Our Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review revealed three clear reasons to upgrade to this new flagship phone: Mystic Bronze, laser autofocus and the new S Pen 8ms lag. And if you're looking for any reasons not to, well, there are a lot of them in this roundup too, namely, this is a giant, expensive, and not a big upgrade from the S20 Ultra.
But if you're a Note fan, you know exactly what you're getting, and you know you want it: the biggest, fastest, and most powerful Android phone you can buy. For everyone else, things are not so simple.
Samsung's flagships have gotten so good that reviews are mostly the same: yes, they have the best specs, but they're also the most expensive (although the Note 20 Ultra actually costs $ 100 less than the S20 Ultra). The math is crystal clear: even with exchange offers and carriers, you'll still be paying more for this phone than for any other note that came before it.
There is no doubt that you will get a lot for your money with the Note 20 Ultra. But Samsung has raised the bar so high that the best may no longer be worth the cost of entry.
There's no good way to say this: The Note 20 Ultra is the bulkiest phone I've ever used. Sure, it's about 15 grams lighter than the S20 Ultra, three-quarters of a millimeter thinner and just a couple of millimeters wider, but this phone was already at the upper limit of what my hands and pockets could handle. The Note 20 Ultra's extra width and very boxy shape make it incredibly awkward to handle and carry.
The bulkiness is in no small part due to the protrusion of the camera. You've seen it in photographs and it is as intrusive as it looks. The Note 20 Ultra's impressive thinness actually works against this, making it feel a lot thicker by comparison. The size also means that it is difficult to use when lying on a table. I even ran into some problems with the chargers. A case will help, but you wouldn't want to use it.
What for? Because the Note 20 Ultra is amazing. Dubbed "Mystic", Samsung's new colors give the Note a sophistication and dignity that contrasts with the pop culture vibe of the S20 Ultra's vibrant, iridescent "space" colors.
The Note 20 Ultra with telecom products has a gorgeous matte finish that's better than anything I've seen on any Galaxy phone I've ever used. It doesn't have to grow on you like Midnight-Green on the iPhone 11 Pro, or wait for the right light like Aura Glow on the Note 10. It repels fingerprints like it's made of plastic and has better grip than the glossy S20. The stainless steel sides, matched with a new bronze color, add sophistication, accentuated by the stripes of color that peek above and below the display. You'd be crazy if you got any other color and even more nuts to put on a case, even a clean one.
Nothing I write here will in any way convince you about the Note 20 Ultra. If you have $ 1,300 to spend on a phone and want the very best from Android, you've probably already decided to order one. And if you're a Note lover, chances are it's on its way.
However, for everyone else, this is a tough recommendation. This is undoubtedly the best phone you can buy, but it probably has more screen and power than most people need. Anyway, $ 1,300 is a ton of money to pay for a phone as beautiful as the Note 20 Ultra.
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