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It’s July, which means that the smartphone industry’s quiet period is nearing an end and we have the Galaxy Note 20 release up next. Even though 2020 proved to turn everything upside down and many smartphone releases were postponed, Samsung is set to unveil its Galaxy Note 20 product lineup in August.
The Galaxy Note 20 series is expected to bring various camera and design improvements over the Galaxy S20 devices which were released back in February. Let’s talk through the whispers and confirmed features of the Note 20 series.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is going to be expensive. This probably will not come as any sort of surprise, however just how expensive was a mystery, until now. According to Ishan Agarwal (a reliable phone leaker), the Galaxy Note 20 is going to cost around £900 in the UK for just the 4G version. If you were hoping for 5G, you'll need to be willing to fork out around £1000. Got even more money to spare? The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is rumoured to cost over £1200. Our eyes are watering.
According to a recent leak from German site Winfuture, the colours of the Galaxy Note 20 will be bronze, grey and green, and the handset will have a plastic outer layer, rather than glass. This is disappointing for anyone that was hoping for a more premium-looking device.
There will also be a complete button and S-pen pocket relocation. The power and volume buttons will move to the right side, and the speaker and the S-pen pocket will be positioned on the left of the charging port. In terms of the screen, it will be a flat design rather than a curved edged design.
The rear of the upcoming Note 20 series has a pronounced camera according to recent renders, and we expect that Samsung will go heavy on features. It’s unclear whether Samsung will make three Note 20 models and include an Ultra variant, but leaks point to the Ultra model joining the basic Note 20, and we assume that the Plus will be replaced by the Ultra variant. Hopefully there will be more leaks in the coming weeks that will unveil more details about Samsung’s new Galaxy Note devices.
If you’ve been living under a rock for the past months, then you’ll be happy to hear that this year it’s all about high refresh rates. Samsung have introduced displays with 120Hz refresh rates on the Galaxy S20 series and we anticipate improvements in this area on the Note 20 lineup. Mainly, the Note 20 Plus (or Ultra) will scoop the premium look of high refresh rates for itself, getting a 120Hz display which is claimed to be able to work at full resolution. In terms of display sizes, the basic Note 20 will feature a 6.42-inch panel and the Plus or Ultra variant will be 6.98 inches. Let’s hope that Samsung does some battery optimisation as well to make the battery drain less considerable when having 120Hz refresh rate settings on. However, the Note 20 will most likely stick to 60Hz to offer more differentiation between the models in the 2020 lineup.
There is also likely to be an improved in-display fingerprint sensor. The main improvement will be its bigger size which will make it easier to unlock the device and make the performance of the sensor better and more accurate.
Early rumours suggest that the camera setup of the Galaxy S20 Plus will make its way to the Note 20, and the Note 20 Plus (or Ultra) will get a 108MP sensor. Yes, the one featured on the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Due to the criticism and impracticality of the 100x zoom feature on the S20 Ultra, it’s almost certainly not going to make the cut for the Note 20 Plus (or Ultra) and will be swapped for 50x zoom instead. The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is rumoured to have a 12MP primary sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide lens and a 64MP telephoto lens that can do 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom.
Image: i ice universe /Weibo
Undoubtedly, the Note 20 range will be powered by the Snapdragon 865 or the Exynos 922 depending on the region. The entry-level Note 20 will have 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and the higher end Note 20 is apparently going to sport 12GB of RAM and 256 of storage. Speaking of battery- a 4,300 mAh cell is likely to be sitting under the hood of the basic Note 20, and the battery cell of the bigger Note 20 will be upped to 4,500 mAh. Both models are anticipated to offer wireless charging which has become a standard feature over the past few years.
There’s been no indication what the prices of the upcoming Note 20 devices might be, but we’re most likely going to be looking at price tags in the region of £999 for the premium Note 20, and the basic Note 20 is likely to start at £869, which is the same as the Galaxy Note 10. However, we are hoping that Samsung will lower the price for the entry model if they opt for the launch of two Note 20 models instead of three.
Samsung have announced the launch date to be on the 5th of August, and it’s likely to be an online event with livestream starting at 3pm BST. If history is of any indication, pre-orders will start on the same day, and we can expect the new Note 20 series to be available in stores a week later.
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