Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 10+: Should you upgrade?
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 10+: Design
From a design standpoint, the Note 20 Ultra is a classy evolution in terms of design. While the Note 10+ was definitely a much flashier device with a glossy glass back and expressive color options, the Note 20 UItra is certainly a more conservative and classy phone with its frosted glass back and stylish colors.
Both the Note 10+ and the Note 20 Ultra have slightly curved displays that are a far-cry from the likes of the Galaxy S8 and S9-series, so proponents of flat displays shouldn’t have that many bones to pick. In terms of size, both phones are nearly identical. The newer device is taller and heavier, but that’s perfectly normal given the current “upsizing” trend. If you’ve ever held a Note 10+, the Note 20 Ultra is pretty much the same device in terms of width and thickness.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 10+: Display
The Dynamic AMOLED display of the Note 20 Ultra is just a tenth of an inch larger than the one you’d find on the 6.8-inch Note 10+. Tth difference is rather small, and the same general assumption applies to screen resolution as well – we’ve got QHD+ resolution once again, so don’t expect any phone to be noticeably sharper. General color reproduction, brightness, and viewing angles are excellent on both phones, and that’s not surprising at all. We’re talking Samsung flagships here.
A new feature that will make tons of difference is the high refresh rate display on the new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. At 120Hz, it’s noticeably smoother than the puny 60Hz Galaxy Note 10+. It should be noted that while the overall experience is much better on the Note 20 Ultra, it comes at a steeper price: shorter battery life.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 10+: Hardware and performance
In the US, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is powered by the latest and greatest Qualcomm chipset, the Snapdragon 865+, which brings more than excellent performance. That said, you definitely won’t experience any lack of power with the Galaxy Note 10+, but it should be noted it’s powered by the aging and slightly less Snapdragon 855 chipset. There’s 12GB of RAM on both devices, making them more than adequate multitaskers, which is one of the big strengths of the Galaxy Note series. The Note 20 Ultra starts at 128GB of native storage, while the Note 10+ begins at 256GB of storage.
However, the international versions of both phones are powered by Samsung’s arguably inferior Exynos chipsets: the Note 20 Ultra has the Exynos 990, while the Note 10+ is powered by the Exynos 9825.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 10+: 5G support
The Note 20 Ultra is a 5G-ready device, and that’s great! It makes for a pretty future-proof phone, which can’t be said about the Note 10+. If you haven’t gone for the dedicated 5G-capable version of the Note 10+, your Note won’t be able to access the future connectivity data standard.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 10+: Battery
The Note 20 Ultra trumps the Note 10+ in yet another key area: battery size. With a 4,500mAh battery, the newer device holds the promise for a much longer battery life when compared with the Note 10+, which has a 4,300mAh battery. The hardware on the Note 20 Ultra is newer and more power-efficient, though it should be noted that we’re strictly talking with the default 60Hz refresh rate option enabled. If you turn on the 120Hz refresh rate, all bets are off and there’s no guarantee the Note 20 Ultra will last longer than the Note 10+ with the same usage patterns.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 10+: S Pen and functionality
The S Pen on board the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has received some improvements. For one, latency has been reduced all the way down to 9ms, pretty much on par with the Apple Pencil. The older Note 10+ has a much greater latency, which is definitely noticeable.
Another strength in the Note 20 Ultra’s arsenal is Wireless DeX mode, which no longer requires cables or any other paraphernalia to cast DeX mode to a compatible device. You can use Miracast instead. With the Note 10+, you will have to use a cable.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 10+: Camera
Now, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a 108 MP main camera, a 12 MP ultra-wide, and a 12 MP telephoto camera. It offers 5x optical zoom and up to 50x digital zoom. In comparison, the Note 10+ is way humbler with its 12MP main + 12MP 2x telephoto + 16MP ultra-wide camera setup, aided by a ToF sensor. Both phones come with 10MP front-facing cameras.
The Note 20 Ultra is capable of shooting 8K video at 24fps, which is a nice party trick that adds little benefit to the user just yet. Much more usable will definitely be the 4K 60fps footage that both the Note 20 Ultra and the Note 10+ offer.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 10+: Should you upgrade?
So, should you upgrade?
With a starting price of $1,299.99 for the 128GB version and $1,449.99 for the 512GB variation, the Note 20 Ultra is one expensive phone. In comparison, a brand new 256GB Note 10+ can be yours for $1,099. When you put it this way, it makes more sense to go for the more future-proof Note 20 Ultra, but what if you already have a Note 10+?
You are probably off keeping your Note 10+ for a few more years in case you’re totally satisfied with your device. Sure, the new Note 20 Ultra is better in more ways than one, but this doesn’t mean that the Note 10+ is lacking severely in any key aspect. On the other hand, if you’re itching to upgrade, there probably isn’t force in this world capable of stopping you from getting the all-new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.