x series (they're interchangeable if you have one of the previous models), the Note 20 Ultra accepts input at five times lower latency than the Annotation x — 9 milliseconds versus 45ms — and less than half that of the Note 20, at 26ms. The 120Hz display too conveys that lower latency much more realistically.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Daniel Bader / Android Key (Epitome credit: Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central)

In real-earth usage, this means that at that place's considerably less lag between the time your S Pen touches the screen and when you lot run across something happen, like a pen or brush stroke, or when navigating Samsung's One UI software.

With previous Notes, I'd always made a concerted endeavor to apply the Due south Pen but got frustrated by the input lag, which got worse the more text was added to the page. Even on first-political party apps like S Note, I e'er got the impression the telephone couldn't quite keep up with me, and I heard the same sentiment expressed by students and enterprise workers alike. This time, in that location are no such issues; Samsung not only fabricated the software stack more than robust, as yous'll see below, only the hardware tin at present easily keep up with any you want to do, exist it jot quick notes, sketch a thought, or spend time making fine fine art in 1 of the supported apps.

Run into more

I surveyed my Twitter followers to meet what they usually practise with the S Pen, and answers ranged from jotting down quick reminders or to-exercise items on the lock screen (one of my favorite features) to annotating circuitous scripts within Microsoft OneNote. It made me empathise that, for many people, having the Southward Pen is a overnice-to-have addition to an already wonderful telephone. But in that location are people who have been buying the Note serial over the Galaxy S since 2011 and consider it an essential tool they couldn't alive without.

Now that the Southward Pen is finally good enough, at least for me, to replace a traditional pad and paper setup for jotting downwardly quick notes and organizing my thoughts, I expect frontwards to revisiting this department in a few months with an update.

Samsung Galaxy Note twenty Ultra Software

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Joe Maring / Android Central (Epitome credit: Source: Joe Maring / Android Central)

Love it or hate it, using a Samsung phone means using and interacting with its Ane UI user interface. The Annotation xx Ultra shipped with the company's One UI 2.v software, which was based on Android 10, though back in February 2021, Samsung rolled out an update that brought the Annotation 20 Ultra to Android 11 and Ane UI 3.1. And in January 2022, Samsung rolled out the One UI 4 stable update based on Android 12.

It's made upwardly of minor improvements that work together to feel like a meaning upgrade to the user experience, and includes all the latest features Google baked into Android. If you're non a fan of Samsung'southward software, this isn't likely to change your mind, but at to the lowest degree it feels like the visitor is listening to feedback.

Samsung has created and stuck with a very cohesive design linguistic communication for the core user interface and all of its offset-party apps. This makes the Note twenty Ultra feel super polished, along with giving it a distinct look that's started to grab the attention of competing companies. Information technology'southward bold, instantly recognizable, and feels faster than e'er, thanks to the 120Hz display.

There are far too many actress features here and there to talk about everything that you get with 1 UI, but in that location are a few things that are especially noteworthy — one of which existence Samsung'southward continued partnership with Microsoft for the Link to Windows characteristic. Samsung Notes tin now auto-sync with your Microsoft OneNote business relationship, and afterwards this year, you lot'll be able to run multiple apps from your Notation 20 side-by-side on your Windows computer.

Samsung DeX also gets a marked comeback this year, with the Note 20 adding the power to use the DeX interface on your smart TV wirelessly. Equally long as you accept a Idiot box/streaming device that supports Miracast, you can send the DeX desktop UI to your television set and utilize your Note 20 as a trackpad for navigation. It's another ane of those features that you can very hands ignore, merely it further adds value to the already massive list of things you can do with a Samsung phone.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs. Galaxy Note 10+

Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Central)

Oh, and you tin finally apply third-political party launchers with Android 11's fully gestural navigation. Information technology's been a long time coming, and I was looking forward to switching over full-time to a third-party launcher similar Lawnchair. Unfortunately, the implementation can nevertheless exist fairly buggy; many times, I plant myself stuck inside my active app with the navigation gestures refusing to work until I turned off the screen and unlocked information technology once again. So dorsum to Samsung'due south launcher I went.

But that choice is ultimately the biggest strength of One UI. I don't accept a need for a lot of the features Samsung bakes into it, simply for the virtually office, y'all tin pretty easily ignore them if they aren't of interest to you. There are withal a few indistinguishable apps, which feel wasted on such an expensive smartphone, just the overall software package is pretty damn dandy.

