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Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

"The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the largest, most feature-rich Android phone ever made."

• Massive 120 Hz screen looks great

• S Pen is unique and handy

• Versatile camera

• Future-proof hardware and software

• All-day battery even with heavy use

• Big and heavy

• Security functions are difficult

• Palm rejection issues

Go big or go home. That has always been Samsung's motto with the Galaxy Note series, and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the biggest effort yet. The screen is even bigger than last year's Galaxy Note 10 Plus, and there's more power, more features, and more technology – all with the goal of improving productivity and improving media capabilities.

Your wallet should also be bigger, as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra starts at $ 1,299. Samsung's approach to outperforming the competition is simple: beat them into the submission by offering everything a phone buyer could want in a phone that will last for years.

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable in terms of device size and price, and even outperforms the Galaxy Note 10 Plus – a phone we've named the best Android phone of 2019.

design

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

If the design of the Galaxy Note 10 Plus was a bit ordinary, the Note 20 Ultra is anything but. This is particularly evident in the new Mystic Bronze color of the devices in the photos. The camera module is massive, protrudes several millimeters and dominates the back of the phone. It differs greatly from the dainty module of the Note 10 Plus and is even clearer than the module of the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The glass cover has a strong, bright shine in different lighting conditions.

The mystical bronze itself lies somewhere between gold and pink and is more noble than gaudy. The matte finish has a lot of grip and resists fingerprints, but the glass above the camera module does not. A good wipe was often required before taking photos. Take away the monster camera module, and the Note 20 Ultra has the same basic shape as the Note 10 Plus, where the curved sides taper to a point and are comfortable to grip at the same time.

Samsung has swapped the buttons on the right side of the phone. For me, as a right-hander, this is far more natural than with the Note 10 Plus, which had the buttons on the left. In the new layout, the S Pen pen is on the left side of the phone, the top and bottom of the phone are flat, and there is a single selfie camera with a hole punch on the screen.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I have average sized hands, and the Note 20 Ultra is almost 77.2 mm (3.04 in) wide, 8.1 mm (0.32 in) thick, and 208 grams (0.46 pounds) too big and too heavy. It's well balanced, but can feel top heavy if you use it while lying down. It's also frustrating to juggle with one hand when all you want to do is check a notification or take a selfie.

It is these quick tasks that can make using the massive Note 20 Ultra a chore, and sometimes I long for a smaller, more manageable device. With the 196 gram, 7.9 mm thick Note 10 Plus, I felt less.

Be prepared for an adjustment period once you get used to the size.

The Note 20 Ultra is a hit with a phone and requires a commitment to wear and use it every day. The reward is well worth the effort. However, if you graduate to a smaller phone (which is just about every other phone available), you should expect some adjustment period as you get used to it.

This also applies if you come from the Note 10 Plus, which feels surprisingly sleek and user-friendly compared to the Note 20 Ultra. I always appreciate an extremely large screen, but the massive chassis that it takes to get it can feel like a step too far.

Screen and audio

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

A dynamic 6.9-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1,440 x 3,088 pixels, a variable refresh rate of 120 Hz and even HDR10 + support will grab your attention. The Note 20 Ultra is the first Samsung phone to use Samsung Display's variable refresh rate technology, which adapts to your phone's activities. For example, 120 Hz is used when playing games that support it, or it is switched to 60 Hz for movies or even to 10 Hz for still images. The aim is to be more energy efficient.

The screen is nice to look at, just like most Samsung phones.

This adaptive refresh rate is set by default, but it is possible to force a refresh rate of 60 Hz to be used all the time. The default resolution is also 2,316 x 1,080 and must be changed manually to 3,088 x 1,440. However, to enjoy this you need to use a refresh rate of 60Hz. It's nice to look at, just like most Samsung phones. I've used it on the default setting most of the time and haven't had any complaints about the quality or sharpness.

Scrolling through some apps is not as smooth as expected. I've noticed some stuttering on Twitter and parts of Chrome that may have more to do with Android than the screen. At the top and bottom of the display there are minimal bezels that curve gently down the sides to create a large viewing area. Even the hole punch for the selfie camera is tiny.

