A few weeks ago I told you what did I think of the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and today I bring you my impressions with a phone that looks very similar, and that is that we are once again facing a very large Samsung phone. And when I say big, I mean, ultra large.
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, video analysis
screen to enjoy
Samsung's track record tells us that the Notes are devices to work. You may use it to take notes throughout the day, to have hundreds of applications open, or to use it as a laptop thanks to Samsung DeX, but the truth is that the profile of this phone invites much more. And it is that, with 6,9 inchesWho doesn't dare to watch a Netflix series on this screen? The screen looks incredibly good outdoors, and it is something that the manufacturer has already accustomed us to. Like the S20 Ultra, this Note20 Ultra looks amazing, and its brightness is such that you better have it reduced at night if you don't want it to blind you.
Samsung once again hangs an amazing 6,9-inch panel, type OLED, with support HDR 10 plus, with brightness and contrast of heart attack, and a refreshment of the image of 120 Hz. Yes, again another resemblance to the S20 Ultra, however, here the novelty is that the refresh rate is variable, so energy consumption will be more controlled. When there are static images, it can go as low as 10 Hz, and when you really crank it up and scroll, it runs at 120. And let me tell you, it's wonderful. This frequency change is completely imperceptible, and in the end we gain battery autonomy, which is great to continue stretching for a few hours.
And yes, you can't have 120 Hz at full panel resolution, but believe me that with the FHD + resolution you will have plenty of it. That is the only drawback we found with the system, which is still limited to a slightly lower resolution than the original panel. That's basically because it would still be a pretty significant source of power consumption, so the manufacturer still includes this limitation.
prettier than ever
Aesthetically we are facing one more leap to design level on Samsung phones, and now with a matte finish on a Gorilla Glass 7 back, the phone looks amazing. Obviously we cannot avoid talking about such a large highlight produced by the cameras, which we will talk about later, but at first glance it is beautiful.
Part of the fault of this beauty is the back, and it is that it lacks a fingerprint reader, which gives a cleaner visual appearance. But wait, do you think that a phone as top as the Note20 Ultra was going to be left without a fingerprint reader? Not at all. The reader is hidden under the screen, it is of the ultrasonic type and it works really well, as in the S20 Ultra. This allows us to unlock the device quickly and without too much waiting, and during all the time that we have been using the device it has responded perfectly.
A very characteristic pencil
As you will be seeing, there are many similarities with the giant of the S range, right? That's where it comes into play the S PenOf course, the perfect complement for lovers of notes. I still think that this stylus is a very special accessory, but that not everyone will know how to take advantage of it. I myself do not dare to write in the terminal, since I am terrible at doing it on the fly.
In addition, another of the problems that I see is related to the camera module. As it stands out so much, writing on a flat surface could be a problem on some occasions, something completely uncomfortable when suffering knocks on the table caused by the unevenness of the camera module. But there are big news related to the S-Pen, and they directly affect its operation. The response time is tremendously slower than the Note 10, and this translates into fast strokes that feel real. Thanks to the sound that is played while we make the line, we enjoy an experience that little by little gets closer to writing on paper.
Application Samsung Notes It's also improved to include the ability to write on individual pages, write over text, import PDF files for editing, and even add audio notes to your written notes.
distance photography
Talking about a Samsung phone without talking about the cameras is like talking about a monitor and not counting the inches. This Note20 Ultra 5G comes accompanied by 3 cameras of 108, 12 and 12 megapixels that offer different angles for all kinds of situations. It is a configuration that we could already see in the S20 Ultra, but that offers us slightly better results in the ultra-wide angle. The images are sharp and detailed, beyond the deformation of the angle, but in general terms it has made a very good impression on us.
In the 108 megapixel camera we still enjoy very complete results, but they are not the best. The portrait is attractive but could be improved, the performance in broad daylight is magnificent but with a white balance to be perfected, and at night we will be able to see light where we thought it did not exist, but at the cost of losing detail and appearing noise.
Where we have made a pleasant impression is in the telephoto lens, since the 5 magnifications of the objective perform wonderfully. In addition, the hybrid zoom that mixes the optical and the digital gives us very good results up to 20x, but jumping to 50x is pointless because we get completely patchy images with a watercolor effect that increases if the stabilization and the Light conditions are not optimal.
Another point to highlight in the cameras is their video recording capacity, not only because of the 8K resolution available (already present in the S20), but also because of the magnificent stabilization that invites us to enjoy a simulated gimbal with perfect stabilization. amazing.
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As we said, the phone comes with everything, and to the Exynos 990 processor we must add the 12 GB of RAM and the 256 and 512 GB of storage in which it is available. The problem is that for yet another year the difference in performance between the European and American models is significant, and users on the other side of the pond will enjoy a faster, more powerful phone with better autonomy. It's fair? The market rules, and global demand forces Samsung to make this distribution. There is no other.
But don't be confused. This Note20 Ultra 5G does not lack power, there is simply another identical Note20 that has more. To complete the package, Samsung has reached an agreement with Microsoft to offer 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to all those who reserve the device, enjoying access to Microsoft's cloud gaming service immediately. And with this, the phone becomes a powerful portable console in which you only need a Bluetooth remote control, a wonderful way to take advantage of the potential and the incredible screen that it offers us.
Is it worth buying the Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G?
The Ultra model is a large version. More than big, giant, and that might not be entirely comfortable for many users. In any case, if you hallucinate with the big inches, this screen is the best that you will take in your pocket (if it fits you). Another matter will be to justify the 1.309 euros that this phone costs. Innovations such as variable refreshment seem essential for the future, but beyond that and another quality, the price of this Note20 Ultra seems too much to us.
We see the normal version with better eyes, which offers practically the same, but lowers the main camera to 42 megapixels and uses polycarbonate instead of glass for the back cover. Oh, and the screen is flat, something that for many will be an advantage.
That said, if what you're looking for is to have the most of the most and you're not too worried about a price that greatly exceeds 1.000 euros, the Note20 Ultra is the best Android phone you could buy today. But if the purchase decision matures and the price does not let you sleep, even a Galaxy Note 10 would be a much more sensible option.