The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is very good – and it is also very expensive. It starts at $ 1,299 for a device with 128 GB of storage, and if you want more than that, you have to shell out $ 1,449 on a 512GB model.
Then again, it’s not hard to see why the Note 20 Ultra is so expensive when you consider all that it has to offer. There’s the phone’s 6.9-inch AMOLED display with a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate; a modern Snapdragon 865 Plus processor; a versatile three-camera system; and of course the productivity-oriented S Pen.
While you may be hard pressed to find that exact mix of specs and features in another device, the good news is that you can get at least some of them in other handsets for less than what a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra costs you. Here we have highlighted the best Galaxy Note 20 Ultra alternatives on the market that compete with the phenomenal notebook hardware and software while keeping more cash in your wallet.
OnePlus 8 Pro
The OnePlus 8 Pro is a very attractive Note 20 Ultra alternative, as it comes remarkably close to Samsung’s new phablet in many respects, while costing $ 300 less. You can spend as little as $ 899 on the OnePlus 8, and you’ll still get a 120Hz display, Snapdragon 865 chipset, 5G connectivity, and a 4,510-mAh battery that’s about the same capacity as the Note 20 Ultra.
In fact, the OnePlus 8 Pro lasted more than half an hour longer in our custom battery test compared to the Note 20 Ultra, a total of 11 hours and 5 minutes, compared to the Note 20 Ultra’s 10 hours and 26 minutes. The OnePlus 8 Pro also costs faster, whether you’ve wired or wireless, than the Note 20 Ultra, thanks to OnePlus’ proprietary Warp Charge 30T technology.
Some of what you will lose by choosing the OnePlus 8 Pro is really not all that worrying. The standard Snapdragon 865 may be a shadow behind the newer Plus iteration, though you probably won’t notice any difference. The OnePlus 8 Pro also does not sport a dynamic refresh level, although in our tests the Note 20 Ultra was not noticeably more efficient due to the dynamic nature of the panel, which we do not see as a big loss.
Primarily, what you really miss in the OnePlus 8 Pro are the phenomenal cameras and stylus of the Note 20 Ultra. The OnePlus 8 Pro’s shooters are by no means too bad, but they do not deliver as consistently comfortable photos as Samsung’s device, nor do they rival the Note 20 Ultra’s 108 megapixel resolution as 5x optical zoom features.
All that said, if you are not sure how much you really need the S Pen and you are not so concerned with photo quality, the OnePlus 8 Pro is a very smart alternative to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
Read our full review OnePlus 8 Pro Review.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
Samsung makes a lot of smartphones these days, so it’s not surprising that one of the nicest Note 20 alternatives out there would come from the same company. The Galaxy S20 Plus is a same complete package, just like the Note 20 Ultra, but commands $ 100 less.
The Note 20 Ultra is by far a better device, it has to be said. The S.7 Plus’ 6.7-inch display lacks the ability to adjust its refresh rate to suit on-screen content, its cameras are not as compelling, and the Note’s Pen’s signature is missing here. For what it’s worth, the S20 range still supports DeX mode for a thesis desktop experience, though until Samsung releases an update, you’ll need a cable to use that interface; the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, on the other hand, can run DeX over Miracast, with a compatible display.
All that said, the S20 Plus is still flush with high-end hardware and largely the same software experience as on the Note 20 Ultra; it is in some respects just a little less. In return, the Galaxy S20 Plus is a bit cheaper, and we think this makes it a worthy choice for potential buyers who are running from the Sticker shock of the Note 20 Ultra.
Read our full review Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus review.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus
It may seem counter-intuitive to approach a Galaxy Note 10 Plus at the very moment the world understands about its replacement, but Samsung has made its now obsolete foldable an even hotter purchase in the wake of the new model.
The Note 10 Plus normally starts at $ 1,099, but if you trade in your existing device, you can lower the price of the phablet to $ 849. And although the Note 10 Plus has no answer for the Note 20 Ultra’s 108MP main camera, 5x optical zoom, 120Hz refresh rate or 5G connectivity, it’s still a powerful workflow with its own stylus. In fact, the Note 10 Plus comes with double the storage of the Note 20 Ultra standard, at 256GB.
As for all cool new features, the Note 20 benefits from – like the ability to sync recordings with notes, wireless DeX mode, Pro Video recording and Anywhere Actions for S Pen navigation – it looks like the Note 10 and Galaxy S20 series will inherit many of them in upcoming software updates, based on a new report from SamMobile. In other words, today buyers of Note 10 may lose out on displaying the lower latency of the Note 20 Ultra, some more powerful processor and some better cameras, but they will not miss the Note 20’s software.
