Samsung Galaxy Note 20
The Good Stuff
- Available in 4G/LTE & 5G
- IP68 dust and water resistant
- Records up to 8K video
- Same specs as Note 20 Ultra
- Gorgeous display
- Good performance
- Includes S Pen
The Bad Stuff
- No 3.5mm headphone jack
- No Micro SD
- Least fast charge speed
- Difference in performance from US and Global
Let me introduce to you the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 smartphone from Samsung. It’s the entry model of the Note 20 series that has been released this year alongside the top-range smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. For now, let’s focus on the Note20 smartphone. Is it that good of a smartphone? Does it have what it takes to compete or even beat other rival brands? Let’s find out from this Samsung Galaxy Note 20 review.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20
Display: 6.7-inch, Super AMOLED (1080 x 2400) | CPU: Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865+ (USA)/Exynos 990 (Global) | Storage/Memory: 128GB/8GB RAM, 256GB/8GB RAM | Main Cam: Triple, 12 MP, f/1.8 (wide) + 64 MP, f/2.0 (telephoto) + 12 MP, f/2.2 (ultra-wide) | Selfie: 10 MP, f/2.2 (wide) | Battery: 4300 mAh | OS: Android 10 | Weight: 194g
Overview
Design & Display
The flat screen gives a nice premium look to it. It may be quite a large phone, but its glass-plastic build makes it feel lighter and more comfortable to hold. The IP68 means that it can survive a 1.5-meter water dive and dust, making it a very durable mobile device. As for the display, the AMOLED tech gives it crisp detail, color accuracy, and good brightness. The refresh rate is locked a 60Hz and the resolution at 1080p.
Yes, those are specs of a typical mid-range smartphone, yet the screen looks great. It’s a drawback that you can easily undermine. The stylus ‘S-Pen’ included not only makes for easy touch access to apps but makes for smooth writing. Overall, the Note20 has a great quality screen with decent features and a good design. Never mind the drawbacks as you can easily undermine them thanks to the Note20.
Performance
The performance of the phone is top-notch thanks to the high system and the good quality processor. Android 10 responds well with smooth transitions from one app to the other and a responsive user interface. Gaming on this phone is a great experience even though it’s no gaming smartphone. The GPU does a great job of delivering great model texture and smooth gameplay.
One thing to note is the difference in performance between the US and global releases. The Snapdragon 865+ CPU is the more powerful, as it’s used to power up other great smartphones such as the ASUS ROG 3 Gaming phone, and is currently the fastest mobile CPU in 2020. Overall, performance on the Note20 is great. It performs up to standard and is in line to be best. Even though there is a slight difference in performance, it’s only noticeable when comparing the US and global.
Battery life
The Note20 comes with an impressive 4300mAh battery, that will provide you with all-day battery life on a single charge. It supports fast-charging, wireless, and reverse-wireless charging. The Note20 Ultra has a bigger 4500mAh battery, but a smaller display, lower resolution, and refresh rate mean less power consumed, and more hours of battery life.
Camera
When it comes to the camera, the Note20 is not as amazing as its big brother Note20 Ultra but works well. First, it comes with a 12MP wide sensor to help take in more light for those low-lit areas. Secondly, it has a 64MP telephoto sensor with up to 30x zoom function. Thirdly, it comes with a 10MP wide selfie camera. Then lastly, it records up to 8K video quality. Pictures and videos are presented in great detail, thanks to color accuracy. The zoom function works well but loses detail beyond 10x zoom. Overall, the camera takes great quality pictures and videos except for the loss in details upon zooming.
I am currently in the market to buy a new mobile phone, so your review about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is extremely timely. The fact it can survive a 1.5 metre water dive, is I think really appealing as I have lost a couple of phones in water. Its performance also sounds highly impressive and your recommendation that it is great is really helpful. Do you have one of them or do you prefer a different model?
I’ve always admired the Samsung Galaxy smartphone series (especially the S and the Note series), but they are way above my budget right now. Luckily, I have a good friend of mine who let me test his so that I can write out this review. So, no I don’t have a Samsung smartphone but would love to in the future.
My mom is on the lookout for a new mobile phone. Shea has an old Samsung form before and wants a new Samsung as she knows how to use it.
This Samsung model seems like a good fit for her. The first thing I noticed though is the battery capacity. I think it is a little small, 4500mAh will not last that long if you use your phone intensively. But then again, she mostly uses her phone for texting and making phone calls, and the occasional visit to FB and Snapchat, so she should be covered choosing this phone model.
A question about the stylus pencil, do you need it to make use of the phone or can you use both your fingers and the stylus?
Another question is about the camera and the zoom function; since the picture quality decreases as you pass12x zoom I expect that the optical zoom properties of the camera is 12x optical and the rest is digital zoom?
-Roy-
Firstly yes, you can use your fingers and the stylus pen to interact with the phone.
Secondly, the digital zoom takes effect beyond 10X, which results in lower detailed and low-quality pictures if you zoom further. So yes, you’re right. Expect good zoom quality images up to 10-12x.
Okay this is what I needed.
I am so close to needing a new phone, that I have actually been kicking around looking for good reviews for phones.
I love my Samsung Galaxy 9+. It has been a great phone and I was looking for an option for a upgrade. I like a lot of the features that the Note 20 brings to the table that you made clear in your information in the article. Your review definitely put the Note 20 on the short list.
I’m going to check out the other reviews you mention in your article for more options. Thank you for this awesome content!
Best regards,
Jordan
Thank you, Jordan. I agree, the Galaxy S9+ is old but it’s still a powerful smartphone. I hope you find what you looking for.