The Samsung Galaxy Note20 is the right phone at the very wrong price
If you don’t want to spend £1,179 on the Galaxy Note20 Ultra, Samsung has a more affordable option for you: the Galaxy Note20. Like last year’s Note10, the Note20 is a less-loaded handset, meant to bring the Note experience to a less-demanding crowd that still wants all the productivity benefits provided by the S pen. It could have been one of the best phones of the year. Samsung has made all the right moves with the Note20, prioritizing a big screen, top-of-the-line processor, 5G modem and excellent camera. Looking at the spec sheet, I’d expect the Note20 to cost about £650. This would make the Note20 one of the best premium Android values this side of the £549 OnePlus 7T.
The only problem is it costs £200 more than that – a full £849 – and it’s incredibly hard to justify the price. Unlike the Galaxy S20, which brings the same premium performance and speedy display as the higher‑priced S20 Ultra, the Note20 cuts more corners than a kindergartener with a fresh pair of safety scissors.
Take the display. While it might seem like a slightly smaller version of the Note20 Ultra, the screen specs are far inferior to those of the flagship Note:
Galaxy Note20: 6.7in (2,400x1,080; 393pi) Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen
Galaxy Note20 Ultra: 6.9in (3,088x1,440; 496ppi) Dynamic AMOLED 2x capacitive touchscreen Now compare it to the Galaxy S20, which costs the same as the Note20:
Galaxy S20: 6.2in (3,200x1,440; 563ppi) Dynamic AMOLED 2x capacitive touchscreen
So while the Note20 offers an extra half‑inch of diagonal screen size, you’re losing a lot in resolution and refresh rate. You’re also giving up the curved edge, though, depending on your preference, that might be a benefit. So why would anyone choose this phone over an S20 for the same price?
The deficiencies continue. You’ll also get 4GB less RAM (8GB versus 12GB), no expandable memory slot, a heavier weight (192g versus 163g), the same camera and only a slightly bigger battery (4,300mAh versus 4,000mAh) for slightly less than the £899 Samsung charges for the S20. All that, and the back is made of ‘reinforced polycarbonate’, instead of the glass that every other flagship phone has.
LITE BUT LUXURY
It didn’t have to be this way. Earlier this year, Samsung introduced the Note10 Lite, with many of the same specs as the Note20, for £529. It has the same 6.7in display, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, along with a larger battery (4,500mAh) and a higher-resolution front camera. And of course, because it’s a Note, it comes with the S Pen on board.
Samsung fans will point out that the Note10 Lite doesn’t have the Note20’s 5G or Exynos 990. But those two components should make the Note20 about £150 more expensive, not over £300. At £849, the Note20’s just not worth it, especially following the launch of the laudable (if late) Google Pixel 4a (see page 11).
It’s a shame because there’s nothing wrong with the Note20. The move to a plastic back, a flat screen, even lower resolution, are all acceptable trade-offs to bring down the price – if Samsung had actually brought down the price.
Instead, it’s hard to see who would buy the Note20. Hardcore Note fans will surely gravitate toward the Note20 Ultra, Samsung fans will likely opt for the S10+, and budget-minded users will look to the A51 or A71, all of which come with 5G modems. That leaves the £849 Note20 without an audience other than the uninformed buyer who wanders into a carrier store with a pocketful of cash.