The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is set to be Samsung’s next stylus-toting powerhouse of a smartphone, and it could be with us very soon, as we’re expecting the launch date to be August 5.
Samsung has teased repeatedly that a new stylus phone is to be shown off at the virtual Samsung Unpacked at the beginning of August, and unless the company has been pulling some very off-season April Fools’ pranks, the Galaxy Note 20 is on the way.
Other phones we expect to see in 2020:
Hopefully the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 can build on the Note 10 in a fitting way, by taking lots of the tech from the Galaxy S20 and perhaps adding some brand-new features.
We’d expect a lot of the same tech from the Galaxy S20, as well as S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, to make their way to the Note 20 phones – after all, the S20 devices were the company’s first flagships of the year. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite from January 2020 might also affect the Note 20 DNA, given it beckoned in a future of affordable stylus phones.
Well, we’re expecting some of the cool tech Samsung’s already shown off to come up in one device, but we’ve been hearing alongside the Galaxy Note 20 there will be a Note 20 Ultra – the latter will apparently be a super-premium device while the former might be a ‘Galaxy Note 20 Lite’ in all but name.
If there’s this Galaxy Note 20 Lite, Samsung wouldn’t need to worry about other cheap phone stylus competitors, and could instead focus on creating a true top-end model that blows the socks off any device before it. Some think Samsung is angling for the Galaxy Fold 2 to actually be the top-end Note phone, but that seems like a Game-of-Thrones-style plot twist, so we’re not too sure just yet.
The most consistent rumors currently suggest there will be a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Some have also referred to a third phone – the Galaxy Note 20 Plus – but that’s looking less certain.
So you can have an idea of what’s to come with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, we’ve collected every leak we’ve heard so far. On top of that we’ve got a wishlist of what we want to see in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. Since the stylus is so central to the phone’s identity, we want to see the S Pen become a true extension of the device: more physical controls, more reason to pull it out of the phone.
Latest story: A new video from Samsung almost certainly confirms the Galaxy Note 20 will be at Samsung Unpacked – it also shows some of the other devices that might get unveiled alongside the flagship.
Cut to the chase
- What is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20? The next stylus-packing flagship phone from Samsung
- When is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 launch date? Probably August 5
- How much will the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 cost? We’d expect around $949 / £869 / AU$1,499
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 release date and price
What do we know about the release date? Samsung is hosting an ‘Unpacked’ – that’s the company’s name for its big phone launches – on August 5, and it’s almost certain the company will be using this to unveil the Galaxy Note 20 range. That won’t be all though, as Samsung claims we’ll see five new devices at the event.
Samsung hasn’t confirmed yet that there will be a Galaxy Note 20 announcement, but given that’s usually the time of year we hear about new Samsung products we’re almost certain it’ll be the case for the Note 20.
That’s unlikely to be when you’ll actually be able to buy it though, but we also have a potential date for that, with August 21 being rumored and later corroborated by more reports. Though the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus might apparently hit stores a bit later.
One thing we can be confident of is that it’s coming, and this year. Not only because Samsung always releases its Note handsets on a yearly cycle, but because the company has now said that a new Note is on the way in 2020.
It’s also expected we’ll hear about the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 – and maybe even the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 – at the Note 20 launch too.
As for cost, the Note 10 was released at a starting price of $949 / £869 / AU$1,499, so we’d expect a starting price around there or even higher. The larger Note 10 Plus cost $100 / £130 / AU$200 more, so we expect a similar price jump for the inevitable Note 20 Plus. This price scheme has become pretty standard for top-tier flagship phones.
It’s likely that Samsung’s flagship phones will come with 5G capability across the whole range – the Snapdragon 865 chipset is expected to be at the heart of the almost all 2020 flagship Android phones, and Qualcomm’s chipset is coupled with a 5G modem.
That brings up an issue for all 5G phones in 2020. The Note 10 Plus 5G was sold by Verizon in the US for $1,299 (around £974 / AU$1,888), so we’d expect a higher-than-normal price tag for any 5G-capable version of the Note 20.
It’s also now thought there will also be 4G versions in certain markets, so we may find the price of the phone is cheaper in other regions.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 models
Exactly what phones you can expect as part of the Note 20 line has been up in the air throughout the rumors. Some reports suggested there might not be a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, but the most recent leaks suggest that the device does exist.
In fact, most recent leaks refer to two devices. That’s the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. That means there might not be a direct follow-up to the Galaxy Note 10 Plus from 2019, but instead the company will be focusing on the Ultra as its top-end device.
