The question now is whether or not the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is worthy of that label, particularly when comparing the phone side-by-side with the Galaxy Note 10+, and today we’ll try to make it easier for you to answer that question through a direct comparison between the top 2019 and 2020 flagship models.

High refresh-rate display, improved durability, new S Pen

The latest Galaxy Note 20 Ultra benefits from the usual hardware upgrades you would expect from a smartphone that’s been launched a year after its predecessor. It replaces the Exynos 9825 / Snapdragon 855 formula for an Exynos 990 / Snapdragon 865+ chipset; it increases the battery capacity from 4,300mAh to 4,500mAh, but has the same memory configuration including 12GB of RAM and 256GB / 512GB of expandable storage. Well, as long as it's the 5G model, as the 4G-bound Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has 8GB of RAM.

Things get a bit more interesting when taking a closer look at the display specs and the new S Pen. To begin with, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra features a slightly larger AMOLED panel clocking in at 6.9 inches. Then, the phone is protected by Gorilla Glass 7 instead of Glass 6 on both the front and back, and perhaps more importantly, the flagship now boasts a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.

The higher refresh-rate display goes hand-in-hand with a new S Pen. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra solution has an improved latency of only 9ms and it benefits from a new S Pen pointer feature as well as a slew of Samsung Notes improvements. These features could make their way onto the Galaxy Note 10+ via firmware updates, but as it currently stands, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has the upper hand in regards to software.

Different cameras and a few other similarities

The camera combo is also different, as Samsung’s new flagship uses an 108MP main sensor next to a 12MP telephoto shooter and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ditches the 3D ToF depth sensor that was used exclusively by the Galaxy Note 10+ last year in favor of a laser autofocus module. Unlike the Galaxy Note 10+, the latest Galaxy Note 20 Ultra boasts 8K video recording from day-one.

Both phones have the same 10MP selfie camera, battery charging capabilities, and IP68 ingress rating, along with stereo speakers tuned by AKG, and dual-SIM capabilities. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is a 5G phone out-of-the-box, albeit this functionality will be disabled in some markets.

Check our online comparison tool for a closer look at how the Galaxy Note 10+ stands versus the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and stick around for our upcoming reviews. Until then, if you’re a Galaxy Note 10+ owner, let us know in the comment section if you’re tempted to buy the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and why.
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