The Matchup of Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is Samsung’s latest smartphone, which was released on 21 August 2020.

It is a massive device that is packed with very impressive features but at a rather optimistic price tag that doesn’t seem to acknowledge the difficult financial atmosphere that many people are currently experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As for iPhone 12 Pro, rumors have it that it will be released later than usual this year, perhaps in October. (iPhone 11 was released on 20 September 2019.)

Here is a summary of Ultra’s features. The main screen consists of a 6.9-inch QHD (quad high definition) and Dynamic Amoled 2X (496 pixels per inch) display. The processor is based on Samsung’s Exynos 990 (EU and perhaps African customers) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ (US). The RAM is 12GB, while disk storage is 256 or 512GB (UFS (Universal Flash Storage) 3.0) plus microSD (micro-Secure Digital) card. The engine for the phone is Samsung’s One UI 2.5, which is based on Android 10. The camera consists of triple rear lens: 108MP wide angle, 12MP ultra-wide angle, and 12MP 5x telephoto, with laser depth sensor. There is a 10MP front-facing camera for selfies. Connectivity features include 5G, dual nano sim, USB-C, WIFI 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5, and UWB location capabilities. (Note that Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a radio technology standard that can enable precise measure of the “Time of Flight” of a radio signal, giving centimeter accuracy geographical location measurement.) The device is water-resistant up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 meters. The weight is 208 grams. As you can see, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is a massive phone that will require your two hands to do about anything with the phone.

Samuel Gibbs of The UK Guardian newspaper gave a strong positive review of the Ultra’s camera on 18 August 2020. “The main 108-megapixel wide camera is really good, capable of capturing some cracking images in good to medium light. The 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera is also one of the best on a phone, but it is the new 12-megapixel 5x telephoto camera that is a step up over the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. That additional optical zoom makes a real difference in how close you can get to objects, producing great images at its native 5x. If you have steady hands, the light is good and your subject is totally still, you can get some good images at extended zooms, but it takes a bit of work and luck. The 10-megapixel selfie camera is also one of the best on the market. Overall, the camera on the Note 20 Ultra rivals the best in the business.”

Here is an iPhone 12 Pro/Galaxy Note 20 Ultra matchup: price ($1,099/1,299), screen size (6.1 in/6.9 in), CPU (A14/Snapdragon 865 Plus), RAM (6GB/12GB), base model storage (128GB/256GB), battery (3687 mAh/4500 mAh). The camera in iPhone 12 Pro is Triple cameras with LiDAR. (LIDAR or Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method used to examine the surface of the Earth.)

Should you upgrade to Ultra? Assuming you are a Samsung Galaxy Note diehard, who would have nothing to do with iPhone, then you probably want to know what you’ll get relative to the most advanced, high-end, Galaxy Note device, which is  Galaxy Note 10+ (with the 4G and 5G options).

Galaxy Note 10+ has 6.8-inch Quad HD+ (high definition plus) resolution display with a 4300 mAh battery, 12GB RAM and a disk storage size that starts at 256GB. The phone has three rear cameras, consisting of the primary, telephoto, and ultra-wide sensors. The Galaxy Note 10+ features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ or Exynos 9820 processor. The OS for 10+ is Android v9 (Pie) and Samsung One UI. The phone weighs 198 grams.

Whether or not you upgrade may all depend on what you currently have, and, of course, your wallet. The price tag on Ultra is quite hefty at $1,299 base, and that could as well be the deciding factor. Without incentives, such as those offered by Samsung for converting from Note 9 to Note 10 or 10+, the motivation may not be enough for you to upgrade if you are coming from Note 9, 10 or 10+. Since Note 10+ probably set you back by $1300, you might want to hang on to it for a few more releases. Design-wise the Ultra is like the 10+, for the most part, and the extra inch of display length or the 200 mAh shortfall in battery capacity, may not represent enough incentive to upgrade. However, if you are using models which are older than Note 9, this might the right time to upgrade, assuming money is not a factor, of course. Some tech experts think that Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the best smartphone that Samsung has made so far. Also, it seems to trump iPhone 12 Pro, based on the rumors and the comparative features listed above.