Review of smartphones Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra

Samsung has officially announced the new flagships Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra. The official presentation left a mixed impression on users. Average camera characteristics, the younger version has a plastic body. According to insider information, the company relies mainly on Note20 Ultra (preliminary forecast of demand for the model is 80%), and Note20 was created almost simply to expand the line. The advertising slogan on the official website reads like this: "Beauty and power in one smartphone." Is this really so, we will figure it out.

Main characteristics

The parameters below may differ depending on the market.

Design

Minimalistic and stylish. Slim body, minimum parts. The sound switch button has returned to the right side (it looks like the company still listened to the comments of users).

Another innovation in the design of both models is the “faceted” sides. Otherwise, everything is laconic and standard. The 3-camera module is on the back, a round cutout for the front camera is at the top of the display.
On the right side there is a shutdown and volume control button. Body color varies by market. The official website lists: bronze, mint and graphite for Note20, white, black, bronze for Note20 Ultra.

Display

The display characteristics of both models are excellent, guaranteeing natural colors and no glare in the sun. The sizes of the displays are slightly different, but in any case, watching videos, playing games or even working will be comfortable.

The improved styluses deserve special attention. Firstly, the response time was reduced to 26 seconds, and secondly, the functionality is really impressive:

• you can control your smartphone from a distance of 10 m;
• support for control gestures - the function is not exactly necessary, but still;
• the ability to take notes while listening to the dictaphone recording (during repeated playback, the notes will appear on the screen at the moment they were made);
• synchronization of Microsoft OneNote notes, automatically with the creation of backups (according to the manufacturer, the service will be available only in November of this year);
• the ability to convert notes into slides in PowerPoint (convenient, especially when working with documents);
• the ability to leave notes on the locked screen.

There is a function for converting handwritten text into typed text (useful for search engines, for example) and an auto-correction function. Unreadable scribbles are unlikely to be recognized, but slightly correcting the slope or removing blots or crossed out words is quite.

Photo and video

The camera specifications are impressive. The picture will turn out bright and clear, even if the photos were taken in low light. Hybrid zoom (3x for the younger version, 5x for the Ultra) captures the smallest details. In the multicard mode, you can take several photos (video) at once, and after processing, the artificial intelligence will recommend the most successful ones.

As for the video, the stabilization function seems to be in the specification, but in fact, it is not so easy to shoot dynamic videos without additional equipment. The manufacturer promises a smooth picture, in reality the picture may twitch a little. Among the advantages is the possibility of synchronous recording of stereo sound, as well as control of the "direction" of the sound. For example, if you want to reduce background noise in the background.

Additional video features:

• Super Slow-mo mode (up to 960 frames per second, for maximum slowdown and Slow-mo effect);
• HDR10 + support (realistic color reproduction, excellent image contrast);
• 4K video (for main and front cameras).

Of the minuses - a module with cameras that protrudes above the surface of the case - you can easily damage or break the glass, so the protective case should be bought right away (unfortunately, the manufacturer excluded the protective case from the delivery kit for the Russian market).

Performance and battery life

Responsible for performance is the Exynos 990 processor. Among the advantages - quick response to commands, smooth scrolling and high loading speed. Of the minuses - heating of the case, especially in the active game mode.

The battery capacity is 4500 mAh, not bad, but given the size of the display and the refresh rate of 120 Hz, a full charge will last for a maximum of one day, and even then, subject to moderate use (calls, browsing social networks). And in game mode, the smartphone will withstand a maximum of 5 hours. It should be noted that the display recognizes user activity and automatically reduces the frequency of updates to save battery power.

The kit includes a 25W fast charge, you can recharge the battery by 50% in half an hour - not an achievement, but a clear progress. The smartphone supports wireless charging.

Safety and protection performance

Everything is all right here. Built-in under-display fingerprint sensor, face recognition, plus pin and pattern. And built-in Samsung Knox will keep your personal and hardware data safe even when using the cloud storage.
The value of the indicator from water and dust on both models is IP68. According to the test results, smartphones will withstand 30 minutes when immersed in 1.5 meters of water.

What is the result

If we compare the new flagships with smartphones of the Note10 generation, we get:

• larger display size (diagonal 6.7 inches, instead of 6.3) with approximately the same characteristics in terms of color rendition, brightness and contrast;
• 3x zoom instead of 2x - the quality of the photo is not affected at all;
• sharper video (8 K), but the lack of stabilization function nullifies all the efforts of the developers;
• an improved stylus that works like a full-fledged remote control with a response time reduced to 26 milliseconds (for comparison, the Note10 has a stated stylus response time at startup - 42 milliseconds);
• autonomy is about the same, since the display size is larger and the refresh rate is 120 Hz, and the processor is more powerful;
• performance is better if we consider the transition between applications, but gamers are likely to be disappointed here, as the Exynos 990 processor periodically overheats and "drops speed" to bring the temperature back to normal.

As for the opinions of users, the critics of the new flagships have received enough. We got it for its impressive size, which is predictable, the gadget really resembles a notebook, not a compact smartphone, and for the plastic panel on the Note20 (this is at a price of almost $ 1000).

The large camera module on the back cover also raises many questions - you can easily damage or scratch the protective glass (the warranty does not cover it). Plus a short battery life (according to testing results - no more than 5 hours of active work).

To sum up, we get a far from budget gadget with good characteristics. An excellent choice for fans of the brand and users who regularly work with documents (a stylus in this case is an indispensable thing).

Advantages and disadvantages

• elegant, unusual design;
• large, bright display;
• good camera performance;
• improved stylus;
• functionality.

• size - the dimensions are more like a medium-sized notebook;
• plastic case;
• short battery life.

Pre-order is open both on the official website of the manufacturer and on large online platforms of Russian stores of household appliances and electronics. Prices start at 80,000 rubles for the younger version. It is worth checking with the seller in advance about the configuration (it differs depending on the market).