Samsung Galaxy Note 20 And Note 20 Ultra: 10 Big Features

Samsung is launching two models for the new Note series, featuring 5G connectivity and upgrades to the stylus and camera.

Samsung is unveiling two Galaxy Note 20 devices that feature support for both types of 5G along with stylus, performance and camera improvements.

Other new additions include support for ultra wideband connectivity as well as wireless support for accessing the DeX Android desktop.

[Related: Review: 5 Great Business Features On The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra]

It’s the second year in a row that Samsung has divided its Galaxy Note launch into a pair of devices. This year, the devices will be the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra--the latter of which includes a number of higher-end specs and a $300 higher starting price.

What follows are 10 big features to know about on Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Galaxy Note 20

For the smaller model in the new series, the Galaxy Note 20 will feature a 6.7-inch display with FHD+ resolution. The Note 20 will come in three colors -- mystic gray, mystic green and mystic bronze – with a matching S Pen stylus.

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will offer a display that is not that much larger than the base model, at 6.9 inches, but does offer higher resolution at WQHD+. The Note 20 Ultra also offers a higher refresh rate, 120hz, for smoother display motion (compared to 60hz on the Note 20).

For colors, the Note 20 Ultra will be offered in mystic bronze, mystic black or mystic white.

S Pen And Notes App

For the S Pen, the stylus that‘s housed inside the Note, Samsung has made several improvements. Those include reduced latency for a more natural “pen to paper” type of feeling, according to the company.In the Notes App, meanwhile, the S Pen can now be used to annotate PDF files, which can be imported directly into the app.

Samsung has also expanded the “air actions” that are available through gestures with the S Pen. Air actions enabled with the stylus now include move backward, home, move forward, recent app and screen capture.

Ultra Wideband

One new addition to the Note lineup with the Galaxy Note 20 series is the introduction of “ultra wideband” technology. Ultra wideband enables several capabilities, one of which is the ability to share files with another device just by pointing at it. The technology also will enable the Note 20 devices to serve as a digital key for gaining building access or going through an office turnstyle, Samsung said.

5G

Samsung is continuing to emphasize high-speed 5G connectivity in its new device releases with the Note 20 series. This time, Samsung is getting even more aggressive, in fact – with both versions of the Note 20 including support for both variants of 5G. That is, the Galaxy Note 20 devices will support both sub-6GHz 5G connectivity and the higher-speed variant—known as millimeter-wave 5G.

It’s the first time that Samsung is offering both types of 5G support in all the new devices in a Galaxy series launch. By contrast, only two of the three devices in the Galaxy S20 series featured millimeter-wave 5G (with the Galaxy S20 offering only sub-6GHz).

DeX

Samsung has continued to support, and improve, its DeX capability with the launch of the Galaxy Note 20 series. DeX lets users pull up an Android desktop on a separate display or PC that is powered by their Galaxy device--allowing users to potentially have just one device for all of their computing needs. For last year’s launch of the Note 10 series, Samsung enabled users to access DeX just by plugging the phone into a Windows PC or a Mac (using an included USB-C to USB-C cable). With the Galaxy Note 20 series, DeX is now going wireless for the first time; Samsung says Note 20 users will be able to pull up DeX wirelessly on Smart TVs (or on devices that support wireless Miracast connectivity).

Camera

Both the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra will feature triple rear camera systems, though the Note 20 Ultra will include a higher-end setup. The Note 20 Ultra will feature a 108-megapixel rear camera along with a pair of 12 megapixel cameras, and up to 50X zoom. The Note 20 will offer a 64-megapixel camera in addition to two 12-megapixel rear cameras, and up to 30X zoom.

Processor And Battery

The Galaxy Note 20 series smartphones will be among the first devices to include Qualcomm’s recently announced Snapdragon 865 Plus processor. The Snapdragon 865 Plus aims to provide the Note 20 devices with a noticeable performance bump—with the Snapdragon 865 Plus getting a 10-percent increase to its clock speed over the prior version, the Snapdragon 865. For the Snapdragon 865 Plus, the clock speed registers at 3.1 GHz, making it the first mobile chip to surpass 3 GHz.

Samsung isn’t offering specific estimates on the battery life for the Note 20 series devices, though both phones feature sizable batteries (which are larger than their counterparts in last year’s Note 10 series). The Galaxy Note 20 includes a 4,300 mAh battery (up from 3,500 mAh in the Note 10), while the Note 20 Ultra offers a 4,500 mAh battery (up from 4,300 mAh in the Note 10 Plus).

RAM And Storage

Samsung is continuing to offer a sizable amount of RAM in its Note series devices, with 8 GB in the Note 20 and 12 GB in the Note 20 Ultra. For storage, the Note 20 will come with 128 GB, while the Note 20 Ultra will offer a choice between 128 GB and 512 GB.

Price And Availability

Samsung’s starting price for the Galaxy Note 20 is $999.99, while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra starts at $1,299.99. That’s a $50 increase for the starting Galaxy Note 20 price over last year’s Note 10, and a $200 increase for the starting price of the Note 20 Ultra compared to the Galaxy Note 10.

Pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra start on Thursday, Aug. 6. The devices will begin shipping on Aug. 21.