Samsung officially unveils Galaxy Note 20 series, Canadian pre-orders and pricing revealed

The sufficiently leaked Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series is now official and available for pre-order starting August 5. There are two versions of the Galaxy Note 20: the regular Note 20 and the Note 20 Ultra. 

The regular Note 20 comes with 128GB storage in the new colours Mystic Bronze, Mystic Green, and Mystic Grey for $1,399. Meanwhile, the top-tier Note 20 Ultra comes in Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, and Mystic White with either 128GB or 512GB storage options, costing $1,818 and $2,029, respectively. Those who pre-order starting August 5 until August 20, get a bonus gift of either a Galaxy Buds+ (for the Note 20), Galaxy Buds Live (for the Note 20 Ultra), or a Microsoft Xbox Game Pass Bundle. The Xbox Bundle includes three months free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, MOGA XP5-X+ Controller, and a Wireless Charger Pad.

While both carry the key feature that makes the Note 20 series a Note device (a.k.a. the S Pen stylus), there are key differences that remind us that the Note 20 Ultra is the far superior variant. At the same time, making us question some decisions Samsung made with the regular Galaxy Note 20.

Let's start with what they do share. The new S Pen with better latency and new ways and gestures to turn the stylus into your little magic wand.

Both phones are 5G-ready, supporting both types of 5G networks. Both use the new Gorilla Glass Victus, which promises to be more resistant to scratches. Both offer fast charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

The Galaxy Note 20 duo also gets stereo speakers with Dolby technology, IP68 water resistance, 8K video recording and external microphone support, and wireless DeX access via Miracast.

Both handsets run on Android 10 and get the new Microsoft software tie-ins. And yes, Bixby is still around.

The two devices start to diverge from there, reminding you which one is more premium (despite both carrying pretty hefty price tags).

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra introduces the best of the best Samsung can offer at the moment. It's massive in every sense of the word. It comes with a huge 6.9-inch 1440p OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen is curved around the sides to lessen the bezels' visibility. The only interruption on the screen is the small punch-hole cutout for the 10-megapixel camera. 

Samsung adds dynamically adjusting refresh rates on the Ultra, which should help preserve battery life in places where the phone won't need a high refresh rate. But it won't allow you to hit the full rate at its max resolution, which is presumably to help preserve battery, too.

It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor with 12GB of RAM, expandable storage, and a 4,500mAh battery. Even if the software isn't quite ready, Samsung adds Ultra-Wideband radio into the Note 20 Ultra, which can be used to quickly transfer files from one phone to another as well help with unlocking cars. With the iPhone 11 support UWB, we aren't surprised that Samsung throws it into the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Samsung doesn't do anything small with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, even the camera bump at the back is sizeable. It houses the Samsung-made 108-megapixel camera sensor, 12-megapixel telephoto lens, and 12-megapixel ultrawide camera.

Samsung introduces software enhancements to fix the Galaxy S20 problems like focusing and capping Space Zoom at 50x instead of 100x. A laser autofocus system is introduced here, too.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

The Galaxy Note 20 has a shorter spec sheet than the top-tier Ultra. It doesn't have the high refresh rate screen, microSD expansion, and the Ultra's periscope lens. Plus, the phone's back is made with "reinforced polycarbonate," a.k.a. plastic, which might turn off some users considering the phone's price.

The Galaxy Note 20 has a smaller 6.7-inch 1080p display with the typical 60Hz refresh rate. It has more curve to its corners, shows a bit more of the bezels, and a flatter display. The camera bump is slightly smaller, too. 

The regular Note 20's camera system is mostly like the Galaxy S20's. It comes with a primary 12-megapixel camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and then 64 megapixels for the telephoto. It offers a non-periscope-enabled version of Space Zoom, going up to 30x. 

The handset runs on the same Snapdragon 865 Plus processor and offers all the same software features as the Ultra. It comes with a slightly smaller has a 4,300mAh battery. 

Source: The Verge + 9to5Google