Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra versus S20 Ultra
This town ain’t big enough for both Ultras.
The Ultra phone is here to stay. At its recent Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung announced two sizes of its Galaxy Note20 phone. The Galaxy Note20 Ultra model replaced last year’s Plus model at the top end. That makes two Ultras for Samsung, along with the previously announced Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Which one should you buy (if you can afford the prices, both well north of £1,000)? We’ll go through the major points of comparison to help you decide.
DESIGN
As Samsung’s screens have gotten bigger over the years, the visual
differences between the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note phones have shrunken along with the bezels. Both phones are basically all-screen now, with a sliver of black above and below the screen, but their shapes differ. The Note is taller with squared corners, to resemble a notepad, while the S20 is rounded like a transitional phone. But they’re both barely small enough to fit in your pocket:
Galaxy S20 Ultra: 166.9x76x8.8mm
Galaxy Note20 Ultra: 164.8x77.2x8.1mm
The phones even look similar from the back. Both have a rather large raised camera array in the top left corner, but the Note’s housing has a bit more of a bump (at least Samsung ditched the tacky Space Zoom branding). While they’re both made of glass, the Note has a frosted finish, along with an exclusive ‘Mystic Bronze’ hue that doesn’t reflect light as much as the S20 does, and feels less slippery. It’s a great colour and a look that gives the Note a real elegance. My pick:
Both phones are huge and a touch unwieldy due to their gigantic camera bumps. I prefer the S20 ever so slightly, but if you like big phones, you can’t go wrong with either one.
DISPLAY
These are Samsung flagships, so both of these phones have excellent screens. It’s hard to find a flaw in either of them:
Galaxy S20 Ultra: 6.9in Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display (3,200x1,440, 511ppi), HDR10+ certified, 120Hz refresh rate Galaxy Note20 Ultra: 6.9in Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display (3,088x1,440, 496ppi), HDR10+ certified, 120Hz refresh rate
The S20 Ultra has an infinitesimally higher resolution, and that’s basically it.
Both displays support 120Hz refresh, but you’ll need to lower the resolution to Full HD (1080p) to use it. The only material difference between the two displays is the way the refresh rate activates. On the Note20 Ultra, the display dynamically switches back to 60Hz when not in use to preserve battery life.
My pick: There’s no bad choice here. Both screens are big, beautiful, and the best in their class, with extremely minor differences nearly impossible to discern. In direct comparisons, the Note20 Ultra seems to have a slightly better white balance.
PROCESSOR, RAM, STORAGE AND BATTERY
The Galaxy Note20 Ultra and Samsung S20 Ultra have extremely similar specs, with one exception – the processor. The Note20 Ultra uses the newer Snapdragon 865+ processor, which brings a slight performance boost over the 865 in the S20 Ultra.
Otherwise, you’re getting the same 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of storage (with an expandable memory slot that can add up to 1TB). Both offer 512GB storage upgrades. If you want the top of the top, you’ll also get 16GB of RAM in the S20 Ultra with the extra storage. The Note20 Ultra has an ultrawide-band chip for more precise spatial awareness. It’s not very useful now – basically you can send files to other Note20 users quickly – but it could bring smart unlocking and indoor positioning down the road.
While both premium smartphones have giant batteries, the S20 has a bit more juice at 5,000mAh, versus 4,500mAh on the Note20. They’ll likely both get you easily through a full day of heavy use. They both come with a 25-watt charger in the box and support 45-watt fast-charging with Samsung’s optional adapter.
My pick: I’ll go with the S20 here, because I’d rather have 11 per cent more battery than 10 per cent more storage. With either, I’d stick with the base 128GB configuration, because you can add extra storage for cheap if you wait for a sale on SD cards.
CAMERA
The Note20 Ultra and S20 Ultra both have quad-camera arrays, but Samsung has tweaked them a bit for this new generation:
Galaxy S20 Ultra
Camera 1: 12Mp Ultra wide, f/2.2
Camera 2: 108Mp Wide, f/1.8
Camera 3: 48Mp Telephoto (10X, 100X), f/3.5
Camera 4: DepthVision
Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Camera 1: 12Mp Ultra wide, f/2.2
Camera 2: 108Mp Wide, f/1.8
Camera 3: 12Mp Telephoto (5X, 50X), f/3.0
Camera 4: Laser autofocus
The two have two key differences. The biggest is the telephoto lens. The Note20 has fewer megapixels and less zoom. I’m still testing the Note20 Ultra and will have a review soon, but in my experience with the S20, you won’t miss the extra Space Zoom. The zoom is extremely hard to control at 100X, and pictures don’t look so great anyway. At 50X, your pictures will be sharper and easier to shoot. But it’s still gimmicky.
The other major difference between the two phones is the fourth camera. Neither is a usable camera per se, but they help in very different ways. The S20’s DepthVision lens is a time-offlight camera that helps with portrait shots and AR apps. You might see a difference when taking Live Photos, but you’ll need a very technical eye.
Otherwise, all of the same blur features, including real-time adjustment, are available on both phones.
On the Note20, however, Samsung has swapped out the time-of-flight sensor for laser autofocus, which could fix one of the S20’s biggest issues: when shooting standard shots with the S20, it could struggle to lock in on a subject. Even after several updates, the problem still crops up from time to time. The laser autofocus is both an admission that the problem exists and a serious attempt to correct it. In my early testing, autofocus is impressively fast on the Note20.
My pick: While the S20’s camera might seem better on paper, I’m taking the Note20’s with its laser autofocus. The main sensor is essentially the same, and the benefits of the depth camera aren’t as clear.
S PEN
The major difference between Samsung’s S and N lines continues to be the inclusion of a stylus on the Note. The Note20 Ultra brings some new tricks to the party – and a new location, on the bottom left rather than the bottom right – but the biggest change is the latency, which has been reduced to 9ms. I didn’t have any issues with the Note 10’s S Pen, but it’s noticeably improved on the Note20 and feels as smooth as a ball-point pen.
My pick: The S Pen isn’t for everyone, but it’s an excellent addition to the Note20. The new features are gimmicky, but the lower latency makes a noticeable difference in writing and drawing.
COLOURS
Samsung has opted for sophistication over splashiness with its Ultra phones, so you’ll want to slip on a case if you’re looking for personality:
Galaxy S20 Ultra
Cosmic Grey
Cosmic Black
Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Mystic Black
Mystic White
Mystic Bronze
The difference between Mystic and Cosmic is the finish. The Note20 Ultra has a matte coating that looks and feels fantastic and doesn’t pick up fingerprints nearly as easily as the S20 does. It’s one of the nicest finishes I’ve ever seen in a Galaxy phone, and I hope Samsung uses it for all of its phones going forward.
My pick: Mystic Bronze isn’t just the most beautiful colour of this bunch, it’s also one of the best of all time in a Galaxy phone.
PRICE
If you’re choosing between these two phones, price isn’t really an object. The Note20 Ultra is better value, but both phones will set you back a bundle:
Galaxy S20 Ultra: £1,099 (128GB); £1,299 (512GB)
Galaxy Note20 Ultra: £1,179 (256GB); £1,279 (512GB)
My pick: It’s really down to personal preference, but you’ll be able to get either of these phones for less than Samsung’s asking price with a trade-in or a sale.
VERDICT
These phones both have Ultra in their names for a reason: they’re basically the best you can buy. Neither choice is a bad one, but the Note20 Ultra edges out the S20 Ultra. Despite the slightly higher price, but the laser autofocus, but the colour options, the processor, and UWB chip are all reasons – along with the S Pen – to opt for the Note20 Ultra.