Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra Review: One Month Of ULTRA? By Pocketnow

This is the Samsung Galaxy note 20 ultra 5g, what the company dubs as the powerhouse that forever changes, how you work and play and if you keep reading the marketing it's the ultimate gaming experience that goes wherever you go. It's a director grade, 8k video camera. It's a multitasking computer suite, it's anything, but your average smartphone. I know gotta love a bold sales pitch, but I wanna focus on that. Last particular premise: I've been a Galaxy Note user since version two, mainly because this is that one phone that's hard to compare against any other. This is that one lineup, that's famous for doing more and also infamous for always adopting some polarizing means to get there I mean: do we really need this phone to go ultra in features and price? I'm Rivera with pocket now and join us for our full review, sponsored by subcase, stick around to learn how you can win a Galaxy Note 20 ultra of your own, as the giveaway is almost over last year we got two galaxy notes that were almost the same device with just a different size and price.

So your choice was narrowed. Down to two simple things that people actually wanted this year, Samsung decided to water down the base model in ways that make it really hard to recommend for its price sort of forcing you to go ultra, whether you like it or not, because there's no plus model in between- and you know what I sort of understand the logic again, the note was never about being a conventional phone. It would be a mistake to try to review this phone and expect restraint. That being said, this is not a galaxy s20 ultra with an s pen. Actually I'd call this more of a hybrid in between first can I just say that I'm really liking this new, more elegant, Samsung design, language, I mean think of Lexus, where you're still driving a Toyota on the inside, but with a more refined approach to the outside, no more dull, colors, no more uninspired curves and this mystic bronze and matte matched with the boxier housing adds so much character.

I'll definitely report back on how well this gorilla glass victim ages when we revisit the phone later this year. Yes, it's large if size matters to you. This should be your phone because I feel it approaches half better than the s20 ultra. It's only slightly shorter, but then thinner and slightly lighter, and it seems that Samsung refined its weight distribution because I actually find it easier to handle. Second, is the fact that, tucked inside we have some of the latest and greatest specs we're talking a Qualcomm snapdragon, 865, plus 12 gigs of the fastest ram 128 gigs of expandable storage, a fairly large 4500 William hour battery, and then all the bells and whistles like 5g in both sub 6 and millimeter wave flavors, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, 5 fast charging, reverse wireless charging, kitchen sink bathtub, you get the picture.

That said, I was actually more excited about the third reason, which is at the front. I really wanted a Galaxy Note, 10, plus with the display of the galaxy s20, and here it is. I call this dynamic, AMOLED 2x, the best display of 2020 so far at 6.9 inches diagonal with nearly invisible bezels at a 91.7 screen to body ratio. Colors pop brightness is as good as it gets, and it's HDR 10 plus certified. It's also got the trick that I wanted most, which is 120 hertz refresh rate, so long as you remain at the default.1080P settings match this with a deeper, more hollow pair of dual firing. Speakers and content consumption is fantastic.

It's just not supported by the browser, which means that, so sure there's not that much difference when compared to the galaxy s20 ultra. Until you consider reason number four, which is the Wacom digitizer, that powers the s pen. This is one of those features that you don't really need, but once you give it a try, it's going to be really hard for you to go back. You actually want this phone to run at 120 hertz to take advantage of less latency and detection, and that feel as if you're writing with a sharpie on paper is still here. I've signed every single document I've received for the past 6 years with write on PDF, which now got baked into Samsung notes.

Its close integration with Microsoft Office means that this is my tool for highlighting and doodling thoughts on Microsoft. OneNote. It's even allowed me to handwrite in every Excel spreadsheet or word document that I've used guys. You can even control your PowerPoint presentation with the s pen as a clicker and sure there are some new air gestures that allow you to fully control this phone remotely, though I tried it once, and I'll admit, I didn't really care the implementation is not necessarily the best sure there are some features that are gimmicks, but trust me. The new updates to Samsung notes are not seen it now, syncs across devices and even matches your voice notes, as you were typing notes or doodling them.

That alone makes me agree that this is a productivity powerhouse that could also help you get creative. If you want and sure you do need Samsung notes across devices for that to work, but there will be one-way, one-note integration coming soon, and I'm really looking forward to it, but guys. You know me well, there's no such thing as a perfect phone and regardless of how much I love the s pen, now I'm not going to hand write a love letter with it. There are things that I'm mixed about with this phone and let me begin with the most important one you know it was coming. Let's discuss this huge camera hump.

It looks like if there was some separate thing magnetically attached to the back of this phone, I mean if you thought that the s20 ultra had a huge hump trust me. The note 20 ultra says, hold my beer. This phone is a wobbly mess on a table and if the idea is to have this phone, replace your notepad imagine trying to do that with a rock under it seriously get a case. It'll help you level off the camera hump and, at the same time protect it in the process, and I highly recommend you consider channel sponsor subcase those of you looking for a fully rugged experience. There's the award-winning up pro it's made of a high quality, hard, polycarbonate and shock absorbing CPU.

