Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

September 22, 2020 | Amy Davies | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

Samsung has two “flagship” lines for its smartphones - the Note line and the S line.

The Note line is generally aimed at those looking for a phone that can do a bit of everything, and is particularly popular with business users thanks to the addition of a Stylus pen.

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the latest model in the Note line, and it is also joined by the standard Note 20, too.

The Note Ultra has a class-leading camera setup, which includes a 108 megapixel “standard” camera/lens, a 12 megapixel ultra-wide camera/lens and a 12 megapixel 5x zoom telephoto camera/lens.

In this review, we'll be looking at the Note 20 Ultra. The standard 20 has the same ultra-wide camera, but a 12 megapixel standard camera and a 64 megapixel 3x zoom telephoto camera.

Other interesting specifications of the camera include the ability to record 8K video, Pro mode (for both stills and video), raw capture, super slow-mo video, HDR and the ability to use the Stylus pen to control the camera.

General features include a 6.9-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic screen, a 4500mAh battery, wireless charging, 5G connectivity, 128GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of internal memory.

At the time of writing, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra retails for around £1,179 for the 256GB version, or £1,279 for the 512GB version.

You can also buy the phone on various phone contracts, at lots of different prices.

This price puts it in the realm of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which is perhaps its main (non-Android) competitor.

Ease of Use

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Front of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is available in three different colours - Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black and Mystic White. For our review, we’ve been using the Mystic Black colour way.

It’s extremely shiny and makes the phone look like a premium product - but it’s probably recommended that you invest in a case to protect it from scratches and bumps.

At the back of the phone, the camera unit protrudes pretty far from the back of it, which means that it won’t sit flat on a table, but, if you use a case, it flattens out the back of the phone quite well to make it a bit less wobbly.

Just like the S20 Ultra, the Note 20 Ultra is a very large phone. Some people call these super-large screen phones “phablets”, such is their size.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Rear of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

It’s great for viewing video content - and looking at your photos - but it can be quite difficult to hold and use the phone one handed, especially while texting, particularly if you have small hands.

The native camera app can be accessed via the lock screen directly, by swiping up from the bottom right hand corner.

As we’ve seen before, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra's native camera app is very well-featured, offering a mix of automatic modes and more in-depth modes which should appeal to enthusiast photographers.

As standard, the app opens in “Photo” mode, which is probably what you’ll be using for the majority of your shots. This is a fairly straightforward mode, with a few options to take note of.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Photo Mode

Along the bottom of the screen (or to the right if holding the phone in landscape orientation), you’ll see three icons which represent the three different lenses you can shoot with.

Three trees represent the ultra-wide-angle lens, two trees represents the standard, while a single tree represents the telephoto lens.

If you tap on any of these icons, you’ll go straight to that lens, but you’ll also see along the bottom options to choose other zoom ratios, ranging from 0.5x-50x. These will use a mixture of optical and digital zoom to achieve. You can also pinch to zoom on the screen, if you prefer.

When using the 50x zoom, a handy feature is the picture in picture display that will appear so you can track the subject around the frame. This makes it much easier to frame your picture appropriately.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Camera Settings

Along the top of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra's screen, you’ll also see a row of icons which control different functions.

There’s also a general “settings” icon, which you can tap to gain access to more advanced / in-depth settings, such as “Save options”, “rear video size”, switching on video stabilisation, switching on grid lines and so on.

A useful setting is the ability to switch on “keep settings”, which means the app will launch in whichever mode / settings you last used it in.

Back to the main screen, and the other icons include a flash icon (which you can set to on, off or automatic), a timer (which can be set to 2, 5 or 10 seconds), switching on motion picture (where a short video clip is recorded alongside your still image), and aspect ratio (here you have options of 3:4, 9:16, 1:1, and “Full” - which takes advantage of the whole phone screen, as well as the 3:4 108 megapixel option).

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Image Playback

By default, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra outputs images at 12 megapixels, but if you’re shooting something with fine detail, or you think you might want to crop later, you can choose the higher resolution option here.

If you want to shoot in a different camera mode, then you can swipe right or left at the bottom of the screen.

To the left of the Photo mode, is “Single Take”, which we’ve seen on other Samsung phones before.

With this option, you move the phone around the scene in front of you and it will record lots of different pictures and videos in different aspect ratios, with filters added and so on. It’s a good way to get lots of different shots of a special occasion or interesting scene.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra with Stylus

To the right of Photo, you have Video, which is fairly self explanatory. In video mode, you’ll see a slightly different set of options at the top of the screen, including the ability to switch on 8K video recording quickly and easily.