There's also the fact that Samsung now promises the aforementioned three years of software updates that you get on a Pixel, which means you get the best of both worlds — endless features and guaranteed updates.

Samsung Galaxy Notation 20 Ultra Cameras

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Daniel Bader / Android Fundamental)

Right off the bat, yes, the Annotation 20 Ultra fixed the autofocus problems of the S20 Ultra. If that was a concern of yours, take listen and rest easy. Samsung accomplished this not by swapping out the 108MP sensor itself — that's withal identical to the S20 Ultra — but by replacing phase-detect autofocus with a laser-assisted focus module.

While Samsung considers the newer (and slightly more than affordable) Galaxy S21 Ultra to exist the best camera it makes, largely thanks to the improved 108MP sensor that can do 100X "Space Zoom," the Note 20 Ultra's camera system is yet extremely competitive — even when you compare the 2 side-by-side.

This may not be Samsung's best photographic camera, merely it'south definitely the most reliable.

The Note 20 Ultra's primary camera is huge, both physically and influentially. It'due south a 1/1.33" sensor, only slightly smaller than the beefy boi inside the Huawei P40 Pro Plus, considered by many (and the states) to exist amongst the best sensors in a phone today. That large sensor means there's enough of room for packing tiny pixels, and Samsung is using nona-binning, pixel binning past a factor of nine, to reach a social media-friendly 12MP with the final shot. Along the way, the photo not just does a bang-up job retaining the incredible spatial detail that 108 megapixels provides, simply it technically performs ameliorate in lower light situations, as well, than other high-resolution sensors that don't bin down as much.

Source: Daniel Bader / Android Cardinal (Prototype credit: Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central)

And now that Samsung's resolved the problems effectually autofocus, I'chiliad happy to say that this is ane of the about versatile cameras on an Android phone today. Photos come out typically Samsung-saturated, and the shallow depth of field afforded by the larger sensor adds natural background blur, dramatically accentuating foreground subjects like a DSLR.

This blessing tin can also be a expletive, though, as the usable in-focus area is much narrower than with most other telephone cameras; photos that look like they're in focus on the telephone may be slightly out of focus when viewed on a larger brandish. But that shallow focus besides yields some incredibly hitting shots, including a few that now live in my Google Photos Favorites. I'd have liked a closer minimum focus distance or a dedicated macro lens, merely you tin can't become everything y'all want.

Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central (Prototype credit: Source: Daniel Bader / Android Primal)

Pro-tip: An piece of cake way of ensuring your subject is in focus is past switching to Pro mode in the camera app and selecting manual focus. Adjusting the focus ring creates a green "peaking" overlay on what's in focus.

I wrote this in my Galaxy S20+ review, and the same is true here: Samsung still applies mode as well much pare smoothing to its photos captured in Auto fashion. Personal preference, peradventure, only Samsung needs to get out of its own way here and let people add these filters in post-production.

Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Fundamental and Joe Maring / Android Primal

I find the effect less severe than on previous models (and subsequent releases take even further reduced the event), simply it's still reliably distracting, something I wish Samsung would accost. Simply and so I switch to the ultrawide (which is great, only I'yard not going to talk about information technology because it'due south the same i equally found in the Galaxy S20 series) or the telephoto, and I remember why I love this telephone's camera setup.

As I mentioned at the top of this section, Samsung considers the Note 20 Ultra a step down from the S20 Ultra and S21 Ultra's telephoto setups because it uses a smaller 12MP sensor paired with a 5x optical "periscope" f/3.0 lens. Samsung employs this sensor very conservatively; in anything just the brightest weather condition, it hops back to a cropped version of the primary sensor.

But I've managed to take some really great photos from this telephoto, far better than the temperamental one on the S20 Ultra (though admittedly, I gave upward on that phone earlier a series of software updates improved telephoto performance). The ultrawide is also tons of fun to utilize considering, not in spite of, its tremendous optical distortion.

Dark manner performs nigh the same every bit the S20 Ultra, which ways that despite the larger sensor, the tiny individual pixels can't pull enough light from a very dark scene to eke out much resolvable detail. In this comparing between the Notation 20 Ultra, the S20+, and the Pixel 4a, the cheaper Milky way easily comes out ahead.

The Note xx Ultra's 10MP selfie camera isn't as practiced every bit the one on the S20 Ultra, only that's OK, it's yet pretty expert. While I as well constitute it to soften facial particular, it however makes me expect pretty good, and that's expert enough for me.