In any case, leaks have referred to both devices, but the Plus and Ultra might end up being one and the same.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 design and display
Our clearest look yet at the possible Galaxy Note 20 design comes from leaked renders, which show a flat 6.7-inch screen with hardly any bezel, a single-lens punch-hole camera, and a large Galaxy S20-like camera block on the rear.
Dimensions are apparently 161.8 x 75.3 x 8.5mm, which would make it thicker than the 7.9mm Note 10 range, and despite that massive screen this is apparently the standard Note 20, not the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus.
The renders also show the power and volume buttons having been shifted from the left to the right edge, and the S Pen slot moving from the right to the left.
We’ve now also seen leaked renders of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus, which show a similar design, albeit with visible rings around the lenses on the camera, and a curved screen.
The source of these renders says to expect a 6.9-inch screen and dimensions of 165 x 77.2 x 7.6mm, rising to 10.7mm thick at the camera block.
EXCLUSIVE: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus renders, dimensions and 360 degrees video https://t.co/2RV9lneQPi#samsung #android #note20plusThanks to collaboration with @OnLeaks pic.twitter.com/7shS1lBQi3May 24, 2020
It’s worth noting though that these screen sizes are at odds with an earlier leak, which listed a 6.42-inch screen with a 2345 x 1084 resolution for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, and a 6.87-inch screen with a 3096 x 1444 resolution for the Note 20 Plus, both with 120Hz variable refresh rates.
We’ve also seen what seems to be an official Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra render found on a Samsung website, no less. It’s the most evidence we’ve seen that the phone line is getting an Ultra model, and it looks close to previous renders for the other versions.
Samsung accidently posted the Note20 Ultra in Mystic Bronze on their Russian website. It looks great! pic.twitter.com/irRWVHLq5eJuly 1, 2020
This also points to a ‘Mystic Bronze’ color for the phone, which while not yet confirmed by Samsung, has now been announced for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G, so it’s likely accurate.
Then there’s also hands-on images of the same device that come from YouTuber Jimmy Is Promo who has claimed to have access to the top-end device. You can see some of the images below:
Another source has also obtained renders of the Note 20 Ultra, claiming that it has a 6.9-inch 1440 x 3200 curved screen with 508 pixels per inch and a 120Hz refresh rate. They add that it will apparently be the first phone to use Gorilla Glass 7 – so the screen should be tough.
Elsewhere, a source has claimed that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will have a screen that supports a QHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate at the same time, and that it will have smaller bezels than the Note 10 Plus, a smaller front-facing camera, and that it will be 0.3mm thinner (which would make it 7.6mm thick).
A peak at the firmware update coming to the Galaxy S20 Ultra has suggested that won’t be the case though. It says you’ll be able to have that resolution and the same refresh rate, but you won’t be able to use both at the same time.
The latest firmware Galaxy Note20 Ultra has added an adaptive 120Hz option. But there is still no QHD+120Hz option. pic.twitter.com/VOf9Y5LoJWJuly 15, 2020
We also have an idea of the colors the phones might come in, with sources suggesting gray, copper and green shades for the Galaxy Note 20, and black and copper shades for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus. That rumor has now been mentioned several times by respected sources.
Elsewhere, we’ve seen that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 screen might curve at the top and bottom as well as the sides, according to one patent, which would make the phone look a lot more pebble-shaped than the Note 10.
We’ve also heard that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 could have a 120Hz refresh rate screen that’s ‘more fine-tuned‘ – they don’t say what it’s more fine-tuned than, but presumably they mean the Galaxy S20. That was a very early leak, though, and a more recent one suggests the ‘base’ Note 20 could actually have a 60Hz display. The the top-end device still seems set for 120Hz though.
Either way, this could mean it’s less of a drain on battery, or has better automatic refresh rate detection. We’re not totally sure yet, and the tweeted message was rather cryptic.
Samsung will launch an under display camera phone next year！ not S11, not Fold 2October 17, 2019
The Note 20 could also pack an in-screen front-facing camera, which would sit under the full display instead of within a notch or punch-hole, industry sources told South Korean tech site The Elec – a claim backed up by a tweet from notable leaker @UniverseIce.
That might seem unlikely, but Samsung itself has released an advert which shows a Note-like phone with no visible camera. You can see it in this video at the 55-second mark.
And that’s not the only time it has shown this device. The company also posted an image on its site showing a mystery phone with the same design. You can see it below, it’s the center phone, and again, there’s no visible front-facing camera, which could mean this is built into the screen.
There are of course other options – it could use a pop-up camera, and in the case of the image below it could be in the obscured top left corner (though that’s not an option in the video above).