Furthermore, with Samsung awarding three updates of Android versions for its flagship phones, including the Note 10 line, you can be sure that buying last year’s phablet will not put you at a massive disadvantage in terms of software and security support.
Read our full review Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus review.
Google Pixel 4 XL
This may be a bit of a surprising addition to this list, given that the Pixel 4 XL will soon be replaced with Google’s upcoming Pixel 5. However, Google, however, the next premium Pixel will not come with an accompanying XL variant, and it also won It is not as powerful as the existing model, as Google has long been rumored to make hardware concessions to sell its flagship phone at a lower price.
The 90Hz refresh rate of Pixel 4 XL is not as smooth as the 120Hz panel of Note 20 Ultra. The Pixel’s battery is much smaller, at 3,700 mAh, and its 6.3-inch panel shifts greatly in size to the gargantuan 6.9-inch display on the Note 20 Ultra. That said, the Pixel 4 XL delivers some features we wish the Note 20 Ultra had, such as 3D Face Unlock which is much faster than Samsung’s fingerprint sensing on Samsung.
And while the Pixel 4 XL does not offer the ability to annotate notes with audio recordings like the new S Pen can, it can transcribe audio on the fly with the Google Recorder app – which some might argue is even more useful.
But there are two very good reasons why the Pixel 4 XL works as a Note 20 Ultra replacement: it has cameras that are just as good in some respects, and it’s a hell of a lot cheaper. Like the OnePlus 8 Pro, the Pixel 4 XL starts at $ 899. Although you unfortunately have to spend $ 1,000 for a 128 GB version, that translates to even $ 300 savings compared to the Note 20 Ultra.
When it comes to photography, the Pixel 4 XL’s dual 12MP and 16MP cameras may not be like as an adequate stand for the Note 20 Ultra’s Triple-lens system, and you’re missing an ultra-wide perspective with Google’s device. However, Google provides some of that with the best computational photography in the business, thanks to features like HDR +, Night Sight and Super Res Zoom that use artificial intelligence to punch digital zoom, making it look almost as good as optical. It is quite possible that the Pixel 4 XL could see discounts before it is gone forever; Google has split the price of the phone several times already several times in 2020. If it does that again, it’s definitely worth your consideration.
Read our full review Review of Google Pixel 4 XL.
Moto G Stylus
If you are in love with the Note 20’s S Pen, but less so than with its four-digit price tag, the Moto G Stylus may just be what you’re looking for. This 6.4-inch Motorola handset comes with its own stylus, which also slides directly into the body of the phone. However, it costs just $ 299 – either $ 700 less than the regular Galaxy Note 20 or a full $ 1000 less than the Note 20 Ultra.
Of course, you can expect a lot of concessions in a device that costs less than a third of what Samsung’s phablets do. The Moto G Stylus is several times less powerful than the Note 20 range, has three cameras that take photos that are much less impressive, and is made of plastic (and not plastic that even necessarily feels like glass, in the case of Regular Note 20). And while Motorola’s stylus allows you to draw and take written notes, it’s literally a plain, muted stylus. It has no wireless connection and no special features – it’s just a writing tool and pointing device.
However, there is one area where the Moto G Stylus not only matches the Note 20 Ultra – it destroys it. Motorola’s device has a 4000 mAh battery that lasted an impressive 12 hours and 13 minutes in the Tom’s battery test. That’s almost two hours better than Samsung’s $ 1,299 flagship, which in any case should guarantee that you’ll not sacrifice battery life, even if you sacrifice on a whole lot of other things with the Moto G Stylus.
Read our full review Moto G Stylus review.
Galaxy Note 20 alternatives: Bottom line
Not all of these devices match the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in all respects, but they do offer opportunities to opt for choice of features and hardware, while also saving you some cash. Plus, it has to be said that there are new phones on the horizon – look at that, iPhone 12 Pro – that can do the Note 20 Ultra the best in notable ways as well.
There’s also the $ 999 Samsung Galaxy Note 20 to consider, which we have yet to consider. On paper, the Note 20 boasts some of the most exciting features of the Note 20 Ultra, such as its 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, some of its camera lenses and sensors, its metal-and-glass design, and its enhanced 9ms S Pen latency. In losing everything, the smaller Note 20 costs $ 300 less than the Note 20 Ultra, making it its own formidable Note 20 Ultra alternative.