Woyshnis Media's YouTube video with the Lamborghini Huracán Perfomante and Mercedes Benz AMG GTS is a great demonstration of how amazing the screen is and how a display optimization called Video Enhancer works. The green Lamborghini appears off the screen when the mode is active, while the darker AMG stays muted until you approach, and the brightly colored flakes in the paint become noticeable. This good balance isn't common in display enhancement modes and meant I didn't mind leaving the video enhancer on most of the time.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I put the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra next to the equally impressive Sony Xperia 1 II to test videos and the results are surprising. The Note 20 Ultra does not play a 4K YouTube video like the Sony cell phone, but hardly shows the Porsche Taycan test from Carfection. The screen of the Note 20 Ultra is colorful and yet delivers crisp white tones. The large size really offers a nice viewing experience.

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has stereo speakers, one on top of the screen for calls and one on the bottom of the phone. The sound is full, with lots of mids and clear highs. As you'd expect, there is little low-end bass. While it is loud, and while the sound gets pretty bright, there is no distortion at maximum volume. The Note 20 Ultra also supports Dolby Atmos.

The screen and media experience on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is great, but is hurt by the problematic rejection of palms and fingers on the edges of the screen. I'm using a Prerelease phone so a software update can fix this before it goes on sale. But the way it is now, it's a pain. Because of this, various apps are accidentally opened while others are closed. I accidentally sent voice messages on WhatsApp and many buttons on the sides of the screen don't work until you adjust your grip. It's very frustrating, but I hope an update is available to fix the problem.

camera

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The camera is one of the key improvements that the Note 20 Ultra offers over the Note 10 Plus. The 108-megapixel 1 / 1.33-inch sensor from Samsung is on board and comes from the Galaxy S20 Ultra. In addition, there is a 12 megapixel periscope zoom with 5x optical and 10x hybrid zoom, the maximum room zoom level of which, however, is reduced to 50 times instead of 100 times.

Finally, there is a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, a new laser autofocus system and optical image stabilization for the main and periscope lenses. It can also record video with a resolution of up to 8K at 24 frames per second and 4K at 60 frames per second, with optical and electronic stabilization, as well as HDR10 + support.

Although the specs clearly represent an improvement over the Note 10 Plus, the two main cameras take very similar photos, with the Note 20 Ultra being only slightly more detailed. That changes, however, when you switch to 5x and 10x zoom, with the Note 20 Ultra outperforming the Note 10 Plus' ability to take clear, detailed photos.

However, the Note 10 Plus has a better 2X optical zoom mode, which makes it more user-friendly in some cases, as 5X will actually get you very close to a subject.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Note 20 Ultra's camera is easy to love. The photos you take are full of colors and appear pleasantly off the screen without looking too artificial or over-saturated. At night, the low-light performance is also great as the camera creates a real atmosphere after dark. If you zoom in at 5x and 10x, the footage still has a lot of detail, but 50x is the same pointless endeavor as 100x on the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

The phone has the great single take mode with some minor changes. In this mode, you capture a short video instead of a single still image and the camera does several different edits, including still images, filtered shots, GIFs, and more. You will never regret taking a photo instead of a video.

The new mode lets you choose the length of time you record video – anywhere from five to 15 seconds – and it returns more options than before, even with the most basic of recordings. Not all are gold, but I'd rather have too many choices than not enough.

The 108 megapixel mode and the 8K video mode are gimmicks. The 8K video looks great if you own an 8K TV. If you don't, the footage will just take up a ton of space on your phone.

Take a 108 megapixel still image and you will have difficulty selecting it in the gallery. Once you find it, you can crop it without losing a lot of detail. However, this is a niche feature, especially since you can also use one of the Note 20 Ultra's very powerful zoom settings. These modes work as intended, and 8K video may be more helpful in the future. However, for now they are not a reason to buy this phone.

Galaxy Note 20 ultra wide angle Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Standard Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5x zoom Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

How about some selfies? Some may consider them washed out – and they're definitely on the bright side when compared to the iPhone 11 Pro – but I liked the results.

