The 108MP camera option may seem like overkill, but it can come in handy when you want to have the freedom to crop way into a photo after the fact. There’s also HDR10+ live image processing on video, stereo sound recording, as well as both gyroscope-enabled electronic image stabilization (gyro-EIS) and OIS.

It’s the best 2020 camera phone on the Android platform thanks to its 5x optical zoom, 50x digital zoom, fun portrait filters and easy-to-use camera app interface. Performance is good for exposure, color, texture/noise, and stabilization, with good results handholding the camera while stationary or when walking.Actual charging speed may also vary depending on the actual usage, charging conditions, and other factors. A Note 20 Ultra teardown has revealed that the phone uses a multi-layered graphite thermal pad to aid with heat dissipation instead of the copper pipe and vapor chamber system used in the Galaxy S20 Ultra. As I ran around shooting zombies and navigating dark corridors the game looked smooth and felt extremely responsive. Samsung’s photo processing still aggressively smooths textures in low-light conditions if you look closely enough, although its Night Mode has gotten better. We felt most at risk when thumbing our way to the in-screen fingerprint sensor, which has a limited 9x4mm invisible landing space on the bottom third of the display, same as the Note 10 Plus.

Finally, if you’re interested in moving images, the Note20 Ultra 5G captures 8K video at 24 fps, 4K at up to 60 fps, FHD up to 240 fps, or HD up to 960 fps.Photo quality diminished beyond 5x optical in low light and 10x zoom in good light, but what’s available here is way more useful than everyone else’s 2x zooms. It’s not Samsung’s longest-lasting phone, and that comes down to the curbed battery capacity compared to the S20 Ultra – 4,500mAh for the Note 20 Ultra vs 5,000mAh for the S20 Ultra. Adaptive mode is limited to a FHD resolution, requiring users to switch to 60 Hz mode to enable QHD resolution.

Perceptual scores for bokeh preview were also slightly lower due to depth estimation and blur intensity differences between preview and capture. Our partners are electronics experts who test and verify that each product is 100% functional before it leaves the factory. Although the phone supports a QHD resolution, Samsung defaults it to 1080p – it still can’t do the 120Hz refresh rate and QHD at the same time, while the OnePlus 8 Pro and newer Galaxy S21 Ultra can. Writing for TechRadar, James Peckham said in his verdict, "the Galaxy Note 20 is Samsung's new entry-level stylus-included smartphone for 2020, but it's one that doesn't seem particularly exciting for the usual Note-loving crowd. The Note 20 Ultra has it all – almost: a big screen, superb camera, high refresh rate, the S Pen, in-screen fingerprint sensor, super-fast specs, 5G speeds, a fancy curved display.In our benchmark lab analysis, we found autofocus to be fast and accurate in all lighting conditions with the device mounted on a tripod. The Note 20 Ultra did a fairly good job with portraits, but Samsung's tendency to slightly wash out faces is prevalent here, and you can see that it had a bit of trouble with the sunlight on my arm.

Moreover, the Mystic Green, Mystic Bronze and Mystic Grey color options on the Note 20, have a matte finish, whereas, only the Mystic Bronze on the Note 20 Ultra, has a matte finish. The Note 20 Ultra 5G achieves a low score for artifacts in our updated analysis, which is one of its main weaknesses in the Photo score. In addition, the Samsung Notes app now makes it easier to find your notes with a more PC-like file folder structure. Unlike the S20 series, the display will remain at 120 Hz regardless of the device's battery level, and can handle slightly higher temperatures before switching to 60 Hz. It was the final model in the Galaxy Note series, with Samsung beginning to integrate the functionality from the Note series into its S series "Ultra" models, starting with the Galaxy S20 Ultra.At the event, Samsung announced that the smartphones include support for 5G connectivity, which allows for higher-bandwidth and lower-latency mobile connections where 5G network coverage is available. In comparison, the Xiaomi and iPhone also delivered consistently sharp images, but in much faster time. Noise is slightly more prevalent at long range compared to the best devices, but it’s not a major issue; and exposure, color, as well as artifacts, are well controlled. This is where Samsung’s phones tend to compensate for noise with aggressive texture smoothing, and the Note 20 Ultra is no different. Exposure management could be fine-tuned for better results on the Note20 Ultra 5G, as although the low exposure preserves detail in the bright lamp, dark areas are very underexposed.