Galaxy Note20 vs Galaxy S20: Which one should you buy?

Samsung has just released the Galaxy Note20 series, and it is perhaps the most polarizing range of notes to date. The Note20 Ultra is without a doubt a great phone, but it’s incredibly overpriced at $ 1,299, and the base Note20 lacks a few important features (even compared to the S20 series). Overlapping Samsung product lines can make it difficult to determine the exact model that’s best for you, but that’s what we’re here for.

In this article, we’ll go over the differences between the classic Galaxy Note20 and the most popular option in Samsung’s mainstream lineup, the $ 1,200 Galaxy S20 +. They can be (roughly) the same physical size and share many of the same characteristics, but there are some subtle differences you should be aware of.

Equipment

The Galaxy S20 + and Note20 are almost identical in size, as both phones have 6.7-inch AMOLED displays. However, the first difference is also related to the screen – the base Note20 has a 1080p display, while the S20 + has a 1440p panel. You probably won’t notice much of a difference between the two, but given that we’re talking about $ 1000 + phones here, Samsung really could have upgraded to 1440p (or higher) on the Note20. Additionally, the screen refresh rate on the Galaxy S20 can go up to 120Hz (at reduced resolution), while the Note20 is permanently set at 60Hz.

	Galaxy S20 +	Galaxy note20
Chipset	Snapdragon 865	Snapdragon 865 Plus
RAM	12 GB	8 GB
Storage room	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB microSD card slot	128 GB or 256 GB No microSD card slot
Display	6.7 ” AMOLED 3200 x 1440	6.7 ” AMOLED Plus 2400 x 1080
Refresh rate	60 Hz at WQHD + 120 Hz at FHD	60 Hz at WQHD +
Drums	4,500 mAh	4,300 mAh
Rear cameras	12MP F2.2 main 12MP F1.8 wide angle 64MP F2.0 telephoto lens	12MP F2.2 main 12MP F1.8 wide angle 64MP F2.0 telephoto lens
Front camera	10MP F2.2	10MP F2.2
S-Pen	No	Yes
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, NFC	Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, NFC
Colors	Black, Gray, Cloud Blue, Aura Blue	Bronze, green, gray
Dimensions	161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8 mm	161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm
Weight	186 g, 188 g for mmWave model	192 g, 194 g for mmWave model
Software	Android 10 with a user interface	Android 10 with a user interface
Price	$ 1,199.99	$ 999.99

The other key point of comparison here is the S Pen, which is exclusive to the Note series. The stylus appears on the bottom of the phone and can be used to jot down notes and drawings, open apps with gestures, capture screenshots, and more. The S Pen can also be used as a simple pointer, in case you don’t want to use your fingers all the time. However, the S Pen on the base Note20 isn’t as low latency as the stylus on the Note20 Ultra.

The other differences are relatively minor. The Note20 uses a shiny plastic on the rear case, instead of the full glass used by the Galaxy S20 +. The Galaxy S20 + also has more RAM and a slightly larger battery. Finally, the Note20 does not have a microSD card slot, unlike the S20 +.

Software: almost the same

The Galaxy S20 and Note20 both come with Android 10, with Samsung’s One UI on top. This means that the software experience between the two phones is more or less the same, and both devices will receive three major Android updates.

The Galaxy Note20 series comes with One UI 2.5, which features some small improvements over previous versions of Samsung’s Android flavor, like better compatibility with third-party launchers and Wireless DeX with select smart TVs. However, the same update is currently rolling out to other phones from Samsung, so it won’t be exclusive to the Note20 for much longer.

Beyond that, there are a few additional software features on the Note20 that take advantage of the S Pen. You can capture screenshots by dragging a box on the screen, use aerial gestures to perform quick actions, take photos using the S Pen as a remote shutter, and more. We have a full explanation of the new features of the S Pen here.

Price: too high

Just like with previous models, the Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy S20 + cost way too much for what they offer. The Note20 is only available as a single variant, with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, for $ 999.99. The Galaxy S20 + costs $ 1,199.99 and comes with 128GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. While both phones are expensive, the Galaxy S20 + is slightly better at justifying its price than the Note20 – Samsung cut a lot of corners on the Note20 base, like using plastic on the outside and limiting the display to 60Hz. The $ 399 OnePlus Nord is less than half the price of the Note20, but it has a screen with a higher refresh rate.

The good news is that the Galaxy S20 + has already gone on sale several times. In May, the entire S20 lineup was $ 200 off, which brought the price of the S20 + down to $ 999.99. The Note20 series has just been released, so there hasn’t been any discounts outside of the pre-order bonuses, but they will happen eventually.