Also worth mentioning is the editing suite in the gallery app as it has all the features and is very easy to use. The auto-enhancement setting is usually useful for making the colors stand out in selfies. Samsung added a Pro mode to the video, and while I like the way you can manually zoom in and out for a cinematic look, Pro modes are complicated and require a certain amount of expert knowledge. I suspect most people will only use Auto mode, but if you are a competent photographer this is very welcome.

The main camera functions of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra – main sensor, periscope zoom, wide angle, night mode, and selfies – are all excellent, and you can snap photos that can be shared instantly in just about any setting or location. Explore more and the Note 20 Ultra's camera really stands out.

S pen

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The S Pen is now on the bottom left of the phone and is the same size and shape as the last one. However, it is easier to remove and replace than the Note 10 Plus. Samsung played a huge role in reducing the latency to 9 milliseconds. So is this noticeable? Not really, no, and maybe it's because I'm used to the Note 10 Plus, but I found my scribbled notes to be a lot neater on this phone. I think the sensitivity needs to be adjusted and the palm rejection issues don't help here either.

The new convert to text feature is very accurate. When converting, an easy-to-edit field will appear on the screen. Although I didn't have to change any words, the formatting was always turned off and needed improvement. The S Pen's air gestures work well. For example, a reverse swipe goes back one step and a Scribble action opens a window for writing on the screen. The button continues to function as a remote release for the camera.

Yes, the S Pen is one reason to buy the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Unless you have a reason other than a pen, you don't have many other options.

Living with the Note 10 Plus on various occasions over the past year has shown me that it can be useful, but you really need to have a use in mind for it. While there are special features, they aren't convincing enough to trick you into using them if you don't already have plans to take notes or draw. The Note 20 Ultra's palm rejection really needs improvement, however, as it affects the pen's response on the screen, in my opinion.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Despite the size and weight of the phone, it's a great slot machine, mostly because the screen is so big and the S Pen is an interesting alternative to using your finger. I played DariusBurst SP, one of my favorite cell phone games, and I was much more precise when dodging bullets with the S Pen instead of my finger in the more difficult later levels.

Playing 1945 and other marksmen worked just as well. The S Pen's new low latency almost certainly helps, although I wouldn't say Scribble Racer 2 felt more precise than before.

Performance and software

Buy the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in the US and it comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor. However, buy the same phone in the UK or elsewhere in Europe and it comes with Samsung's very own Exynos 990 processor. This is the model tested here with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage space. There is a microSD card slot to enhance this if you need more space. Regardless of where you buy the phone, it has 5G connectivity. Here are the benchmark results:

Geekbench 5: 919 single core / 2708 multi core

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 5179 (volcano)

These scores are significantly lower than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 in the OnePlus 8 Pro and the Snapdragon 865 Plus in the Asus ROG Phone 3. I didn't experience any performance issues and the benchmark results don't always reflect actual speed, but it's the difference between that Samsung Exynos 990 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus in these benchmark results can hardly be ignored.

Use the Exynos powered Galaxy Note 20 Ultra pretty hard and it gets a little hot – never to the point where it's uncomfortable to hold it, but you definitely get a sweaty palm. I noticed this is playing Asphalt 9 Legends, but not Hill Climb Racer. So if you never play high-end games or make long calls, you might not even notice.

Android 10 with the OneUI 2.5 from Samsung is installed together with the Android security patch from July 2020 and works just like the software of the Galaxy S20 series devices. It's bold and colorful, with tons of options to customize the look, all the way to an effective dark mode and a helpful screen that is always on. It's fast and reliable, and gesture controls are fluid. I had no problems with the software at all.

Battery and security

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Note 20 Ultra's 4,500 mAh battery has a lot to do. So don't expect it to last more than a day if your screen time is five hours or more. Use it moderately for less time and it will almost crawl through a second day of work. During my time on the phone, it didn't last two full days on a single charge, and with an average screen time of three to four hours per day, it's around 30% by midnight.

Given the technology that the battery has to power the battery, I don't think that's a bad thing, and the phone didn't worry me. I need an emergency charge to get through the day. However, it won't please the hardcore power users that Samsung wants to attract with the Note series. When you use 5G, expect even more battery drain. I don't have 5G near me so I haven't tested this feature. The 4G LTE signals are good and Wi-Fi calling on supported networks is helpful, although I've found the Wi-Fi range to be a bit short. The 25 watt wired charger brings the battery to 50% in 30 minutes, and you can also use wireless charging.

