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It's seldom a good idea to purchase expensive consumer electronics at launch. The initial asking price doesn't stick around for long, and you can save some serious cash if you exercise a modicum of self-control. We've recently seen this happen with the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, shedding a couple of hundred dollars within a month of release. But if you didn't snag that one, Woot has a deal that's worthy of your attention — the Note20 Ultra is on sale for a mere $799.99 with free shipping.
Samsung Note20 Ultra is on sale for $900 in beautiful Mystic Bronze (~$200 off)
Now this is a nice-looking Note
Samsung's plans for next year's Note may be up in the air, but you know what you're getting with the Note20 Ultra. It's a flagship phone with the Snapdragon 865+, 12GB of RAM, and a beefy 4,500mAh battery — and right now, the Mystic Bronze color is on sale for just $898.55 on Amazon, making for approximately $200 in savings.The Note20 Ultra is pretty much the best Samsung experience you can get right now. Everything looks gorgeous on the 6.9-inch OLED panel, and the 120Hz adaptive refresh rate makes the experience smoother than ever. Of course, an S-Pen is included in the box so you can whip out the phone and jot notes right on the screen, instantly becoming the coolest person in the room.
Samsung claims reports of the Note's death have been greatly exaggerated
But next year's Note may not be as special as it once was
Samsung's Galaxy Note series offers some of the most expensive phones around, but 2020 hasn't been super kind to the high-end smartphone market. Earlier this month, rumors started swirling that Samsung was considering crumpling up its Note line in favor of focusing on foldables. Now the company is rebuking the rumor mill, claiming that the Note's retirement is not in our immediate future.
The AT&T Galaxy S20 and Note20 series are receiving Android 11
A 2.5GB update packed with the latest tweaks to Android and One UI
The Verizon and the T-Mobile Galaxy S20 variants are already receiving Android 11 (though the rollout has been halted for the latter), and now the AT&T S20 and Note20 series are joining their siblings. The OTA update weighs a hefty 2.5GB and packs the latest tweaks to Android and One UI, which has reached version 3.0 with this update.
Samsung's new GameDriver promises better gaming performance on your S20 and Note20 (APK Download)
Additional devices and games will be supported in the future
Mobile gaming is more popular than ever before, and Samsung's flagship phones are perfectly suited to the task. Big high-refresh-rate displays, large batteries, and top-of-the-range processors means that these device can handle any game you throw at them. For an extra boost to gaming performance, Samsung is releasing its GameDriver software on the Play Store, letting it update GPU drivers without the need for full system updates.
Samsung phones are having problems with fast wireless charging
The issues may have started with a recent security update
Wireless charging is a notoriously finicky technology, with different standards and implementations for faster speeds that aren't compatible with each other. However, there appears to be a growing number of people experiencing problems with fast Qi charging on Samsung phones, even with docks that worked perfectly before a few months ago.
In the last year or so, Samsung has started splitting up its flagship experience with new "Ultra" devices. At first, it seemed like these new, higher-end phones simply had more and better stuff to elevate them further, but with the new Note20 series, I think it's clear Samsung is intentionally making its base phones worse. However, the world of smartphones is lacking in absolutes, and I still think Samsung did a whole lot right with the Note20. Somehow the company managed to fit a huge and flat 6.7" screen in a phone without making it unwieldy or awkward to use. Battery life is also ridiculously good, and I even honestly like the matte plastic back now that I've used it. The problem is that Samsung cut plenty of other corners (especially when it comes to the screen), and yet somehow, it's asking $1,000 for the phone. Frankly, that's absurd — this phone is a terrible deal.
There's a lot of great stuff to say about the Samsung Galaxy Note20. It's got great performance, a decent camera, the S Pen — unfortunately, what it doesn't have is a great price, still sitting at $1,000 MSRP. If you're looking for the flagship experience at a discount, Microsoft has the unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note20 listed on sale for just $800 ($200 off) on eBay.
Samsung adds Galaxy Note20, Fold2, and Tab S7 to its security update schedule
Combined with the three-year promise, things are looking good for Samsung update-wise
Updates used to be a sore talking point for Samsung, but that's no longer the case. The company recently committed to OS updates for three device generations, and it's been shooting out updates for its latest phones left and right. In the same vein, Samsung has just added some of its latest devices, including the Note20, Fold2, and Tab S7, to its security update schedule.
Unlocked Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra already $200 off, starting at $800
A solid deal for a brand-new phone
Samsung offered some decent trade-in values and a good amount of store credit with the launch of the Galaxy Note20 series, but if you'd rather have a good old discount, you're in luck. Amazon and B&H currently have the US unlocked models of the Note20 and Note20 Ultra for $799.99 and $1,099.99, respectively, representing a price drop of $200 for both.In our long-term Note20 Ultra review, one of our main complaints was the price. Both phones offer great performance, a handy S Pen, decent cameras, and good battery life, but there's no way around it — both the $1,000 Note20 and the $1,300 Note20 Ultra are very expensive. At least this discount somewhat brings prices back to reality.
Samsung's Care+ protection plan can't be added to the Galaxy Note20 post-purchase
It seems like a permanent change this time
Samsung's flagships have never been cheap, but even base prices are now eclipsing the four-figure mark. It's no surprise, then, that customers often opt for the company's Care+ protection plan for a few dollars a month. Unfortunately, Note20 buyers are finding that they're unable to add Care+ after they've purchased the phone.