Finally, Samsung still does video meliorate than whatsoever other Android manufacturer; this one does 8K at 24fps or 4K at 60fps, only you'll just get Super Steady mode at 1080p30, and only with the ultra-wide sensor.

Samsung Galaxy Annotation 20 Ultra Alternatives

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs. Galaxy Note 10+

Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Central (Paradigm credit: Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Key)

To say that the Milky way Notation 20 Ultra is i of the best smartphones is no exaggeration, only as powerful and impressive as it may be, we've seen tons of other superlative-notch handsets that take come up out earlier it — ane of which existence Samsung's ain Galaxy S20 Ultra — and after it, including the S21 Ultra. The Galaxy S20 Ultra offers a very like user experience compared to what you get on the Notation 20 Ultra, including a 120Hz AMOLED display, a tiptop-of-the-line Snapdragon processor, and an excellent photographic camera organization. The S21 Ultra offers an updated 108MP primary sensor, improved Space Zoom tech, an even better brandish that tin can run at QHD+ and 120Hz simultaneously, and even steals the Note's thunder by packing Southward Pen support.

Outside of Samsung'southward own selection, another nifty alternative is the newer OnePlus 9 Pro, which touts a 6.seven-inch 120Hz screen, Snapdragon 888 chipset, excellent cameras, 50W wireless charging, and 5G connectivity. It'southward too powered by OxygenOS, which is widely regarded as 1 of the all-time Android interfaces on the market. You don't go the S Pen or all of the software goodies constitute with One UI, but you're getting a phone that's equally as capable as the Note for a bit less money.

Finally, if y'all're getting ready to spend upwardly to $one,300 on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, it may be worth spending a little chip more than for the Milky way Z Fold three. This is ane of the best folding phones that's currently available, and while it touts plenty of impressive specs, the foldable also has a cool factor that you just don't get with any other "normal" smartphone. The Z Fold 3 extends out from a relatively normal telephone form factor to a miniature tablet, making it perfect for multitasking on a bigger screen than whatsoever Galaxy Notation can offering. And with the Z Fold iii, you get 120Hz panels both on the outside and inside, and it has much ameliorate durability along with IPX8 h2o resistance.

And then at that place'south the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is basically a Annotation flagship with Galaxy S branding. You get a massive vi.8-inch AMOLED panel with QHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 108MP camera with OIS, 12MP wide-bending, and 10MP zoom lens with 10x optical zoom, 5000mAh battery with 45W fast charging and wireless charging, and One UI four with Android 12. The defining feature is an integrated S Pen that's tucked into the chassis — just like on Notation devices.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Should you buy it?

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Daniel Bader / Android Primal (Image credit: Source: Daniel Bader / Android Central)

Who it'south for

  • Current Galaxy Note owners
  • Someone looking for an all-in-ane smartphone

Who it'due south non for

  • Fans of meaty phones
  • Value shoppers

The Annotation twenty Ultra is big. It'southward expensive. It'due south niche. Information technology does everything, even so Samsung's having an increasingly hard time differentiating it from the Galaxy S serial.

At this point in the smartphone game, buying a Annotation is either in your vocabulary, or it'due south another language completely, especially at this starting price and with these compromises.

iv out of 5

I used the Milky way S20+ more any other telephone in 2020, and I've spent some fourth dimension with the S21+; for me, those phones strike the right balance for my needs. The Note 20 Ultra is a better phone in many means, but it just may also be too much phone for me. I call up past at present, we've all identified where we state on the spectrum of smartphone needs, and I'll only proceed chipping away at S Pen mastery until information technology's part of my daily routine and I tin finally say, without reservation, that I'm a Annotation person, likewise.

I take absolutely no reservations recommending such an extraordinary phone, simply if you don't need 5G right now, you lot may want to continue to wait for the networks to better — and to see what the future of the Notation in general looks like. If you're interested in a Note-style device in 2022, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the obvious option for its similarities to the Notation 20 Ultra, and the fact that you're getting the absolute latest hardware and features.

Review Changelog, February 2022

This commodity was originally published in August 2020. It was updated in April 2021 and February 2022 with the following changes:

  • Updated Pricing and Availability section to reflect electric current prices with ongoing sales.
  • Added mention of Samsung's newer models, including the Galaxy S22 series, and how the S22 Ultra is the obvious option for Notation fans in 2022.
  • Updated information on the One UI 4 stable build for the Note twenty series.
  • Added mentions of Z Fold 3 and Milky way S22 Ultra every bit newer alternatives to the Note 20 Ultra in 2022.

