Samsung Note 20 Ultra Review: The Best Of 2020
September 30, 2020Performance: Snapdragon 865+, 12GB RAM
Display: 6.9-inch (1440 x 3088)
Weight: 208g
Thickness: 8.1mm
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB (microSDXC slot)
Battery: 4,500mAh
Features: 8K, 4K, 1080p video recording
Rear Camera:108MP,12MP,12MP
Front Camera:10MP
Rating: 9/10
Price: RM 5,199, USD1099
The Note series is Samsung’s grand finale of device reveals. It’s launch is positioned towards the end of each year because it’s meant to portray the phone maker’s strength. Anything and everything preceding a Note reveal for any particular year, pales in comparison. This is true of the design, hardware and features. It blows everything else out of the water.
It signifies the best that Samsung has to offer each year in terms of screen quality, hardware prowess and mobile productivity features. It also happens to be the most expensive and capable phone of the company’s yearly product launches. And while last year’s Note 10+ was already great, the Note20 Ultra is simply in another league.
The svelte design encompasses long swooping lines that meld together, forming uniform seems. And the color contrast between the rear glass panel and the chamfered metal borders exudes a heightened sense of luxury. It’s extremely rare that these attributes are used to describe something as trivial as a smartphone.
But Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra seems to be the exception. it’s an amalgamation of the best bits from the Note 10+ and the S20 Ultra. Hence, the presence of the obnoxiously large camera bump that protrudes from the base. But because it’s adorned in ‘rose gold’, it’s easy to gloss over this fact.
It’s a great looking phone, period. But what makes the experience, just that much better, is the fact that Samsung didn’t hold back. It lavished the phone with the Snapdragon 865+, 12GB RAM, 4,500mAh battery and a copious amount of storage (up to 512GB). There’s no disputing the fact that this is the best that Android has to offer for 2020.
Thankfully, it’s all that we asked for and wanted. The 120Hz display makes for a buttery smooth user experience. The instant that your thumb slides over the screen’s surface, the user interface responds instantly, and the transitions between screens or apps, take place effortlessly. There isn’t a hint of lag or hesitation, because the phone responds to your every whim, on que.
The display’s vibrant colors amplify the experience, which makes viewing content or playing demanding titles, extremely gratifying. Colors appear a bit warm, but welcoming nonetheless. Its 6.9-inch display may dwarf everything else on the market, but due to the extremely thin bezels, the façade masks its gargantuan screen pretty well.
And because of the extra screen real estate, it’s practical enough to use as a mini tablet. Documents and spreadsheets are clearly legible, with very little zooming required. And it’s this level of practicality that makes the Note20 Ultra a tangible alternative to a tablet. The 6.9-inch screen is large enough to accommodate complex tasks, but small enough to resemble a proper phone.
But because of this, the phone weighs on the heavier side. Significantly more than the regular Note20 but not enough to be of an inconvenience. As such, it’s easy to grip and not worry about having it slip out of your hand. But exercise caution if you use this phone in bed. If it falls out of your hand lands onto your face, the experience can be quite painful.
That said, the main appeal of any Note is in its ability to wield its S Pen. Like you would with a paint brush on a blank canvas, with several strokes of the stylus, you could accomplish tasks that are too cumbersome to pull off on lesser devices.
And since this year’s S Pen has an improved level of sensitivity, the feel of it grazing the screen with each stroke, isn’t that far off from an actual pen. The pressure that you exert on the surface translates to thicker and more pronounced lines. But it can be a little difficult to apply the necessary force to achieve the intended result.
It’s great for making amendments to documents or jotting down notes. As an added bonus, it’s good for drawing too, but I doubt any one would find the screen size conducive to creating artwork. Regardless of one’s standpoint, its adept for what it is, a pen.
Besides writing, the S Pen is also great for performing various other tasks such as taking pictures and swiping across presentation slides. But that’s not all, through the use of air gestures, moving the S Pen around in certain ways activate different features. You can even assign your own, which could prove useful for accomplishing important tasks.
This level of functionality is extended even further through the use of the DeX system. Like the S20 Ultra, this phone is more than capable of being a stand-in for your laptop or PC. Samsung has done a terrific job at adapting its own app suite to take full advantage of the extra real estate. The UI is also quite responsive and easy to use.
But Android’s inability to scale apps for the DeX interface ruins, what could have been a potentially great experience. Third party apps open in a letterbox styled layout, which is similar to what you would experience on a phone. They function this way, because Google and app developers simply cannot be bothered to venture down this path.
As of this moment, the DeX system hasn’t fully matured to a point where, it can replace an actual computer. But we hope that changes sometime in the not so distant future. This is because, the technology could help us to imagine a post PC world where a Note could actually be the only device you will ever need.
That said, the Note20 Ultra is already halfway there. The Snapdragon 865 or Exynos 990, are quite capable chipsets. It will take a lot of browser tabs and tasks to actually burden this phone. It’s impressive to witness how well it copes with demanding workloads. Editing videos or photos, can be done with relative ease, and with little to no lag when shuffling between them.
And unlike the S20 Ultra, the Note20 Ultra is far better at heat management. Shooting 8K content or playing demanding gaming titles, won’t make the rear panel hot, but only lukewarm. The temperature doesn’t get any warner than that, which is a major plus point. Samsung may have tweaked the thermal package to compensate for the S20 line’s shortcomings.
How’s The Camera?
When it comes to capturing footage, this phone is an absolute joy to use. Photos that are taken look sharp and vibrant, but a little on the warmer side. Pictures are crisp and detailed, which allow the Note20 Ultra to pull off some stunning shots. It’s also able to adapt to changing lighting conditions well, negating the need for you faff about in the settings menu.
However, night time photography isn’t great. While the Ultra can still capture decent details and contrast, the results aren’t as impressive as those captured in good lightning conditions. That said, it’s far better than what most phones can do. Single Take is able to capture decent shots with minimal waiting time.
When it comes to recording videos, the Note20 Ultra is an absolute joy to use. The autofocus is adept at keeping the subject in focus, regardless of what’s going on in the background. This applies to 4K and 8K footage as well. The phone takes a lot of the tedium out of video and picture taking, and massages your ego in the process.
Even with heavy usage, the battery should offer you a full day of service. However, setting the screen brightness to high will drain the battery at a much higher rate. It’s a powerful phone that requires a good deal of juice to operate efficiently. But despite this, the power consumption is acceptable given the Note20 Ultra’s capabilities.
Should I Buy One?
This is Samsung’s best phone yet, combining beauty and brains into a slender and elegant package. It’s a testament to how well technology has progressed in recent years. there’s very little to fault the phone for, because it’s able to do almost everything, exceptionally well. The only thing that will hold most people back is the price tag.
It’s a very expensive device. But if you can afford to buy one, the Note20 Ultra is an incredible phone to own. It portrays a sense of excess, that adds to the phone’s appeal. It’s difficult to fault, because the flaws are few and far between. If you have the means, this an awesome phone to have.