You can also switch on image stabilisation, and the flash. To the right again, you have the “More” option, which brings up a set of other different shooting modes to choose from.

There’s lots of modes here, but perhaps of most interest is Panorama - which creates ultra-wide angle shots, Night, which is for use in low-light - and is something that will automatically activate in the standard Photo mode too - Live Focus, for creating shallow depth of field effects, super slo motion video and the “Pro” mode which should be of interest to those with a deeper interest in photography.

Using the Pro mode, you can manually select ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation, AF/manual focus and white balance, as well as adjust settings such as Tint, Contrast, Saturation, Highlight and Shadow.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Rear of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

It’s in this mode that you can also also shoot in raw format (DNG) if you want to edit your photos in post-production at a later stage.

It’s worth noting that you can’t shoot in the 108 megapixel mode when shooting in the Pro format, nor can you use anything other than the “standard” lens, which is disappointing.

It’s worth mentioning at this point that you can tap around the screen to change the autofocus point, as well as adjust exposure when in the standard Photo mode.

You can also activate an AF/AE lock by holding down your finger on the screen over the relevant point.

Once you’re ready to take a shot, you can use the virtual button on the screen, or use the physical volume up or down buttons if you prefer.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.

We had no doubts that image quality from the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra would be excellent, given the performance of other recent Galaxy models.

Once again, Samsung has produced a fantastic smartphone for photographers that produces good shots in a range of different conditions.

Most people will use the standard “Photo” mode for most of their photographs, which works well for most types of shot.

With this mode, colours are vibrant and well saturated, with plenty of detail.

On the whole, images look best when you stick to viewing them on the screen of the Note 20 Ultra itself - if you examine closely on a larger computer screen, you will likely see some smoothing which is pretty typical of smartphone photography.

Overall, images have a good, balanced exposure, with all-purpose metering producing good results.

The automatic white balance setting also goes a good job, and indeed, it might seem unlikely that you’ll need to use the “pro” mode all that often except in certain circumstances.

Although detail is rendered pretty well in the standard output, it’s worth putting switching to the 108 megapixel setting if you have a subject with lots of fine detail that you want to capture.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra doesn’t have quite the same (digital) zooming capabilities as its S20 Ultra cousin. There’s no 100x space zoom, but instead, a 50x zoom is provided.

The optical zoom provided by the 5x optical zoom lens does a good job, and while shorter digital zooming looks pretty good - up to around 10x, the 50x zoom is probably best avoided in all but desperate situations.

Live Focus is a good option for creating shallow depth of field effects, but, much like other smartphones which have similar modes, the effect looks best on the screen of the phone, rather than examined too closely on a larger computer screen.

Noise

ISO sensitivity can be set between ISO 50 and ISO 3200 in full-stop increments. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.

ISO 50 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso50.jpg iso100.jpg

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso400.jpg

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso1600.jpg

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg

Focal Range

Super-wide

Super-wide

1x Zoom

1x Zoom

5x Zoom

5x Zoom

50x Zoom

50x Zoom

Night

night.jpg
Flash Off

Flash

Flash Off

iso100.jpg

Flash On

Flash On

Flash On

Flash Portrait

Portrait Mode

Portrait Mode
Portrait Mode
Portrait Mode
Portrait Modeg

Panorama

Panorama

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Samsung RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 7680x4320 pixels at 24 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 163Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 142Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 73Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 60 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 44.3Mb in size.

Product Images

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

Conclusion

As we’ve often said about Samsung devices, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is an extremely impressive device and offers a lot to different kinds of photographers, but you have to be prepared to pay a heavy price premium for it - and whether that’s worth it will likely come down to personal preference.

Image quality on the whole is fantastic, and it’s probably fair to say that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra offers one of the best performances in the smartphone market.

It does well in its general “Photo” mode, and having other functions such as Pro mode will be appealing to those who like to take greater control of their shots.

The 50x zoom is nothing to write home about, but the flexibility of the three different focal lengths gives you good scope to capture a range of different subjects.

Again, as we’ve seen before, the native camera app is very well-featured, giving you lots of modes to choose from and is easy to use.

We also like the fact that you can use the Stylus for certain things, such as self-portraits or remote shooting.

That comes in particularly handy for group shots and the like, but you will need something to rest the phone on when you’re doing that.

