Samsung recently released the Galaxy Note 20. This somewhat pricey phone looks great, but is it worth upwards of $1000? Let’s take a detailed look at this mobile device and see who it’s for and where it shines.
Galaxy Note 20 Quick Overview
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is a camera-focused phone with a decent display and disappointing battery life but excellent features elsewhere. It's available as a standard model and as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which costs $300 more.
Galaxy Note 20 Bottom Line
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is a somewhat pricey but reasonably versatile mobile device. With a good screen size, excellent note-taking functionality, and a great camera setup, it's perfect for many common needs/desires. However, its battery life leaves much to be desired, and it's not the end-all-be-all of tech gadgets.
What’s the Cost of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20?
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 starts at a whopping $999. You can optionally purchase the Note 20 Ultra for $1299, which comes with a larger display, more battery life, and a few extra features.
Who is the Galaxy Note 20 Best For?
The Galaxy Note 20 is ideal for students, thanks to its excellent note-taking capabilities . But it’s also a good choice if you love to take pictures on adventures.
Breaking Down the Galaxy Note 20 in 2022
Let’s look at this Android phone in a little more detail by examining its specs.
Galaxy Note 20 Dimensions
The Galaxy Note 20 is a fairly sizable phone; some might have difficulty fitting it into their pockets. It 6.36 x 2.96 x 0.32” and weighs 6.77 ounces. Fortunately, most of that space is taken up by the phone’s display, so there isn’t a lot of wasted space.
The phone is fairly durable thanks to its Gorilla Glass backing, which allows wireless charging without interrupting the power flow.
Galaxy Note 20 Colors
At the time of this writing, you can get a Galaxy Note 20 in four colors total: Mystic Bronze, Mystic Gray, Mystic Green, and Mystic Red (the last was only recently added to the lineup in November 2021). Mystic Black might be on the way soon, but it’s not available yet.
Galaxy Note 20 Battery Life
The standard Galaxy Note 20 has a pretty quick charging battery. But on the downside, it only lasts about nine hours and 38 minutes on average. That’s significantly shorter than many other comparable batteries in the mobile phone market. Naturally, the battery life decreases as you use AT&T’s LTE network compared to Wi-Fi.
In comparison, the higher-priced Galaxy Note 20 Ultra lasts for over 10 hours while on the 60 Hz mode.
Galaxy Note 20 Cost
As noted above, the standard Samsung Galaxy Note 20 costs $999. That’s no small chunk of change, and you should think carefully before upgrading to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which costs $300 more.
Other Galaxy Note 20 Features
Of particular note is the non-expandable storage with a standard Galaxy Note 20. You get 128 GB of storage up front, which is pretty good, but if necessary, you can’t expand it later down the road. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, on the other hand, does come with expandable storage.
Interestingly, the Galaxy Note 20 has a plastic back rather than a glass one. This doesn’t seriously affect her ability, though it may cause any drops to result in fewer cracks or chips. It doesn't feel cheap or flimsy at all. Also nice is the brushed chrome and metal frame.
The screen for the Galaxy Note 20 is 6.7 inches in size and 2400 x 1080 P.
Galaxy Note 20: 4 Pros
There’s a lot to like about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20; let’s look at these positive aspects individually.
The Galaxy Note 20 Has Fast Performance
Make a mistake; the Galaxy Note 20 is a pretty fast phone through and through. With 8 GB of RAM to start, the Galaxy Note 20 can achieve 22 frames per second and processes data as quickly as mobile phones really can these days.
Keep in mind that the Galaxy Note 20 can also connect to 5G networks, making it appropriate for future downloading and connectivity standards.
The Galaxy Note 20 Is Sleekly Designed
On top of that, many users will find the phone’s sleek design and slim silhouette preferable to the bulkier phones on the market.
It’s a great-looking piece of hardware, and it certainly feels slick when you slide it into your pocket or your palm.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is even better, though both versions benefit from an AMOLED display comparable to or better than many Apple devices.
The Galaxy Note 20 Takes Gorgeous Photos
The Galaxy Note 20 benefits from a 108-megapixel primary camera sensor. It also has a 50x zoom capability (should you upgrade to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra). The camera features triple lenses, which stack up well and allow your photos to benefit from high-definition color in detail.
The primary camera comes with a secondary 12-megapixel optic if you want to take ultra-wide shots, plus a 64-megapixel telephoto. All in all, it's a great phone for taking candid shots or selfies, depending on what you prefer. The selfie camera/rear camera, in particular, is great thanks to its digital zoom controls and intuitive interface.
The Galaxy Note 20 Takes Notes Easily
Of particular note is the rapidity and smoothness with which the Galaxy Note 20 takes notes. For example, when you use a standard S Penstylus, you’ll note that the Galaxy Note 20’s display moves quickly and fluidly with your motions.
That’s a little better than what the Galaxy Note 10 provides, and it’s partially thanks to the One UI used by many Android phones. Sure, it’s a staple of Samsung phones, but we still need to call it out here!
More importantly, the Note 20, when synced with an S Pen, can append any audio recordings to typed or written notes. It can be tricky to figure this out at first, but when you do so, you'll likely find it a major part of your note-taking habits. The Note 20 comes with an S Pen by default for added value.
Galaxy Note 20: 4 Cons
However, you should also keep in mind there are some downsides to the Galaxy Note 20.
The Battery Life on the Galaxy Note 20 Is Lacking
The Galaxy Note 20’s battery life clocks in at over nine hours. This is not very competitive relative to other phones on the market. For example, the Motorola G Power packs battery life of over 16 hours on average.
The Display on the Galaxy Note 20 Could Be Better
Furthermore, while the display is 1080 P by default, the hertz refresh rate could be a bit faster. It's 60 Hz to start and can sometimes be upgraded to 90 Hz, but only temporarily. This is partially due to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865chipset the phone uses, which isn’t as good as the chips from competing phones, such as the Galaxy S20.
The Galaxy Note 20 Has a Hefty Price Tag
Naturally, the Galaxy Note 20’s price tag is also a significant downside. You’ll have to determine whether you want to shell out nearly $1000 for this phone.
Non-Expandable Storage Limits the Galaxy Note 20
Remember, the Galaxy Note 20 doesn’t have any expandable storage capabilities. You’ll have to upgrade to the Note 20 Ultra if you want that feature, and that costs another $300.
Should You Buy the Galaxy Note 20?
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is a versatile and effective mobile phone perfect for those who like taking pictures or taking notes with the S Pen. It's decent enough for watching media and surfing the web, but remember that there are more affordable alternatives.
You might be able to get a similar experience with cheaper handsets, such as the Galaxy S21, the Galaxy S22, and many Google Pixel phones. That’s where Navi comes in!
Simply put, we’re the best resource when you want to compare phones or plans to ensure you get what’s right for you. Check out our phone navigator page to compare many different phones right now!
