The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and the Galaxy S20 Ultra are two of the biggest and best Android smartphones now on the market. We find out which one is best.
Following the March release of the Galaxy S20 Ultra, Samsung has announced the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the bigger sibling of the also just-announced Note 20. Both of these new phones succeed last year’s Note 10, which was our favorite Android phone of 2019. The Note 20 Ultra certainly has much to live up to, and so far, it does seem like its specs match the hype. It improves on the Galaxy Note 10 (and the Note 10 Plus) in pretty much every department, featuring a higher resolution display, a more powerful processor, a more capable camera system, and a bigger battery. But how does it compare to the Galaxy S20 Ultra? To help you decide which is the Samsung Ultra for you, we compare the two devices across six core categories. By taking a closer look at these two amazing devices, you should be able to work out which is more to your taste. The Galaxy S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra are both beautiful smartphones but in different ways. Both feature a large 6.9-inch AMOLED edge-to-edge display with barely any bezel. That said, the S20 Ultra sports a more curved design, with rounded corners and edges. By contrast, the Note 20 Ultra retains the slightly sharper, more angular body that has come to define the Note series. Which aesthetic approach is better really depends on your own personal taste. Needless to say, the displays of both phones are stunning, with a 3,200 x 1,440 resolution that clocks in at around 511 ppi. This provides some of the clearest visuals and video you can possibly watch on any smartphone, and both are enhanced further by a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Both phones are also very large, although the S20 Ultra is a touch taller, wider, and thicker. It’s also about half an ounce heavier, which can make holding it somewhat awkward. That’s not to say that the Note 20 Ultra lends itself easily to one-handed operation, just that it’s a bit smaller and lighter. The S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra are both IP68 certified, making them resistant to dust and to immersion in shallow water for up to 30 minutes. Considering the barely noticeable differences in design, this means the opening round is a tie. Winner: Tie Both phones provide very similar performance, but the Note 20 Ultra has the distinction of running off a newer processor. It ships with the Snapdragon 865 Plus in the United States and comes with the Exynos 990 elsewhere in the world. The S20 Ultra runs on the earlier 865, which won’t make a massive difference in practice but could mean that the Note 20 Ultra handles certain workloads a little more effortlessly than the S20 Ultra.
