Samsung seemingly plans to draw a deeper divide between the Galaxy Note 20 base model and the Galaxy Note 20+ later this year. The LTPO backplane will be a highlight of the upcoming S Pen series, but a new leak indicates that Samsung will reserve this technology for the larger Galaxy Note 20+. The base model will use an LTPS backplane instead, and its display will reportedly lack 120Hz refresh rate capabilities.
Samsung had reportedly confirmed to Ross Young that the Galaxy Note 20+ will support 120Hz and it will boast an LTPO backplane. Effectively, this should lead to the best implementation of 120Hz, as LTPO allows for a variable refresh rate and contributes to up to 20% higher power efficiency. The Galaxy Note 20 base model, however, was ‘confirmed' to lack this technology. It will use LTPS instead of LTPO, and while 120Hz is possible in conjunction with LTPS technology, Samsung will limit the phone's screen to 60Hz to avoid a big hit on battery life.
According to another recent leak, the Galaxy Note 20 base model will also have a resolution of 2345 by 1084 while the Galaxy Note 20+ will boast a pixel count of 3096 by 1444. And if these two models will have different refresh rates, the divide between them will be even more noticeable. This may or may not in Samsung's and the consumers' favor.
Galaxy Note 20 / Note 20+ display specs divide: the good and the bad
The positive take on this latest leak regarding LTPO technology, or lack thereof, is that the Galaxy Note 20 base model should be less expensive, even though this would come at the cost of some features. It could lower the entry price barrier for S Pen enthusiasts, but then again, this is what the Galaxy Note 10 Lite was supposed to be doing in the first place.
On the not-so-positive side of things, we're well aware that the majority of Galaxy Note owners want the best experience, so most of them won't consider the Galaxy Note 20 base model to be an option. They will likely have to pay extra for the best-possible hardware, and Samsung will have to be very careful about how it will price the two Galaxy Note 20 models.
If priced right, both Galaxy Note 20 models will have their appeal for different reasons and the deeper spec divide between them could actually make sense in the proper context. However, if Samsung will push the premium price bar too high for the Galaxy Note 20+, it might end up disappointing a lot of prospective buyers and fans of the series. It will boil down to the launch prices of the two variants, and we'll have to wait and see how the story develops further.
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