The Galaxy Note20 Ultra is undeniably an excellent phone, but like almost any product, there's still plenty of room for improvement; namely, the price is sky-high, its size poses usability issues, and we have some more subjective input we'd provide about features and design that would just make it a better phone in our eyes. At $1300, Samsung should be throwing in everything and the kitchen sink, so consider this our "kitchen sink" Galaxy Note20 Ultra wish list.
The Galaxy Note20's only been out for a week or so, but Target is already offering a pretty enticing deal. With the purchase of a Mystic Gray unlocked Note20, you'll get a 0 Target gift card sent to you. If you were already buy things regularly from Target, that equates to around 20% off.
Samsung just released the Galaxy Note20 series, and it might be the most polarizing Note lineup yet. The Note20 Ultra is undoubtedly an excellent phone, but it’s incredibly overpriced at $1,299, and the base Note20 is missing a few important features (even compared to the S20 series). Samsung’s overlapping product lineups can make it difficult to determine which exact model is best for you, but that’s what we’re here for.In this article, we’ll go over the differences between the regular Galaxy Note20 and the most popular option in Samsung’s mainstream lineup, the $1,200 Galaxy S20+. They may be (roughly) the same physical size and share many of the same features, but there some subtle differences you should be aware of.
Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra: Best deals, pricing, trade-in values, and availability
Where to find the best deals on Samsung's newest Note
Samsung's newest Note phones are here, and they're very, very expensive. These phones sport Samsung's latest displays, improved S Pens, and all the 5G you can handle. If you're dead-set on picking up the new Galaxy Note20 or Note20 Ultra, you've got several options. Samsung has the unlocked phone, of course, but you can also buy the phone from your carrier of choice. We've got all the details right here. Most pre-order deals are over now, and it'll probably be a few more weeks at least before there are new discounts.
Samsung's OneUI 2.5 finally lets you use Android 10's gesture navigation in third party launchers
The Note20, Note20 Ultra, and Z Flip 5G are the first to get it
As promised all the way back in March, we can confirm that Samsung's One UI 2.5 update finally delivers support for full-screen navigation gestures in third party launchers. It's unfortunate that it took Samsung so long — Android 11 is probably just weeks away, and Pixels got this feature last year — but better late than never, and we can confirm it works on OneUI 2.5 via the Note 20 Ultra.
Samsung cheaped out on shipping the Note20 with earbuds in the US, but you can still get a pair
Please, sir, can I have some more (AKG-branded USB-C earbuds)?
Samsung has decided to stop including wired earbuds with its flagship phones in North America, saying that customers here are opting for Bluetooth solutions instead. That said, we're hearing that Samsung USA's customer service will ship you a pair of the wired earbuds for your Galaxy Note20 or Note20 Ultra if you ask nicely.The AKG-branded USB-C earbuds are included in the retail box for Note20s sold in Europe, but Samsung USA says that "usage of wired headphones... has steadily declined," and thus made the decision not to include them here. That sucks for those of us in North America, as those USB-C buds are of pretty decent quality, but there's apparently a way to request and receive them, presumably for free.According to SamMobile, Samsung USA has stated, "for those customers that prefer the USB-C wired headphones, our customer care team can offer them on request." It's not explicitly said anywhere that Samsung is sending them to any Note20 buyer who asks for them for free, but it seems only logical if the company went as far as to make this statement. Otherwise, I would imagine Samsung would simply point to the link on their website, where the earbuds can be purchased for .99. (They're also available for .99 on Amazon, for what it's worth.)So if you're in the US and buying a Note20 or Note20 Ultra, and you want your USB-C earbuds, calling, emailing, or live chatting Samsung support should be a good start.Source: SamMobile
Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra hands-on: High end, high fashion, high price
Big phones that raise big questions
Samsung's first "Ultra" phone, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, received at best a lukewarm critical reception. Consumers didn't seem to respond, either, as sales figures have not been strong. And while some of that boils down to trying to sell an extremely expensive phone during a global economic and health catastrophe, a lot of it was just down to what you got for the money. Samsung banked big on cameras a key selling point for the S20 Ultra, and they simply weren’t up to scratch. There’s a lot riding on the Galaxy Note20 series to redeem that phone, and the Note20 Ultra in particular. We went hands-on with both of the new Notes, and here are our thoughts.The Note20 Ultra starts at $1,300, which is $100 less than the S20 Ultra but still an awful lot for a smartphone. In a world where you can get a OnePlus Nord for less than $500 and the excellent Pixel 4a for just $350, the Note20 Ultra faces an uphill battle in proving its worth. Meanwhile, the standard Note20 starts at a seemingly more reasonable $1,000, but it represents a substantial downgrade in multiple areas.I was invited to spend a little time with the new Note20 lineup at a socially distanced briefing event here in London, UK.
Weekend poll: Did you pre-order a Pixel 4a, Note20, or Note20 Ultra?
Did any of last week's new phones catch your eye?
This last week was pretty busy for smartphones. We got two major announcements almost back-to-back with Google's Pixel 4a and Samsung's new Note20 series. It's quite a spread, from midrange to literal "Ultra" flagship. While you can't zip down to the store and get one today, we're curious of any of our readers have pre-ordered either.
Samsung's Galaxy Note20 series is new, with plenty of new features like an upgraded camera system, faster chipset, and 120Hz display (at least, in the Ultra), but the S Pen inside the two phones has picked up some new features as well. From reduced latency to new air gestures, Note20 owners have some changes to look forward to.