Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Note 20: Everything you Need to Know

Has Samsung's Galaxy Note series caught your eye? The latest Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are both impressive models, but you may be wondering what the difference is between the two devices. While both are from the same Samsung Note series, there are a few specs and features that set the two models apart.

So, without further ado, here's the difference between Samsung Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra:


In this blog:


At a glance

If you're interested in checking the Note 20 Ultra specs against the standard Note 20 model, you're in luck! Here's a breakdown of both models and their specifications:

Specs Galaxy Note 20 Galaxy Noto 20 Ultra
Display 6.7-inch AMOLED (FHD; 60Hz) 6.9-inch AMOLED (QHD; 120Hz)
CPU Snapdragon 865 Plus Snapdragon 865 Plus
RAM 8GB 12GB
Storage 128GB 128GB, 512GB
MicroSD slot No Yes
Wide lens 12MP wide (ƒ/1.8) 108MP wide (ƒ/1.8)
Telephoto lens 64MP telephoto, 3x lossless zoom (ƒ/1.8) 12MP telephoto, 5x optical zoom (ƒ/3.0)
Ultrawide lens 12MP ultrawide (ƒ/2.2) 12MP ultrawide (ƒ/2.2)
Front camera 10MP (ƒ/2.2) 10MP (ƒ/2.2)
Battery 4,300 mAh 4,500 mAh
Charging 25W wired; 15W wireless 25W wired; 15W wireless
Size 6.36 x 2.96 x 0.32 inches 6.48 x 3.04 x 0.32 inches
Weight 6.84 ounces 7.33 ounces

Design

In terms of design, these two models have a lot of differences. While both are large enough to classify as 'phablets', the Note 20 Ultra is the bigger of the two. According to Note 20 Ultra specs, the Ultra is taller and wider than the standard model and weighs half an ounce more.

The Note 20 Ultra is made of stainless steel with a new fingerprint-resistant haze finish. The Note 20, on the other hand, is made with reinforced polycarbonate, or in other words, plastic.

Comparing the Note 20 vs Note 20 Ultra, you'll also notice that the Note 20's display has flat edges, while the Note 20 Ultra has a more noticeable curve. Design-wise, both models offer the same IP68 rating for water resistance, so the different materials don't seem to have made any difference to the IP rating.

Display

As we mentioned before, both of these models are phablets, so you can expect a large display on whichever device you choose. The Galaxy Note 20 has a 6.7-inch screen equipped with Full HD resolution, while the Note 20 Ultra offers a 6.9-inch display with QHD resolution.

Looking deeper into the display specifications, the Ultra comes out on top thanks to its impressive refresh rate. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra sports a 120Hz refresh rate – double the speed of the Note 20's 60Hz.

Plus, the Note 20 Ultra uses a dynamic refresh rate, meaning that the device adjusts the refresh rate to suit whatever activity you're doing on your phone screen to boost performance while reducing battery drain.

Cameras

When comparing the cameras on Note 20 vs Note 20 Ultra, there are a few key differences that could sway your decision. Looking at the Note 20 Ultra specs, you'll notice a 108MP main camera with a laser autofocus sensor.

Paired with this is a 12MP wide-angle sensor and a 12MP telephoto lens sporting a 5x optical zoom. Best of all, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra's camera can zoom up to 50x, which is pretty impressive for a phone camera!

Comparing all that to the Galaxy Note 20's 12MP main sensor, 64MP telephoto lens and 12MP ultrawide shooter… you'll notice quite the difference between the two model's camera abilities. As for the front cameras, both models share the same 10MP lens, so at least your selfies will be the same quality.

Performance

If you care most about performance, it'll be a little harder for you to make your decision between the two phones. Both the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra are equipped with the same Snapdragon 865 Plus silicon chipset, one of the best chips available to Android phones.

You might see a slight difference in performance when switching between apps, as the Note 20 has 8GB of memory compared to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra's 12GB, but this difference will be minuscule.

For those that need a lot of storage, you may want to consider the Note 20 Ultra, as the flagship Note 20 only holds 128GB and doesn't offer a microSD slot. The Note 20 Ultra is available in 128GB and 512GB and offers an expansion card slot if you need even more storage.

Battery

If you're looking towards battery performance to make or break your decision, it could be a close call.

The Galaxy Note 20 has a 4300 mAh battery, while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a 4500 mAh battery – so not a whole lot of difference. When you consider the larger screen and faster refresh rate on the Note 20 Ultra, the difference in battery size might not be big enough for there to be a noticeable difference.

According to Samsung, the Note 20 has up to 34 hours of talk time (4G LTE), up to 24 hours of video playback time, up to 91 hours of audio playback time and up to 15 hours of internet usage time (LTE). The Note 20 Ultra has up to 35 hours of talk time (4G LTE), up to 23 hours of video playback time, up to 103 hours of audio playback time and up to 15 hours of internet usage time (LTE).

Both phones come with a 25W charger and are capable of charging up from 0% to 50% in just 30 minutes.


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