Samsung has a knack for turning out powerful phones, especially in its Galaxy Note line. This year, it has two, the standard Galaxy Note 20 5G …
Samsung has a knack for turning out powerful phones, especially in its Galaxy Note line. This year, it has two, the standard Galaxy Note 20 5G at $1,000 (£849, AU$1,499, both 4G) and the Note 20 Ultra at $1,300 (£1,179, AU$1,849, again both 4G). Both have sharp displays, excellent cameras, all-day battery life and impressive internal performance, along with an S Pen stylus that makes the Note unique. But you can only buy one, so which will it be? This Galaxy Note 20 review focuses on the differences between 2020’s Note phones in the hopes it’ll help answer your questions while you make a decision — or just drool over Samsung’s large-screen devices. On the whole, I can recommend both Notes, just not at their retail prices. I suggest keeping an eye out for deals, bundled offers, discounts and trade-in values that bring the prices down by $300 or more. Samsung prices tend to fall as the months go on, so your chance of snagging a deal are high. Plus, a surprise recommendation at the end if you’re not sold on using the S Pen stylus daily. The Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra clearly look like different devices, but not just because of the Note 20’s slightly smaller 6.7-inch screen to the Note 20 Ultra’s 6.9-inch display. It’s apparent that the Ultra has a glass backing (Gorilla Glass Victus, in fact,) while the Note 20 uses polycarbonate (that’s plastic). If you use a case, it might not make a difference to you, but after all these years of being conditioned to equate a premium, $1,000 device with glass construction, plastic makes it feel cheaper than its price tag, even though the specs are strong. I also noticed a sharp edge where the Note 20’s plastic backing joins the metal frame, meeting in a gap big enough to run my fingernail all the way around.