Samsung Milky way Note xx Ultra Getting started with your new phone

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Source: Joe Maring / Android Cardinal (Image credit: Source: Joe Maring / Android Central)

It's safety to say that the Milky way Note 20 Ultra is a beastly telephone, and whether you're brand new to the Note series or are coming from a model that's a few years old, chances are you lot'll need some aid navigating through all of the telephone's best features, and deciding which accessories to buy.

Cases and accessories

If y'all're in the market for a instance, we've rounded upward the best Galaxy Note twenty Ultra cases. Nosotros also have a roundup of the all-time screen protectors for your Note 20 Ultra if the one that comes with your telephone isn't enough.

As for accessories, nosotros've rounded upwards the best wireless chargers for your new Annotation 20 as well as the all-time microSD cards so you tin can expand your storage.

Finally, if yous're nonetheless not sure which Note 20 Ultra variant to buy, we have a guide to help you cull the best Galaxy Annotation twenty Ultra colour options.

Features you should know

The Note twenty Ultra has an absolutely gorgeous AMOLED brandish, and while the stark white background of the user interface looks corking during the mean solar day, it can be rather blinding at nighttime. This is where dark manner comes into play, which replaces all of those white backgrounds with sleek black ones. It'southward easy on the eyes, looks fantastic, and tin fifty-fifty aid you conserve some battery life if y'all're in a pinch.

Nosotros besides recommend setting up Samsung Pay on the phone. Samsung Pay is i of the most capable mobile payment solutions on the market, as it works with both NFC and MST technologies (the latter of which you won't find in Samsung's newer flagship releases). In simpler terms, this basically means that you can use the Note 20 Ultra with Samsung Pay at virtually any store y'all go to. There are still plenty of retailers/shops in the U.S. that haven't adopted payment terminals with tap-and-pay technology, but Samsung Pay is still able to work at these places only fine on the Note 20 Ultra.

Other features you'll want to explore are Samsung Health and Samsung DeX. The former is basically Samsung'south alternative to the Fitbit app, giving you a platform for tracking your steps, practise, and more than. With DeX, you tin plug your Note 20 Ultra into a computer monitor (or connect it wirelessly to a supported television receiver), come across a desktop-similar interface, and utilise your phone as a mobile workstation that'southward designed to help you get as much work washed as possible.

What well-nigh the Note 20?

Source: Andrew Martonik / Android Primal

While this review focuses on the larger and more expensive (and better, if we're existence honest) Galaxy Note twenty Ultra, the Annotation 20 is also a reasonably good pick for the right kind of user.

There are a lot of differences between the ii phones, but the main ones revolve around screen refresh charge per unit, material use, and cameras.

While the Note 20 Ultra has a beautiful QHD+ 120Hz refresh rate AMOLED display, the Note 20 is limited to 1080p and 60Hz. Its glass is also flat every bit opposed to curved, which some may argue is a benefit — our reviewer, Hayato Huseman, agrees, giving the Annotation xx a iv.5/v-star review.

The Annotation 20's back is plastic, though the frame is aluminum like its more expensive counterpart. Its camera setup is also very unlike — well-nigh identical to the Galaxy S20+ with a 12MP master sensor, a 64MP 3x telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultrawide along with a 10MP front-facer.

And while it has a Snapdragon 865+, merely like the Note 20 Ultra, the regular Note 20 is limited to 8GB of RAM. At that place's besides 128GB of storage with no option for expansion.

While on newspaper the Note 20 doesn't seem all that impressive — especially for the $1,000 launch price — we've reviewed the Annotation xx and came to the conclusion that it'south a actually skilful production and definitely worth your consideration.

Daniel Bader

Daniel Bader was a former Android Central Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor for iMore and Windows Cardinal.

48 Comments

  • Adept review. I detest that they didn't update the fingerprint sensor, and also that the selfie camera isn't as skillful as the S20 Ultra. Oh well. I've got one on order since Verizon offered bogo and my wife needed to upgrade. Otherwise I would have passed and stuck with my Note 10+. It's still running cracking.

  • I still don't get why they don't put a 6000 mAh battery inside.

