Samsung reveals the new Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra devices

We’ve made it this far into 2020, so we deserve a treat. Samsung has officially revealed its Galaxy Note 20 line of devices at Unpacked 2020, and they’re gorgeous. 

Yes, we’re getting two Note variants this year in the shapes of the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. Following the Galaxy S20 family resemblance, the Note 20 features a big, beautiful display with the base Note 20 sizing in at 6.7in and the Note 20 Ultra at 9.9in. 

Both of them will come fitted with 5G at launch, but you’ll still have the choice of 5G or LTE when choosing your Note. What’s far more interesting, however, is the colour options in each variant — because in perfect Samsung fashion, they differ slightly.

Diving in

Both phones are coming with similar hardware — the Exynos 990 for the global (ie ‘our’) market and Snapdragon 865+ for the US and China. The Ultra will feature a curved Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate like its S20 Ultra sibling, but the base Note will stick to 60Hz. Both phones will also feature a centred-punch hole up top, giving the display more space. 

The cameras obviously bring us tremendous joy this time around, with a 10MP, f/2.2 sensor up front, featuring with dual-pixel autofocus. Along the back you get a 12MP ultrawide sensor, Samsung’s massive 108MP wide sensor and a 12MP 3.0 telephoto lens. These are all arranged into a sleek looking housing with large sensor holes around the back. 

In terms of connectivity, Samsung didn’t hold back this time around. Samsung Dex will enable users to connect to any Windows 10 PC wirelessly, with the same valid for Samsung TVs. That means no more finicky cables or the need for a Dex dock. Which, in itself was a cool gadget, but it’s nice not to need it. 

Standing out

Of course, the Note’s massive drawcard is its stylus. This time, the stylus has moved to the other side of the phone, probably to make space for hardware (like the massive camera module). But it’s fitted with the same features we had on the Note 10 with Bluetooth connection and remote control for the camera app.

This time we see reverse wireless charging makes a comeback — the perfect feature for a phone with a giant battery. Although it has become more general among flagships, it’s still a nice-to-have.

Pricing and Availability

The Note 20 range will be available in South Africa from 21 August and pre-orders open this evening (5 August) on the Samsung website. If you pre-order a Note 20 device, you’ll be gifted with a R4,000 voucher to either top up your purchase with a Galaxy Watch 3 or a pair of Buds Live. 

Anyone who pre-orders will also get 24 months of Samsung Care+ for R500, which seems like a sweet deal. On top of that, Samsung has launched a trade-in programme for the Note 20 that will give buyers up to R10,000 for their old Samsung devices. Noice. 

The base Note 20 retails for R25,000, the 5G variant R28,000 while the Note 20 Ultra is priced from R37,000. In terms of colour options: you’ll get the Note 20 in Mystic Grey, Bronze and Green, and the Ultra in Mystic Bronze, Black and White. We’re guessing it’ll pitch up here at some point tonight.