Be the first, order the brand new Galaxy S24 FE, Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, order the KING Galaxy S24 Ultra!

SamMobile has affiliate and sponsored partnerships. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn a commission.

News For You
News For You
Notifications

The Galaxy Note 20 series’ cost-cutting measures seem a bit desperate

Phone
By 

Last updated: August 14th, 2020 at 17:54 UTC+02:00

Whether it's because it wants to compensate declining smartphone sales with higher profit margins or due to other reasons, there's no denying that Samsung has been cutting some corners with its new S Pen flagships. This is true for both the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and it applies to some markets more than others.

For example, Samsung is no longer offering a pair of AKG USB-C earbuds with the new Galaxy Note 20 series in the USA. Customers can still get the earbuds if they ask for them, but they're no longer included in the retail box. This is true for the US market but not for Europe.

So what other corners has Samsung cut with its new S Pen flagships? What other cost-cutting measures are there aside from the obvious fact that the Galaxy Note 20 has a plastic back panel and Gorilla Glass 5 protecting the 60Hz (instead of 120Hz) display?

No extra S Pen tips, lower RAM for LTE model, 25W charging and more

Aside from the AKG USB-C earbuds missing from the Galaxy Note 20 retail boxes in the USA, we also got a lot of reports from Samsung customers in various other markets that the S Pen tip removal tool and the extra tips are no longer included in the retail package. Right now it's unclear if this is true for the Galaxy Note 20 series everywhere or in select regions only.

Similarly, the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are no longer accompanied by a protective case in markets where this accessory was previously provided for free along with older flagship phones. India is one of the markets where you won't get a protective case when you buy one of the new S Pen flagships.

A couple of other cost-cutting measures that affect the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in particular apply to the global market. The phone has 25W fast-charging instead of 45W, and the LTE model has 8GB of RAM instead of 12GB like the 5G variant. There is no 16GB of RAM option either, whereas the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G does exist in this configuration.

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera is also limited to 50x zoom compared to the Galaxy S20 Ultra's 100x zoom capabilities, and its selfie camera has a resolution of 10MP instead of 40MP.

In the USA and other markets, there is no 256GB variant for either the Galaxy Note 20 or the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The flagship duo is offered with a base level of 128GB of storage in some markets, while in others, both phones have a minimum of 256GB of built-in memory.

Were you aware of all these corners cut or only some of them? Have you ordered a Galaxy Note 20 or Galaxy Note 20 Ultra? Do you know of any other Galaxy Note 20 cost-cutting measures that we might've missed? At this point, we're calling this a ‘developing story' in case new details come to light so stay tuned and feel free to leave a comment below.


Phone Galaxy Note 20Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Galaxy AI summarized

Scroll for more related content
News For You

You might also like

Galaxy Note 20 got dropped from monthly security patches

Galaxy Note 20 got dropped from monthly security patches

We're closing in on half a decade since Samsung retired the Galaxy Note brand. The Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, released in August 2020, were the last Note flagship phones to hit the shelves before Samsung retired the Note name and moved the S Pen over to the Galaxy S Ultra. Now, these […]

  • By Mihai Matei
  • 1 month ago
Which Galaxy smartphones support Samsung Camera Assistant?

Which Galaxy smartphones support Samsung Camera Assistant?

The camera app on Samsung Galaxy smartphones offers a lot of functionality out of the box, but for those who want more, Samsung launched the Camera Assistant app in October last year. Camera Assistant lets you tweak the behavior of some of the stock camera app's features. For example, Galaxy phones that have dedicated zoom […]

  • By Abhijeet Mishra
  • 1 month ago
Galaxy Note 20 August 2024 security update out in the US

Galaxy Note 20 August 2024 security update out in the US

A new software update has been released for the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The last Galaxy Note smartphones are getting the August 2024 security update this week. The rollout has started in the USA for unlocked units and devices on the Sprint and T-Mobile network. It should expand to other carriers […]

  • By Abhijeet Mishra
  • 2 months ago
Galaxy Z Fold is slowly becoming the true Galaxy Note successor

Galaxy Z Fold is slowly becoming the true Galaxy Note successor

Samsung broke a lot of peoples hearts when it discontinued the Galaxy Note series. It was a necessary evil for the company. It wanted to create space for the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip handsets which are released around the same time that new Galaxy Note handsets used to be launched. The company […]

  • By Adnan Farooqui
  • 3 months ago
What is the newest Samsung phone? – July 2024

What is the newest Samsung phone? – July 2024

It has often been difficult to keep track of the newest Samsung phone given that the company releases so many throughout the year. Samsung has dozens of models across different series which cater to all price ranges. This page will be updated on a monthly basis to ensure that you can always know what is […]

  • By Adnan Farooqui
  • 3 months ago
Samsung’s last Galaxy Notes pick up another security update!

Samsung’s last Galaxy Notes pick up another security update!

Nearly four years after launch, the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Samsung's last Note-branded smartphones, continue to receive regular security updates. This week, Samsung is bringing the June 2024 security update to the Note 20 duo. The update is rolling out in the US to some carrier-locked units and in Europe. In […]

  • By Abhijeet Mishra
  • 4 months ago