  • Are you an engineer? Do you know how to exercise it? Considering I was wondering why they don't put 8000 mAh within. Or even over 9000.

  • I am, and they can easily exercise it because the size of large capacity batteries isn't much dissimilar than what's in the phones at present... Just a bit thicker... Can easily add together a few mm thickness to the phones and give us a proper bombardment, which would too assist out with the ridiculous photographic camera hump on the back... They choose not to because of a little something called "planned obsolescence"... Non-replaceable batteries that won't last much longer than 2-three years tops = more money for Samsung...

  • More like 1.five to ii years. My ane.v twelvemonth old S10+ is already showing signs of bombardment degradation and I've careful with how I accuse it! These phones are fabricated not to last more than than 2 years at best now.

  • As an S10+ possessor, I can't sympathize how they all the same haven't updated the crappy fingerprint sensor. I wish I however had the S8 sensor on the back of the phone. I hate the on-screen one then much, I usually utilise facial recognition.

  • Omg I am you and you are me. Then unhappy w the s10 fps and even more that it has not been fixed on the Notation 20 and WOULD trade it for the s8 sensor!!!
    I will reluctantly NOT buy another Sammy product until this is stock-still.

  • Personally I experience the note range has become dried and if you look at the note 20 and s20 ultra there are non many diffences now. I too could not discover a large enough reason to jump from my note viii to the 10 at the time and fifty-fifty the 20 at present. I am hoping the note line starts to become the fold line as such. Every bit someone who wants to be productive on a telephone I enjoyed the spen only did non feel I needed it on my side by side phone. I am hoping Samsung expect at the fold like/surface duo for its next notation or offering a new type of device for it. I exercise feel all phones have gone down the same line over the final few years though and the market place has become stagnant. My choice this time was the p40 Pro as wondered what life would be like without Google. I am not saying the note line is a bad line at all just feel Samsung have stopped pushing this line like in the past.

  • Set up upwardly multiple fingerprint profiles for each finger you intend to use, don't but register one time per finger... Works flawlessly... Anyone who has issues with the in screen fingerprint sensor just isn't setting it up properly...

  • "While 5G is certainly promising, right now it's hard to justify the added hardware cost that's built into it. " Um, no it isn't. Even my cr@p town of Buffalo NY has information technology now.

  • Lucky you! I alive in a major suburb and 4G doesn't even work well yet! I imagine 5G will exist top notch hither in about a decade 😉

  • Um, not anybody has access to 5G yet, so, um, yes information technology, um, is... um... ummmmmm

  • I'k glad I'm non in the market for a new Galaxy Note, equally this is not the upgrade that my Note9 deserves.

  • My Note 8 didn't deserve to be upgraded either... I actually wanted to wait until 2022. Should anything happen to my Note 20 Ultra that ships Friday, my Note 8 volition exist a solid backup until 2022.... I've always had good luck with phones... The 8 is nonetheless mint condition.

  • I'm a Note8 addict, simply chose an S20 Ultra just to taste the 5G that is available in my area. I Beloved that Note8, and it has weathered the years fantastically. But I gotta admit that I reach for the S20 Ultra every morning now. Information technology's and then fast and gorgeous and......
    Very tempted to grab the Note20 now

  • $1300.00 for a curved screen, a wonky fingerprint scanner, and a malignant carbuncle on the back...laying on its back y'all could ski downwardly the slope that'southward created...LOL
    FAIL!

  • Hey, they enquire a lot upward front end to justify the peachy merchandise in prices, just I'm ok with that. $550 for a 2 twelvemonth quondam Note ix is withal worth it. Throw in $200 store credit and I'm ready for my Note 20 Ultra 512gb.

  • A couple glaring errors here. There's no 256GB version. The 512GB version doesn't cost 100 more, it costs 150 more than.

  • At that place is 256gb version, at least in Europe. Orange has information technology in my country.

  • It's NOT for fans of oversized phones? I think that one went in the incorrect column.

  • I'chiliad getting $thou for preorder on at&t with a trade-in. It's costing me $10 a month for 30 months. Worth the upgrade at that price.

  • I did the same... $x a month is hard to pass by.

  • Nice to see the "I'thou going to comment but to trash the device" Trolls are hither as well. It looks similar a worthy iterative upgrade, nothing fancy merely predictable development of the line. Personally I am washed with curve screens (makes it difficult to grip outside a example, and bad registry at instance/curve boundary) and I never understood the entreatment of in screen fingerprint readers.

