Samsung continues its legacy with the Note-line and this year's Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the ultimate answer to "what great things 2020 hold for us." Undoubtedly, Samsung packed the best of the best specs in its Note 20 Ultra so any kind of comparisons with other flagships will make you lean towards Samsung's flagship.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G continues the legacy of the premium Note-line, which prides itself on being the best productivity phone there is. But that's not all there is, to be frank. Samsung has, time and again, proven that its Galaxy Note series will appeal to the masses - even if it is to just admire without owning it. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G is a testament to that long-running history of successful Notes, with the exception of Galaxy Note 7.
Well, we've all come a long way since and to be frank, it has faded from our memories. Samsung has grown from the incident and the result as we see it today is the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G. Not bad at all.
So we have the opportunity of testing Samsung's best-in-class Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G, which is currently under review. In the coming days, we will be putting the phone through various testing parameters to understand if it's at all worth all the hype. While we get there, here are our first impressions of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
First Impressions
For anyone who believes the first impression is the last impression, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G will not disappoint. Truly. The first thing we noticed is how huge the new Note is. Well, it has a 6.9-inch massive edge-to-edge display, giving ample screen real estate to be more productive without needing a tablet. We'll get to the display shortly after previewing the other aspects of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
Besides that massive display, one thing that cannot miss anyone's attention is the Mount K2 at the back of the phone. Just kidding, but from a smartphone point of view, it doesn't feel anything short of the Himalayan ranges. In short, the camera module is bigger than what we expected, but Samsung says that's because the phone is sleeker than ever. Understood. And to be honest, the camera bump is not a deal-breaker. Especially if you see what these cameras are capable of.
It's worth point out that the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the first-ever phone to feature Corning's new Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and rear, but the camera module still uses the Gorilla Glass 6. The new Victus glass is supposed to be more sturdy, strong, and less prone to scratches. So far, so good. But let's see if anything changes until the review.
The rear glass and the overall design is very neat. The frosty matte finish is the new trend and Samsung has done a fine job. We were lucky to have gotten the Mystic Bronze and it looks elegant. But there's a Mystic Green too if that's your taste.
The large form factor of the device makes it difficult to use it in a single hand with ease. The phone is also slippery and we'd strongly advise a case if you've slippery pockets.
For those who've used nothing but Note-phones, there's a huge change. The S-Pen silos is shifted from bottom right to bottom left and it was a challenge to our muscle memory despite not having used a Note in a while. it's going to be a greater challenge for Galaxy Note users, but nothing time won't heal.
The USB-Type C port along with stereos sit at the bottom and there's no 3.5mm jack as expected. Also, there's no Bixby button and all the buttons, power and volume included, sit on the right side. The dual SIM card tray sits at the top of the phone.
The S-Pen has been a keen focus of area for improvement for Samsung and each year, it gets better. Besides improved latency that gives life-like user experience, there are new gestures for UI navigation and screenshots.
Moving on, the 6.9-inch QHD+ 120Hz HDR+ panel is absolutely stunning. Samsung is known for its panels and it remains its biggest strength. It is the most beautiful, vibrant and bright display there is in any flagship. We could switch between resolutions and refresh rates based on our requirements. We streamed some high-resolution content on the phone and it's mesmerizing.
Samsung's OneUI isn't necessarily the first choice for many. In fact, we have had our reservations about it in the past. In the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the OneUI 2.5 is good enough to get you by. But we wish there was better optimization or at the very least customization to do things like adjusting the size of icons, arrange them and more. But it's not a deal-breaker, as there are many ways to overcome this challenge (read custom ROMs).
But there are many interesting aspects to the phone that are being explored as of this writing. For instance, the camera, which is backed by a 108MP main camera backed by 12MP ultra-wide and 12MP periscope lens. We've been taking some shots and so far, the results are nothing short of impressive. We'll share more on this in the detailed review, so stay tuned.
There are two other main factors - performance powered by Exynos 990 and battery with its 4,500mAh unit. Everything about the Note 20 Ultra is quite great, so far.