The Note 20 Ultra is a very large and cumbersome phone. That might sound like a criticism, but it can also be considered a positive for those looking for the best way to display their images and videos - whether from the device itself or for anything you important from your “proper” camera.

However, it’s fair to say that the average person is likely to find this a very large phone, which may be somewhat overkill for everyday usage - take a look at other models in Samsung’s range if you want something smaller.

Because the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a lot of extra functionality, including things like the Stylus, then it does not come in cheap.

At the time of writing, the lowest price option is £1,179. While that makes it around the same price as the iPhone 11 Pro Max, there are much cheaper Android options around.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is an excellent phone which produces fantastic images and has a lot going for it.

If you’re firmly in the Android camp, particularly, Samsung, it comes highly recommended - so long as you’ve got the budget.

4 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 4
Value for money 3

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Apple iPhone 11 Pro

Another year, another new flagship phone from Apple, this time introducing a new triple camera system, night mode and improved battery life. Is the iPhone 11 Pro the best smartphone that Apple have ever released, and can it beat the Android competition? Read our iPhone 11 Pro review to find out, complete with full-size sample images and videos.

Apple iPhone 11

The Apple iPhone 11 is the more affordable, more sensible little brother of the flagship Pro model, sharing most of the same camera features with the exception of the Pro's telephoto lens. Read our in-depth iPhone 11 review now, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Google Pixel 4

The Pixel 4 is Google's new flagship smartphone, available in standard and XL sizes. New for this generation is a second 16-megapixel 2x telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture, along with improved portrait and night modes. Is this the best Pixel phone for keen photographers, and can it compete with its main rivals? Find out now by reading our Pixel 4 review, with full-size sample images and videos...

Huawei P40 Pro

The P40 Pro is Huawei's new flagship smartphone for 2020. Featuring a 6.58-inch screen, 50 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom lens and 4K video recording, can it overcome its much-publicized lack of Google App support? Find out now by reading our in-depth Huawei P40 Pro review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Oppo Reno 10x Zoom

Do you want a smartphone with a big zoom lens? Then look no further than the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom, which offers a 6x optical zoom and a 10x hybrid zoom lens to provide an effective focal range of 16-160mm - not too shabby for a smartphone! It also has a unique selfie pop-up camera, 48 megapixel 1/2-inch sensor, 4065mAh battery, 128GB or 256GB memory, 4K video recording and USB-C charging, all at a mid-range price. Read our Oppo Reno 10x Zoom review to find out just what the biggest smartphone manufacturer in China is capable of...

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The Galaxy Note 9 is Samsung's latest flagship smartphone, boasting a 6.4-inch screen, dual 12-megapixel cameras with dual-aperture control, 2x optical zoom, 4K video at 60fps and super slow motion video at 960fps, and internal memory up to 512GB. Take a look at our in-depth Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review to find out if this is the best smartphone camera for avid photographers...

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

The Galaxy S10 Plus is the best smartphone that Samsung have ever made, but is it also the best for keen photographers? Find out now by reading our expert Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

The Galaxy S20 Ultra is Samsung's new flagship smartphone for 2020. Featuring a 6.9-inch screen, 108 megapixel sensor and 100x zoom lens, it's certainly big in size, megapixel count and zoom range, but is it also big in performance? Find out now by reading our expert Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Sony Xperia 1 II

The Sony Xperia 1 II is a new flagship smartphone offering a range of pro image and video features aimed at keen camera enthusiasts. These include 20fps with continuous autofocus focus and autoexposure and real time eye AF for humans and animals, utilising technologies borrowed from the Alpha A9 full-frame mirrorless camera. Read our in-depth Sony Xperia 1 II review, complete with full-size sample images and videos, to find out if this new smartphone hits the mark for serious photography...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra from around the web.

techradar.com »

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra checks off a lot of bests for new phones in 2020, including the best camera on an Android phone and the best-looking display on any phone, period. This is the only stylus-included handset we recommend, and while the competition is thin, it’s not undeserved – you’re just going to have to pay a heap of money for this powerful ‘everything phone’.
Read the full review »

androidauthority.com »

The Galaxy Note 20 is infused with just enough Samsung pedigree to be worth consideration but is ultimately dragged down by a laundry list of compromises and an indefensibly high price tag.
Read the full review »

tomsguide.com »

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (starting at $1,299) is the most advanced big-screen phone yet because it's much more than a phone. It's a highly evolved note-taking device, a powerful 50x zoom camera and even a mini Xbox and desktop PC all rolled into one gadget.
Read the full review »

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