  • Were you referring to yourself in the first sentence of your post? Considering your last sentence sort of alludes to it.

  • So people who share their opinion against phones are trolls to you... Interesting... What idiotic logic y'all possess...

  • Many other reviewers are saying the screen on the Note 20 looks much better than the Note 20 Ultra. Anyone run across this in person?

  • Good review, and bummer that the refresh rate and resolution restriction doesn't let you accept your cake and consume information technology too. That brightness is crazy, and I'll be honest, I ran into a situation filming last calendar week where I wished I had some of that. I was filming a large kite being flown on a blindingly vivid mean solar day, with big bright clouds and the sun to my back shining right on the screen (3.25pm to exist verbal). And if that wasn't enough, I was wearing a pure white polo shirt which reflected off the screen. Information technology was the ultimate worst example scenario, but it would not have been a problem for the Ultra. Granted, the video turned out so well that a person I showed information technology to idea information technology was the opening to an actual movie, but I struggled taking it. Information technology's not likely you'll find anything that volition revenue enhancement the 865+, though gaming on the curved display with the palm touches can be annoying. I'm surprised y'all found the sound pleasing. Other reviewers have stated that it was weaker than it should be for this price (MKBHD for example). The zoom is great and I wished I had that. Glad they stock-still the car focus result, simply I have to say I don't see whatsoever chief camera daytime shots that look better than what I already have. Perhaps the samples in this article are reduced resolution? With an epic photographic camera hump should come epic photos, and I'chiliad not seeing that. Actually expert photos, yeah, but not epic ones. I was surprised that bombardment life was not better, even with the centre processed of 120Hz. I'g at four and a one-half hours of SoT with 25 hours of runtime, and my battery is merely 3500 mAh. The FP reader is another issue (we have the Note 10+). But, information technology'southward a Samsung and volition go grace where others do non.

  • I am upgrading Note 10+ to Note 20 Ultra. First fourth dimension I read that the sensor on the 10+ is crappy. I accept been using it for a year with no problems. Mainly doing the upgrade to take reward of 5G network. I am on T-mobile and 5G works swell on my OnePlus 8 Pro. Noticeable difference in speed and performance compared to 4G on the 10+.

  • "And a microSD slot lengthens the withal-plastic SIM tray (Samsung, up your game hither); strangely, the regular Notation 20 doesn't offer expandable storage." When I tried the S20 Ultra earlier this twelvemonth I was shocked that the SIM tray was plastic because it most bankrupt when trying to put it back in the slot afterward removing my SIM carte. I keep saying the aluminum frame is ridiculous for the $1299 price tag but forget that lol information technology's actually stupid for them to inexpensive out on something like this when Apple makes their SIM trays out of metal on phones that $300-500 cheaper.

  • "Bottom line: If you're a loyal Galaxy Notation buyer, the Note xx Ultra is the all-time possible version always made."
    No, no, no!
    I was, but this is too tall, also narrow, still with those bent edges that arrive the manner of using the pen fully
    What is this ridiculous obsession with size? Are the designers lacking somehow?
    They are trying to exist all things with every phone. Why can't they apply the Due south series for media consumption and requite united states Note users back our powerhouse with flat wide screens that we can employ for drawing, spreadsheets, documents and presentations? Even browsing and reading on this shape of screen is awkward. How tin can you apply a spreadsheet when you can encounter only a few rows or a few columns? How tin you create an A4 document or drawing?
    Sorry but IMO this should fail.

  • Um, exactly how large exercise you think the curves are? They are 2mm, barely noticeable. It doesn't in whatever mode make reading "awkward".

  • Alpine and sparse makes awkward reading. Curved edges make for bright lines due to the reflections up each side which is distracting.
    Curved edges makes the pen slide off the side, or take gaps when you lot draw well-nigh that edge. I've done information technology it many times and swear at Samsung every time.

  • At final! Yep those curved edges suck... Particularly when using the s-pen near the edge! Plus it sucks holding the telephone and writing due to the edges... Not to mention at that place are few if any cases that protect the curved edges (which make up over 66% of the edges), most just have a top and bottom lip. Truth is those edges kinda take away screen area that could really be useful if it was a regular flat screen. The notation 20 ultra is big.. Merely why non stick in an ir equalizer of yonder years (like the s6) since at that place is so much "space" to practice so.

  • And they've put the south-pen on the incorrect side!

