Galaxy Note20 vs Galaxy S20: Which should you buy?

Samsung has just released the Galaxy Note20 series, and it is perhaps the most polarizing Note lineup. The Note20 Ultra is undoubtedly an excellent phone, but it’s incredibly priced at $ 1,299, and the base Note20 lacks a few key features (even compared to the S20 series). Samsung’s overlapping product lineups may make it difficult to determine which exact model is best for you, but that’s where we’re here.

In this article, we will discuss the differences between the regular Galaxy Note20 and the most popular option in Samsung’s mainstream lineup, the $ 1,200 Galaxy S20 +. They may (roughly) have the same physical size and share many of the same features, but there are some subtle differences that you should be aware of.

Hardware

The Galaxy S20 + and Note20 are almost identical in size, as both phones have 6.7-inch AMOLED screens. However, the first difference is also related to the screen – the base Note20 has a 1080p display, while the S20 + has a 1440p panel. You probably won’t see much of a difference between the two brands, but seeing as we’re talking about $ 1000 + phones here, Samsung could have really jumped for 1440p (or higher) on the Note20. Also, the screen refresh rate on the Galaxy S20 can go up to 120Hz (at a reduced resolution), while the Note20 is permanently fixed at 60Hz.

The other important comparison point here is the S Pen, which is exclusive to the Note series. The pen pops out of the bottom of the phone, and can be used to write notes and drawings, open apps with gestures, take screenshots, and more. The S Pen can also be used as a simple pointing device, in case you do not want to use your fingers completely. However, the S Pen on the Note20 base is not quite as low latency as the pen on the Note20 Ultra.

The other differences are relatively small. The Note20 uses a glossy plastic on the back cover, instead of the full glass that the Galaxy S20 + uses. The Galaxy S20 + also has more RAM and a marginally larger battery. Finally, the Note20 does not have a microSD card slot, while the S20 + does.

Software: almost the same

Both the Galaxy S20 and Note20 come with Android 10, with Samsung’s One UI interface on top. This means that the software experience between the two phones is more or less identical, and both devices will receive three major Android updates.

The Galaxy Note20 series has been shipped with One UI 2.5, which has a few minor improvements over earlier versions of Samsung’s Android flavor, such as better compatibility with third-party launchers and wireless DeX with some smart TVs. The same update is now rolling out to the other Samsung phones, so it will not be much longer exclusive to the Note20.

In addition, there are a few additional software features on the Note20 that benefit the S Pen. You can take screenshots by dragging a box on the screen, using air gestures to perform quick actions, taking pictures with the S Pen as a distance shutter, and more. We have here a full explanation of the new S Pen features.

Price: Too high

Just like with the models for them, the Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy S20 + cost far too much money for what they offer. The Note20 comes in just one variant, with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, for $ 999.99. The Galaxy S20 + costs $ 1,199.99, and comes with 128 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM. While both phones are expensive, the Galaxy S20 + is a bit better at justifying its price than the Note20 – Samsung cut many corners on the base Note20, such as using plastic on the outside and limiting the display to 60Hz. The € 399 OnePlus Nord is less than half the price of the Note20, but it has a screen with a higher refresh rate.

The good news is that the Galaxy S20 + has gone on sale several times already. Back in May, the entire S20 lineup was $ 200 off, lowering the price of the S20 + to $ 999.99. The Note20 series was just released, so there have been no discounts outside of pre-bonuses, but they will eventually come.