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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Time to trade up
It's time to say goodbye to the microSD slot
The original Galaxy Note came out back in 2011, based on the legendary Galaxy S2 and with a then-huge 5.3-inch screen. Fast forward to 2020, and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ended up being the last phone released under the Note moniker. It has a 6.9-inch display, a plethora of rear cameras, and an improved S Pen.
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.
Save $250 on a brand-new Samsung Galaxy Note20 or Note20 Ultra
These savings are worth taking note of
Samsung makes some of the best and biggest Android phones you can buy, and today, two of its newest options are on sale. The Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra are some of the most powerful devices you can get, and both of them are a full $250 off at Amazon and Best Buy right now, making them drop to just $750 and $1050.Both devices come with Samsung's fancy S Pen stylists and are powered by the Snapdragon 865+ and plenty of RAM, but the Ultra steps the specs up when it comes to RAM, display size, and battery longevity. We reviewed both devices in full; check out the Note20 review here and the Note20 Ultra's longterm review here. Our main takeaway was that they're great phones held back by high starting prices.
Get a Note20 for $750 or a Note20 Ultra for $1,000 from Microsoft right now
Just in time to jot down your holiday wishlist
Samsung's Note phones are some of the most powerful devices around, and right now you can snag some major savings on the Note20 and Note20 Ultra. Microsoft is currently offering the standard Note20 for just $749.99 and the Note20 Ultra for $999.99 — some of the lowest prices we've seen on these two daily driver-worthy devices.
Snag a dual-SIM Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra for $930 on eBay
$370 less than the US model — with some caveats
If you've seen our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, you know it's slick. You also know it's expensive — a $1300 price tag can be a hard pill to swallow. Luckily, eBay seller sobeonline1 has listed the international, dual-SIM, 256 GB model of the Note20 Ultra for 0 — $370 off the price of the single-SIM, 128 GB US model.
The 5 worst things about the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Are these shortcomings worth such a high price?
The Galaxy Note20 Ultra is the defacto flagship for Samsung fans this year. It's packed with plenty of processing power, a gorgeous 120Hz display, and an elegant design that makes other phones drool. But we're not here to toot Samsung's horn — that post is over here. Instead, we're going to take a look at 5 of the worst things about the Note20 Ultra, from its outrageous pricing to that offensively large camera bump.
One of the most noteworthy features of the Note phones has always been the inclusion of Samsung's S Pen. Whether you're keeping track of items on a shopping list or jotting down ideas for your next big editorial piece, the S Pen is always ready and waiting. Thanks to the Note20's 120Hz screen, the writing experience is better than ever this year, with under 9ms of latency. That's a ridiculous reduction from the 40ms lag on the Note10+ — Samsung is serious about investing in the S Pen. In David's review, he said "the ink practically feels like it's coming out of the tip of the S Pen — it's that responsive." It even makes fancy sound effects that mimic the actual sound of pen on paper, if you're into that. Just don't even bother trying to use the new gesture controls.
Energy Ring brings hole-punch battery indicator to your new Pixel 4a and Note20 Ultra
This round also covers a bunch of budget phones from Realme, Redmi, Oppo, and Samsung
Energy Ring offers a neat way to put that obtrusive camera cutout to some good use. In the last few months, the app has moved beyond Samsung phones to cover a whole host of devices from other brands as well. In line with that, Energy Ring has now added support for two of the newest entries in the smartphone market — the Pixel 4a and the Galaxy Note20 Ultra.
Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Note20 Ultra is premium as all get-out, packing the beefiest specs money can buy in 2020, including a Snapdragon 865+, 12 gigs of RAM, and a 6.9-inch 120Hz display. That spread is particularly good for gaming, but not every game can take full advantage of the giant display's high refresh rate. But a bunch can! Here's a handy searchable list of high refresh rate games you can try on the Note20 Ultra.
Galaxy Note20 vs OnePlus 8 Pro: Which should you buy?
In this pre-order period you can still do some comparison shopping
Samsung's Galaxy Note20 Ultra packs in plenty of high-end specs like a Snapdragon 865+, big 120Hz display, one of the biggest camera sensors you can get, plus a periscope-style telephoto camera, laser autofocus, and the well-known S Pen. But before you go dropping $1,300 on a pre-order, you might want to consider what you're looking for in a phone, and the OnePlus 8 Pro might also be on your radar.
Samsung's Note20 Ultra is here, and as its name suggests, it shares quite a lot in common with the recent Galaxy S20 Ultra, and that includes a sky-high price tag. So, what did Samsung learn from the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and which should you get?
As with last year's Note10 and Note10+, Samsung has again released two Note-series phones, begging the usual question: Which should you buy? Of course, that always comes down to your wants and budget, but it should still be a surprisingly easy decision to make, given how different the two phones are.