Or, perhaps most likely, this could just be a generic design, rather than one that shows a real phone. Indeed, reports elsewhere have suggested the in-screen camera tech isn’t ready, so we wouldn’t count on it.
If Samsung does stick with a punch-hole for the Galaxy Note 20 then the company might at least make the most of it though, as five Samsung patents have detailed a status indicator that would either encircle or sit beside a camera cut-out, and could display things like download progress without turning the screen on.
We’ve seen a Samsung foldable phone patent that seems like the Note 20 – except it’s a foldable phone. While this could suggest Samsung’s new stylus device folds, it seems more likely that the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, which could come out alongside the Note 20s, will have a stylus too.
Finally, we’ve seen a leaked render of the base Galaxy Note 20 model which has a flat screen and other features of non-premium phones. Could there be a huge price and spec difference between the Galaxy Note 20 models? Possibly.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 camera
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus camera specs have leaked more than the ‘base’ device’s. Apparently it’ll have a 108MP main, 12MP ultra-wide and 13MP periscope snapper, joined with a laser focus system that replaces the Time-of-Flight sensor Samsung’s top-end phones normally have.
A leak suggests it won’t have the same 100x digital zoom capability as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, so presumably it won’t have the 10x optical zoom either. This backs up what the Galaxy Note 20 Plus camera leak claimed, positing a 50x digital zoom as the Note 20 Plus’ capability.
Having said that, a source claims it (or at least the Note 20 Plus) will have a periscope lens, like the S20 Ultra. That sort of lens design allows for a high level of zoom, so while it might not hit 100x digital zoom, you could still be able to get in close.
Elsewhere, we’ve heard claims that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will also top out at 50x zoom, but that Samsung will focus more on the “experience” of the zoom, so it might be more than a gimmick. This source has also said separately to expect new camera functions, but they didn’t say what.
We’ve now seen the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s camera specs leaked in full in fact, with a source saying that it will have a 108MP f/1.8 main sensor, a 12MP f/3.0 periscope camera, and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one.
These cameras can apparently be combined to offer 50x ‘space zoom’, and there’s said to be a 10MP snapper on the front. It’s worth noting that as these specs are so similar to the Note 20 Plus camera specs leaked above, the two phones may be one and the same.
On the video front, a leak suggests the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will be able to record 8K (7680 x 4320) footage at 24fps, along with 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) at 60fps, 30fps and 24fps.
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This information, which comes from a leaked camera settings screen that you can see in the video above, also suggests that it will be able to record FHD (1920 x 1080) video at up to 120fps.
The video also points to 5x optical zoom and 50x digital zoom, as well as showing a new ‘scene describer’ feature in Bixby Vision, which should allow you to capture a scene and then hear an audio description of it.
Patents meanwhile suggest the Note 20 might pack a spectrometer – a component that analyzes objects to discover its chemical composition. While it wouldn’t be the first phone to pack the device after the Changhong H2, as pointed out by LetsGoDigital, the Note 20 would be a phone with a much wider release.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 specs and features
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 will allegedly come with the same Snapdragon 865 chipset that debuted in the Galaxy S20 line – which makes sense, as they’re packed with the Snapdragon X55 modem to enable 5G connectivity.
Saying that, one leaker thinks the phone will come with a Snapdragon 865 Plus processor instead, based on a leaked benchmark test for the device which puts its scores as lower than the iPhone 12’s. We’ve also heard this claim in relation to the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. This chipset was just a rumor at the time but it has since been announced, so it’s likely to be used.
Some regions though could get the Exynos 992. Samsung typically uses its own Exynos processors in most regions outside the US, and it’s rumored that an Exynos 992 could be used in these regions, offering a slight upgraded on both the Exynos 990 used in the Galaxy S20 outside the US, and on the standard Snapdragon 865.
Having said that, another source points to ‘just’ the Exynos 990, along with 12GB of RAM.
As for storage, there might only be 128GB storage in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, at least in its smallest variant, and there wasn’t a device with this amount in the previous range. That suggests there could be a more budget-focused handset in the range, perhaps a phone that’s ‘Lite’ in all but name (or even ‘Lite’ in name too!).
On the battery front, one source claims that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 could have a battery of around 4,000mAh – up from 3,500mAh in the Galaxy Note 10. That new size would put it in line with the Samsung Galaxy S20, and would likely mean that the Galaxy Note 20 Plus would also get a bigger battery.
The same source – in a later report – said the Galaxy Note 20 Plus could have a 4,500mAh power pack, up from the 4,300mAh in the Note 10 Plus but the same size as the S20 Plus. We’ve elsewhere heard that the Note 20 Ultra could also have a 4,500mAh battery.