You get all the texture and grip you need, along with 20 foot drop resistance like I doubt that you'll find the better quality solution that includes a kickstand and a bell holster for just 20 bucks on Amazon and, if you're, looking for some of that grip on a slimmer body, try out the up ex, offering an exoskeleton back frame match with a shock absorbing CPU bumper and a scratch resistant PC back for enhanced grip on surfaces, simply search for note, 20 case by subcase on Amazon to find all their options. Yes, the company is giving away a Samsung Galaxy note 20 ultra, but time is running out, follow the first thing in the description and if the giveaway is still active, enter promo code pocket now, 100 that'll give you an extra 100 entries to participate now back to the phone. Second, is the ecosystem, but mostly for good reasons. I seriously think that apple is no longer the only company that does this right pair. This phone with the Galaxy Buds live the galaxy watch 3 and even the galaxy book flex, and it's just so cool to have products that talk to each other, but then the reason why I mixed this some implementation, particularly with windows, sure the phone app has now grown to feature your screen and launch your apps, but yeah it still needs work.

Third, let's talk about one UI, but mostly for good reasons. This is one of those cases where I actually prefer Samsung's approach to android, and it's mainly because if you want to take advantage of everything this phone can do you definitely do need it. You don't just want a phone, that's large for the sake of being large, you want to take advantage of the canvas and that's where Samsung gets sells at I depend on the edge menus every single day. I even use app pairs to multitask in most of my interactions as I work. The reason why I mixed this, because Samsung really needs to stop duplicating efforts with Google Samsung daily on the launcher, is no better than the Google feed and Bixby will clearly never be able to replace the Google Assistant.

This actually leads me to the fourth reason, and it's the fact that I feel Samsung should not impose services that people don't really care about. It would make one UI speedier, and it would probably give you better battery life. I'm not saying it's bad, but this is not a two-day phone you'll end the day: fine, with this device being your only daily driver but think about it. Wouldn't it be great. If you had the granularity to remove the services, you don't care about and actually make this tool your own.

Last but not least, let's talk cameras on the spec sheet. This phone is a step forward from the s20 ultra and providing a large sensor. That's complemented with laser autofocus. They match in the approach when it comes to the ultra-wide, but then it takes a step back on the telephoto and even the selfie shooters, making the larger camera hump kind of questionable. That being said, I have to say I do love these photos.

Having a larger sensor doesn't just mean more light, but sharper focus which matched with laser assistance means some really crisp and natural, both and sure, even if live focus is still here, you kind of don't need it anymore. I'd call these some of the sharpest photos. I've seen with some crazy good dynamic range and the subtle color science that Samsung adopted two generations ago and yes, you have the versatility of an ultra-wide, which offers very little distortion and man. This telephoto, I mean these shots are very well-balanced and perfectly useful up to 10x. Just forget about the 50x or anything in between, and you'll, be fine night mode is also supported on all lenses, even up to the selfie camera and sure this is no macrophotography monster like the pixel, but it gets pretty darn close.

If anything, I wish we got the s20 ultra selfie shooter, which was also massive. This one produces good Samsung results in both day and night, but the king in this department continues to be the s20 ultra. Then, if you keep reading the marketing Samsung calls this a 8k director grade video camera, and some of it shows you still get the crazy crop that we saw with the s20, but boy has it improved in focusing stabilization is epic, and even the wobbly rolling shutter is now gone. The video is not even over sharpened as before, but if I were you, I'd stick to 4k stabilization is good enough. You get the option for a more cinematic 21x9, and then you can switch between cameras.

The 5x video is crazy, sharp there's a pro video option that helps you direct the audio of the microphones, and you can switch during the recording to selfie 4k video, which is also fantastic, and then the company figured out how to solve one of our biggest complaints with Bluetooth audio, and it's to have it sync correctly with smartphones, particularly if you want to use your earbuds as a microphone. To conclude, let's go back to the beginning of this video and actually compare all that marketing hype to the real world experience. I wouldn't call it the ultimate gaming experience, but when it comes to phone gaming, it's up there. It can do 8k, video sure, but I'd call this more a perfect 4k video solution that can really give the iPhone a run for its money. Yes, this is a multitasking beast as a phone you're definitely covered and there's a lot of promise in the computer aspect that keeps evolving what I do feel that Samsung nails is when it says that this phone is, unlike any other I've said it time and time again.

You should not compare the Galaxy Note to any other device unless it provides that same functionality and even if it doesn't really change how you work and play it is one of the most powerful phones you can buy. It becomes a very productive notepad when you need it. It'll take some really great photos and video and media consumption doesn't really get better than this. The thing is well, it is expensive and sure you really don't need the s pen. I even wish the company considered offering a Galaxy Note, 20, plus something in between the note 20 and not force you to get the ultra.

Give you an option. Without this camera hump, I even wish they would have considered giving us the Galaxy Note, 10, plus with 120 hertz and just called it a day for any die-hard galaxy. Note user. I have no problem in recommending this device. It's definitely my daily driver going forward, because once you try the note, it's really hard to go back.

That said, if you've gotten this far in this video, and you're still asking yourself if you need the s pen, then let me make this easy for you. This is not your phone grab, the galaxy, s20 plus or even the note 10 plus from last year, and trust me you'll, be fine. If we're honest, the Galaxy Note 20 ultra is for the rest of us, the fans, those of us that value the importance of having almost everything on a single phone, even if we don't really need some of its functionality all the time. Let us know what you think about the Galaxy Note 20 ultra in the comments down below and while you're at it follow us on social media subscribe to our channel for more videos like this. One also follow me on my personal handles to see me go back to my roots with this phone.

Please give this video a thumbs up. If you liked what you saw, I'm Jamie Rivera thanks so much for watching we'll see you on the next one.

Source : Pocketnow