08/09 Update below. This post was originally published on August 6th
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra are now official and there’s one big takeaway from their discovery: running a mile from the Note 20.
Samsung; s Galaxy Note 20 (right) has several issues for a $ 1000 smartphone
Confirming my fears in the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Samsung announced its most compelling smartphone of the year, but, in the Note 20, the worst. Here is the reason:
08/08 Update: SamMobile reports that Samsung has already released a massive but mysterious software update for both the Galaxy Note 20 and the Note 20 Ultra. The update weighs in at a hefty 500MB, but, strangely, Samsung has not revealed any specifications on what’s inside. Instead, all Samsung notes in the release notes: “A software update may include, but is not limited to: device stability improvements, bug fixes. New and / or improved features. Further performance improvements.” None of this is remotely helpful. That said, such a major update coming before one of the phones itself is released suggests a lot of bugfixes and Samsung is often trying to optimize its smartphone cameras after launch. However, it seems that both the Note 20 and the Note 20 Ultra require significant upgrade out of the box and I think multiple patches will follow in quick succession.
08/09 Update: A fascinating update from leading Samsung insider Ice Universe has public that my concerns about the Note 20 have not been placed incorrectly. “In fact, most of Samsung’s employees are not optimistic about Note 20,” said the anonymous leaker, explaining that the design of the phone was part of pressure from leaders within the company to “maximize profits and reduce costs.” “. However, this seems to have backfired, with reception for the device very critical (unlike the popular Note 20 Ultra). This is typified by a subsequent interview Ice Universe held, where 85% of more than 26,000 voters said they would not consider upgrading to the phone. That’s a damn number and Samsung’s new entry level Note forms a damaging own goal.
Price – the Note 20 costs $ 1,000. That’s a premium price, but there is very little that is premium about this phone. As well as…
Designed – the Note 20 is not only a predictable step back from the Note 20 Ultra, it is a step back from the entry level Note 10. The Note 20 has thicker edges on all sides and is the first Note since 2014 not to be shipped with a glass back, instead with a polycarbonate plastic chassis.
Display – jumping from the Note 10’s relatively portable 6.3-inch form factor to a solid 6.7-inch display will polarize opinion, but use two-year-old Gorilla Glass 5 as the Note 10 uses Gorilla Glass 6 and the Note 20 Ultra using the latest Gorilla Glass 7 (aka ‘Victus’) is a slap in the face.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 takes several steps back from the Galaxy Note 10 of 2019
Refresh rate – every Galaxy S20 shipped with a display of 120Hz fast refresh rate, even the Note 10 and Galaxy S10 have the option to enable this. Not so the Note 20, which sits at 60Hz. With the $ 349 Google Pixel 4a offering a 90Hz refresh rate, this is an unforgettable step back for a $ 1,000 outlay.
S Pen – the primary reason to pay so much for a Galaxy Note is its S Pen, but even here the Note 20 is inferior to the Ultra. The former has a response time of 26ms, the latter a significantly better 9ms. At least this is one area where the Note 20 will improve on the Note 10 of 2019.
Future Proofing – despite being seen as a major shortcoming in the Note 10, the Note 20 comes back with no expandable storage. Both the Galaxy Note 10+ and Note 20 Ultra offer this. The Note 20 Ultra also added Ultra Wideband (UWB) for super fast file transfers and Samsung has big plans to use it for improved positional tracking and AR technology. Apple is also betting big on UWB. The Note 20 does not have it.
The Galaxy Note 20 offers very poor value for money
Performance – the Note 10 and Note 10+ both used the same Snapdragon chipset, but the Note 20 gets Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 when the Note 20 Ultra has an upgraded Snapdragon 865+. The 865 remains a fast chipset, but if Apple could put the same chipset in its $ 399 iPhone SE as its $ 1100 iPhone 11 Pro Max, then Samsung would have to offer parity with its brother for $ 1000.
All in all, the Galaxy Note 20 is not a $ 1000 smartphone and, in many ways, it is inferior to last year’s Note 10 and Note 10+ – both of which can now be purchased for much less. Initial response to the device also seems to be overwhelmingly negative and it’s hard to understand what Samsung was trying to achieve, especially in a financially constrained, pandemic-affected world.
At $ 1,299, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is an expensive phone, but if you can afford a $ 1000 smartphone, chances are you can pay the extra and get a cutting edge device in every way. In contrast, the Note 20 is a mess. And do not let the name bother you. This is not a Note 20, it is outclassed by its predecessor and by all the ways of cheaper smartphones already on the market, including the entire Galaxy S20 series.
History will not kindly remember the Note 20. With the radical new Galaxy S21 already on the horizon, do yourself a favor and forget it too.
___
Follow Gordon on Facebook
More on Forbes
Samsung Leak unveils exciting Galaxy S21 Smartphone
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 looks like an expensive Note 20 Lite
.