However, the most recent battery leak puts the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 at 4,300mAh, so we’re not sure what to expect from the standard model.
Elsewhere, we’ve seen what’s believed to be the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus listed on an official Chinese certification database. As well as pointing to the phone’s existence, this reveals support for 25W fast charging and 5G.
In other news, a leak suggests that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra could support the streaming of games through Xbox Game Pass, making it more of a portable console than other phones.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 might also have a cool stylus feature that previous Notes miss – the ability to navigate the phone using the stylus by hovering it over the device.
This would let you point your stylus at the screen and press the button on it to make the phone think you’re actually pressing the screen. You can flick between menus, open apps, change camera settings and more.
Should I wait for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20?
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 release date is nearing, so while you should probably consider the discounted Galaxy Note 10 or Note 10 Plus if you need a new stylus phone it’s probably worth waiting for the Note 20 to be announced.
Even if you don’t want a Galaxy Note 20, this will likely cause the price of 2019’s Note phones to drop.
In any case, if you need a new top-tier Samsung phone now (and have ruled out the Galaxy S20 range), you’re looking at the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 or the larger and higher-spec Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus. Here are the best prices in your region:
Samsung Galaxy Note 20: what we want to see
Before we heard rumors of the Galaxy Note 20, we speculated on what we wanted to see. You’ll find all of those below:
1. More capabilities in the S Pen
The S Pen has been the real selling point for the Note series – a stylus tucked neatly in the phone for those who hold a torch for Palm Pilot-style productivity. But aside from a couple of new capabilities introduced over the last couple years – a button that operates as a camera shutter, a few half-baked gestures – the S Pen remains primarily a writing implement.
Instead, we’d love to see the S Pen evolve into more of a proxy for the phone. If they can introduce one button, why not a couple more? It would be very handy to keep the phone in your pocket or perched for video and use the stylus to fiddle with volume and media navigation. Better yet, it would be great if the S Pen was used as a more universal remote across Samsung’s device family – maybe substituting a four-way joystick for the click-top so users can navigate. All we really know is the S Pen is not living up to its potential.
2. ‘Budget flagship’ version
We’re big fans of the Samsung Galaxy S10e and the standard iPhone 11 for their value as budget flagships of their respective lines, and we’d love to see a more affordable version of the Note family. This isn’t a crazy idea – there already seems to be a Note 10 Lite in production, if this leak to is to be believed.
But if a Lite version of the last Note isn’t in the cards, getting one in for the next version would be a great opportunity not just to get the S Pen in more hands, but to play around with the Note design in general. Previous phones in the line are sleek yet wide phablets, but why not take a page out of the Google Pixel 4’s book and give the Lite/budget flagship version a funky look?
3. Better cameras, specs, etc
Like every year, we’re hoping the Note 20 gets improvements on its predecessor – most importantly in the cameras. And since they usually get similar if not identical lens suites as in that year’s Samsung Galaxy S-series, we can hope that the developments coming in the Galaxy S11 get ported to the Note 20.
So the rumor of a 108MP camera headed to the S20 Plus would be great to look forward to in the Note 20 – and in the same report, a 5,000mAh battery. Both are good improvements, and we’d love to see battery life extend to breach two full days, especially with the screen-intensive S Pen functionality.
One thing we pretty much know for sure: the Note 20 will get the same Snapdragon 865 chipset headed to all top-tier Android phones in 2020, which we recently got our hands on – and found it outperformed Apple’s A13 chipset that’s in the iPhone 11 line.
4. Seamless display
While the punch-hole is certainly a less obstructive upgrade from the notch, there are still compromises: we’d love to see a screen without any break whatsoever. That probably means an under-display window for the front-facing lens, which is something a leak actually suggests might happen.
The Note 20 might not end up being the first phone with this development, but given its status as the sleeker design-oriented flagship in Samsung’s lineup, we would like to see that big phablet display go seamless.
5. Cheaper 5G
The Galaxy Note 10 5G cost far more than its 4G counterparts with only minor spec and camera upgrades, putting connectivity to the next-gen networks out of the hands of most folks. It would be great to see this cost shrink, full stop.
2020 probably won’t be the year that every flagship phone comes 5G-capable as a standard, but it’s going to be a lot harder to access if every 5G phone costs half again as much as its standard version. Given the Note line traditionally comes out toward the end of the year, though, Samsung could get ahead of the curve by trimming the price for a 5G Note 20 – and further differentiate it from the upcoming Galaxy S20.