The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has everything you could want in a 2020 flagship. The phone has a beautiful new design and comes with a sublime 120Hz AMOLED display, the latest Snapdragon 865+ chipset with 5G connectivity, a new S Pen with reduced latency and full day of battery life. The cameras are also sleek, with the 108MP primary lens delivering excellent photos.
$ 1,300 by Amazon
Pros
- Stunning 120Hz AMOLED display
- Beautiful design
- S Pen with lower latency than before
- Snapdragon 865+ with 5G connectivity
- Exciting new cameras with 108MP main lens
Cons
- Expensive
- Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is not good enough
The Galaxy Note 8 has performed well over the years, but it clearly shows its age. While the screen is still great and keeps the hardware up to date for day-to-day use, the device is outdated on the software front. It has not been updated to Android 10, and will no longer receive security updates. So if you are looking to switch to a new phone this year, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will immediately feel familiar.
$ 339 by Amazon
Pros
- Great AMOLED panel
- S Pen with useful software features
- Reliable in daily use
- Battery life is still decent
Cons
- Still on Android 9.0 Pie
- Aging internal
- No 5G connectivity
Samsung is not really making radical changes with its flagships anymore, but it still manages to deliver exciting new features that raise the bar for the sector as a whole. With the Note 20 Ultra launching three years after the Note 8, you’ll get lucky upgrades in all areas, so let’s show you why you should consider upgrading to Samsung’s latest phone.
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs. Galaxy Note 8: Huge upgrades everywhere
Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central
If you use a flagship, you do not have to upgrade every year. Phones from three years ago are still going strong on the hardware front, and if you use the Galaxy Note 8 in 2020, you already know this. The design is still modern, the screen just as good, and the Snapdragon 835 chipset keeps up in everyday use.
The Note 20 Ultra has a beautiful design and will receive Android OS updates in three years.
But the biggest problem here are software updates. The Note 8 debuted with Android 7.1.1 Nougat and received two platform updates for Android 9.0 Pie. Samsung has also completed three years of security updates for the phone, and it will not receive any further updates. Two years of OS updates is not long enough, and for what it’s worth, Samsung is fixing the problem.
All flagships starting with the Galaxy S10 series and selecting Galaxy A devices in the mid-range will receive three Android OS updates, a must-have. That means the Note 20 Ultra gets three OS updates, one more than the Note 8. That makes the device much more appealing out of the port, and we haven’t even started talking about the hardware yet.
Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra delivers exciting hardware upgrades in just about every area. You get a massive 6.9-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, and the thin edges make playing games and streaming videos much more all-encompassing. This is the best screen you can find on any phone today, and it’s an absolute pleasure to use.
You get significant hardware upgrades in virtually every area of the Note 8.
Then there is the hardware to offer. The Note 20 Ultra has the latest Snapdragon 865+ chipset, and has 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as standard. This is one of the most powerful phones around, and the hardware here will keep up just fine for several years. There’s also a 108MP primary camera, and it takes exceptional photos.
You also get a microSD card slot, a 4500mAh battery with 25W wired charging and 10W wireless charging, Wi-Fi 6, stereo speakers, IP68 rating, and worldwide 5G connectivity. The differentiator for the Note series has always been the S Pen, and this time Samsung has lowered the latency to 9ms, making it even better to use for note taking than doodling.
While the Note 20 Ultra packs a lot of new hardware and a larger screen, it is immediately known as a Note device. So when you consider the Note 8 switch, you will feel right at home. Oh, the S Pen is now on the left side and there is no 3.5mm jack left, but other than that, the feel in the hand is largely the same.
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs. Galaxy Note 8: All specs
| Category | Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Note 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Android 10 One UI 2.5 |
Android 9.0 Pie One UI |
| Screen | 6.9-inch dynamic AMOLED 3088×1440 (20: 9) HDR10 + Gorilla Glass Victus |
6.3-inch Super AMOLED 2960×1440 (18.5: 9) Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 865+ 1 x 3.0GHz A77 3 x 2.42 GHz A77 4 x 1.80 GHz A55 7pm |
Snapdragon 835 4 x 2.35 GHz Kryo 280 4 x 1.90 GHz Kryo 280 10nm |
| GPU | Adreno 650 | Adreno 540 |
| FRAME | 12GB LPDDR5 | 6GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB UFS3.1 | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB UFS 2.1 |
| MicroSD slot | Yes | Yes |
| Behind camera 1 | 108MP f / 1.8, OIS 8K at 24 fps 4K at 60 fps |
12MP f / 1.7, OIS 4K at 30 fps |
| Behind camera 2 | 12MP, f / 3.0 telephoto, OIS 5x optical zoom |
12MP f / 2.4 telephoto, OIS 2x optical zoom |
| Rear camera 3 | 12MP, f / 2.2 Wide angles |
None |
| Front camera 1 | 10MP, f / 2.2, 80 ° FoV autofocus |
8MP f / 1.7 autofocus |
| Front camera 2 | None | 2MP iris module |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi is MU-MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC, GPS |
Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC, GPS |
| Audio | USB-C Stereo speakers |
3.5 mm jack Stereo speakers |
| Battery | 4500mAh Do not remove |
3300mAh Do not remove |
| Charging | USB-C PD3.0 Fast charge (25W) |
USB-C Fast charge (15W) |
| Weather resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Security | In-display fingerprint sensor Face unlocked |
Fingerprint sensor Iris sensor |
| Dimensions | 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm 208g |
161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm 201g |
| Colors | Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White | Midnight black, maple gold, orchid gray |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs. Galaxy Note 8: It’s time to upgrade
Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central
The Galaxy Note 8 is a fine phone on the hardware side, but with Samsung cutting out software updates, you need to upgrade sooner rather than later. The obvious choice is the Note 20 Ultra. The phone has stunning hardware with a stunning new design, groundbreaking cameras, an elevated 120Hz screen, and all-day battery life.
The biggest reason to switch to the Note 20 Ultra is for the software updates.
Although the Note 20 Ultra has exciting hardware upgrades across the board, Samsung’s commitment to deliver three Android OS updates will benefit the phone in the long run. The Note 20 Ultra comes with Android 10 out of the box, and will be updated to Android 13 in three years time.
That’s a hefty deal, as it ensures that the Note 20 Ultra gets the latest Android update for an extra year. That was not the case with the Note 8, which did not receive the Android 10 update. If you pay this kind of money on a phone, you want to be able to use it for at least three years or more, and as such, it’s great to see Samsung doing better in this key area.
The obvious upgrade
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
The most powerful phone in 2020
With huge hardware upgrades all over the place, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is an easy recommendation if you are looking for a new phone in 2020. The fact that the phone will receive three Android OS updates makes it much more appealing. The Note 20 Ultra is the obvious choice when you upgrade from the Note 8.
Postponed
Galaxy Note 8
No more software updates
The Galaxy Note 8 still holds up fine in daily use, but Samsung will not elaborate further software updates. That means you should immediately upgrade to another device if you want to try new versions of Android and receive the latest security updates, and the Note 20 Ultra is the ideal competitor.
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