A built-in fingerprint sensor secures the Note 20 Ultra and is unfortunately just as fussy as that of the Note 10 Plus and the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Recognizing your printout isn't as quick as it is with the OnePlus 8 Pro or unlocking the phone. There is a face unlock system, but it is similarly cumbersome and offers an awkward way of activation. As a result, I accidentally turned the screen off and on again while waiting for it to work. Unlocking Samsung phones is generally frustrating compared to almost all the other phones I've used.

So much more

I've been using the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra as my main phone for almost two weeks. There are still many features to discover that I haven't used in a while. This is unusual and shows how much effort Samsung went into making the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra its most powerful, feature-rich smartphone on the market.

One example is the new Wireless DeX system. Samsung DeX takes your phone display onto a monitor or television and turns the software into a desktop system where you can run apps, view photos, watch videos and even play games. DeX used to require an HDMI cable or special dock to function, but the Note 20 Ultra has wireless support. The feature probably works best with Samsung TVs, but has refused to connect to screen mirroring on my Sony Android TV.

The list goes on. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a power sharing mode for wireless charging of the Galaxy Watch 3, the Galaxy Buds Plus or the Galaxy Buds Live. It provides access to Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass to stream console games to your phone and the software update will allow you to run your phone apps on a Windows 10 PC. Samsung Notes is currently syncing with OneNote. There's really a lot to discover on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and that adds to its longevity.

Price and availability

The 128GB Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is priced at $ 1,299 or $ 1,449 for the 512GB model. In the UK, the 128GB phone costs £ 1,179 and the 512GB phone costs £ 1,279. It is sold through Samsung's own online shop and under contract with the vast majority of network operators. It's available for pre-order now and will be released on August 21st.

Our opinion

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the biggest, baddest, and hardcore flagship smartphone you can buy today. It has everything you could want in a phone today – and pretty much everything tomorrow, including 5G. With that, it's a safe buy for someone looking for a phone that will last for years. However, Samsung needs to fix the palm rejection and edge detection issues as this is an otherwise excellent continuation of the excellent Galaxy Note 10 Plus. With that in mind, the phone will get a new score if Samsung fixes this issue.

A word about the price. It's expensive, but considering how powerful and capable it is, and how many features it has, the Note 20 Ultra is more durable than many other flagship phones that cost a few hundred dollars less. Samsung says it designed it that way, and it shows. If you do buy it, you might even consider changing your phone for a few years.

Is there a better alternative?

If you want the best specs, a pen, and a brilliant camera, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra stands on its own. If you're not worried about the S Pen pen, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is a decent alternative, although I prefer the Note 20 Ultra's design and camera. At this price point, you should also check out the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max, which has a standout camera and screen.

If you don't want to spend that much money and don't want to worry about the pen, the OnePlus 8 Pro is a great buy with its lovely design, decent camera, and stunning screen. If you really enjoy gaming, the Asus ROG Phone 3 is another highly specialized, focused phone that is worth considering.

Should you upgrade if you own the Galaxy Note 10 Plus? I do not believe that. The camera is definitely an upgrade, but with it comes added bulk and less sophisticated software right now – there aren't any such palm rejection issues on the Note 10 Plus. If you want a Note phone but not at the price of the Note 20 Ultra, buying a Note 10 Plus is a wise decision.

How long it will take?

Age and age. The performance and ability of the Note 20 Ultra means it should still feel fresh two years from now. It's IP68 waterproof, but it's not tough, so you'll want to put it in a pocket anyway. There's 5G for the future too, and you can record 8K video if you buy an 8K TV.

Samsung promises three generations of software updates for its latest smartphones. This means the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra should receive Android updates beyond a two-year contract, which extends its useful life further than most expect. However, Samsung has not committed itself to timeframes. Although Android 11 and above will be available on the phone, you may need to be patient.

Should you buy it?

Yes. You will be spending a lot of money, but you will get a phone that you won't have to think about replacing for years.

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