  • Got mine on Wednesday and before long after inspecting the camera housing I noticed some dust particles inside and i of the cameras is not aligned dead center. Looks like at that place are more people experiencing this issue. Anyone noticed this nevertheless? Other than that I'g loving it, last telephone was Annotation nine.

  • I wish I could afford one. Anyone know if information technology has the Samsung Push service that turns your telephone into a complimentary ad brandish for Samsung? Yes, that shows random popular-up ads every now then? On y'all expensive phone? Certain, you tin can plough of the notifications only you can't Uninstall it... And it keeps using your memory and information/net even when notifications are off!
    At least in my note 9 android 10. Just wondering about the note xx/ultra!

  • Anyone know if it has fm radio when using usbc headphones? The Snapdragon scrap has it on board or did they disable it similar in the S7 (in which they enabled it later)?

  • I toyed with the idea of upgrading from the Note 10+, but the cost differential (fifty-fifty with all the incentives combined) for a device that still lacks some primal features I wanted (120Hz at WQHD+, 3D Sonic FPS), ways that I should await until the S22 forces the price of the Note 21 to become affordable.

  • I love it. No fingerprint recognition problems. 5x optical and laser focus zoom piece of work bang-up. Southward-Pen is great. I rate it 4.75 stars out of 5.

  • I'thou by no stretch a Samsung fan. I owned a Annotation five for a moment and i of the very first galaxy devices.
    My neighbor purchased a Annotation Ultra for his concern and asked if I would help him set information technology up and learn how to maximize it since this was his first foray into using a mobile device equally his primary tool.
    Overall I'm very impressed. I hate the sharp corners as I cradle my device with the lower correct corner tucked in my palm. It's way besides big for me. Only it'due south gorgeous! Feels extremely substantial and premium. Samsung striking it out of the stadium with the Samsung Note twenty Ultra.

  • Am I the just one that noticed the "frosted" drinking glass back is merely on the Mystic Bronze? I have bought 2 Annotation 20 Ultra'due south and so far, a Mystic Black and a Mystic White. They both have but a regular glass back. My Milky way Z Flip 5g is Mystic Grayness and it has a proper frosted glass dorsum that feels great and shows 0 fingerprints. Maybe I'grand just to picky, but I love the way my Z Flip 5g feels and the Note Ultra's are nothing like that. Just my 2 cents!

  • I have to disagree nigh the fingerprint sensor. I bought the regular Note 20 and the FP sensor works far better than my S20 5G, Note ten+ and N10. Maybe I was just lucky, but I no longer detest the under brandish sensor. Information technology really does work well. The just departure is this time I only registered two unlike fingers once as opposed to trying all of the suggested tricks people came up with to increment accuracy that never worked on my other Samsung phones.
    For me the S10e has the all-time fingerprint location and it is also the fastest and most convenient to use, left or correct handed. Its the just Samsung phone I will agree on to.

  • I agree. The fingerprint scanner works fine for. Fast and works get-go scan every time.

  • Why is Too Expensive a Con to this phone. To me, yous get what you pay for. This is the best Android phone I've ever used. Photographic camera is flawless, Battery is great, Screen is the best ever created, external Retentivity Card, and SPen for skillful actress measure. I've had every peak phone each year, and this one is the all-time.

  • Fingerprint scanner works fine for me. Cardinal for me is I registered the aforementioned finger twice.

  • Why is the engagement on these re-hashed manufactures updated to deceive people into thinking they're new? I avoided reading information technology by jumping direct to the comments, but I shouldn't have to exercise that. At the very least, mail an "originally posted on" disclaimer by the appointment.

  • Review Changelog, April 2021 This article was originally published in August 2020. Information technology was updated in Apr 2021 with the following changes. Updated Pricing and Availability section to reflect electric current prices with ongoing sales. Added mention of Samsung'south newer models, including the Galaxy S21 serial, forth with newer features like back up for 120Hz and QHD+ simultaneously, throughout the article. Updated software department to reverberate the recent rollout of Android 11 and 1 UI 3.1. Updated spec table to reflect the recent rollout of Android xi and 1 UI three.1. Noted the S21 Ultra's S Pen support in the S Pen section.

  • At the end of the article? Thats rude... Also came to comment what the person y'all replied to said. Too much reposted review content. Happens at iMore, likewise.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Reconditionné,

Source: https://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-20-ultra-review

Posted by: jaynesdiouse.blogspot.com

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