S Pen power
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Pros
- Dynamic refresh rate display
- S Pen features
- Less expensive
- Laser auto focus camera
Cons
- Smaller battery
- Lower resolution selfie camera
The Note 20 Ultra is arguably a better overall phone than the S20 Ultra thanks to its camera improvements, dynamic refresh rate display, smaller size, and lower price tag. That it also has an S Pen is just icing on the cake.
Tougher sell
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
Pros
- 10% larger battery
- 40MP selfie camera
- Higher-resolution zoom camera
Cons
- More expensive
- No camera laser auto focus
- No S Pen in box
The S20 Ultra is a tough sell because it's now several months old yet more expensive (at retail price) than the Note 20 Ultra. Its one redeeming quality is a larger battery, which only offers a small improvement in day-to-day usage.
What's the difference between the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and S20 Ultra?
As the "Ultra" names would suggest, there's a whole lot shared between these two phones. They're built with the same main components and features, with only small differences. You get the same RAM and storage, SD card slot, fingerprint sensor, speakers, connectivity, IP68 resistance, and more. The Note 20 Ultra's display is a small step ahead with its dynamic refresh rate, but that should help get a little better longevity out of its 10% smaller 4,500 mAh battery.
| Category | Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Galaxy S20 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 10 One UI 2.5 |
Android 10 One UI 2.1 |
| Display | 6.9-inch AMOLED 3088 x 1440 120Hz refresh rate |
6.9-inch AMOLED 3200 x 1440 120Hz refresh rate |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 |
| Memory | 12GB LPDDR5 | 12GB LPDDR5 16GB |
| Storage | 128GB 512GB |
128GB 512GB |
| Expandable Storage | Yes | Yes |
| Rear Camera 1 | 108MP primary f/1.8 OIS |
108MP primary f/1.8 OIS |
| Rear Camera 2 | 12MP telephoto f/3.0 5X optical zoom |
48MP telephoto f/3.5 4X optical zoom |
| Rear Camera 3 | 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2 |
12MP ultra-wide f/2.2 |
| Front Camera | 10MP f/2.2 |
40MP f/2.2 |
| Security | In-screen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor | In-screen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor |
| Audio | Stereo speakers USB-C |
Stereo speakers USB-C |
| Battery | 4500 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charging | 25W wired 15W wireless |
45W wired 15W wireless |
| Water Resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dimensions | 77.2 x 164.8 x 8.1 mm | 76.0 x 166.9 x 8.8 mm |
| Weight | 208 g | 220 g |
The differences are subtle, but the Note 20 Ultra has the upper hand.
There are subtle differences in the design, but you can see they were cut from the same cloth. The Note 20 Ultra is considerably more squared-off, whereas the S20 Ultra is more rounded. The Note's back glass is a matte texture as well, which makes it look nicer but is a bit more slippery than the glossy back on the S20. But otherwise, all of the ports and buttons are the same, leading to a very familiar layout. There are subtle differences in size, though, and surprisingly the Note 20 Ultra is the smaller of the two — only by a few millimeters, and about 5% in weight, but it's smaller.
The cameras are mostly the same, but with two notable changes. The S20 Ultra has been criticized for its weak auto focus, and the Note 20 Ultra aims to address that with a new laser auto focusing system. The Note also has an entirely different telephoto camera, with a 5X optical zoom to the S20's 4X, and a wider aperture paired with larger pixels to ideally take better photos at 5-15X. The only potential downside is those long zoom shots, where the S20 Ultra's 48MP sensor will do better; but "better" is relative, as the camera's not shown to be very effective beyond 25X anyway.
Should you buy the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or the S20 Ultra?
Samsung set itself up for a weird situation when it priced the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra under the S20 Ultra because, frankly, at the full retail price there's little reason to buy the S20 Ultra. The Note 20 Ultra introduces improved auto focus for the camera, and a better zoom camera, which addresses the main concerns about the S20 Ultra. It's also subtly smaller, and a bit lighter, than the S20 Ultra. You also get the S Pen — for free! — which brings its own value to the equation.
The Note 20 Ultra is the better buy ... unless you want to save more and go with the S20+.
The only concern when choosing the Note 20 Ultra is the battery, which is 10% smaller than the S20 Ultra. However, the S20 Ultra already gets great battery life, and the hope is that the Note 20 Ultra's dynamic refresh rate display will allow it to be a bit more conservative on the power front. If that works out as expected, it makes the Note 20 Ultra the better buy, hands-down.
The question you need to ask yourself is whether you should be looking at the Galaxy S20+ instead. It's a little smaller than the Note 20 Ultra, but it's also less expensive — so if you don't need the S Pen, you can save even more money and get the same core Galaxy experience.
S Pen power
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
A better overall phone, even if you don't care about the S Pen
The Note 20 Ultra is just an evolution of the S20 Ultra, but if you were considering the latter then that's perfect. It's less expensive and includes an S Pen as a bonus.
Tougher sell
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
Hard to recommend at its full retail price
Unless the S20 Ultra takes a price cut, it's going to be tough to consider over the Note 20 Ultra. Yes, it has a larger battery, but that's the only place it wins over the new Note.
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