At its second annual Galaxy Unpacked event of the year, Samsung has announced a spate of new devices, including new flagship smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and wireless earbuds. The media event, for the first time in its history, was an entirely virtual affair, and it was livestreamed directly from South Korea to eliminate the need for travel during the coronavirus pandemic.
The devices themselves? Clad in a shiny bronze—Samsung’s flagship color this time around—and very, very expensive. The abundance of new tech arrives during a remarkably sour economic climate in the US, where millions of Americans are now unemployed. But time keeps marching on, and Samsung can’t stop its cyclical machine of churning out lots of products. Here’s everything the company announced today.
This is a developing event. We’ll be adding more details as Samsung announces them during its Galaxy Unpacked livestream.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra
Samsung’s flagship phones have always hogged the limelight at its Unpacked events, and this year is no different. The newest devices are the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ($1,300) and the Note 20 ($1,000), two phones that aren’t too different from the Galaxy S20 range the company released earlier this year. (Though they’re just as expensive!) The screen sizes are the same as the Galaxy S20+ and S20 Ultra (6.7 and 6.9 inches, respectively). There’s 5G support, and they share almost the same exact camera systems.
The Note 20 Ultra skips the 64-megapixel telephoto sensor for a 12-megapixel one. It still keeps the same 108-megapixel main camera, which allows you to zoom up to 50 times closer to a subject and retain decent quality. The Note 20 has the same cameras as the S20+, except both Note phones have ditched the depth camera, which allowed for improved augmented-reality effects and a better portrait mode.
What’s new then? The Note 20 Ultra and Note 20 are boxier phones like the Note 10 from 2019, have matte glass backs (the bronze color is especially nice), and surprisingly, smaller battery capacities (4,500 mAh and 4,300 mAh, respectively) than the S20 range. They’re a little more powerful, though, because of a newer Snapdragon 865+ processor inside, but you likely won’t notice much of a difference. There’s a more robust Pro Video mode in the camera app that offers finer control when filming, even allowing you to choose which microphone on the phone you want to use for recording. One thing that’s a little strange is that only the Note 20 Ultra has a 120-Hz screen, a feature Samsung debuted on the S20 line. With the Note 20, you’re stuck with a traditional 60-Hz screen. The Ultra also has a curved screen, whereas the regular model has a flat panel.