The launch might not have been in New York in front of thousands of media but Samsung still got the world’s attention with the launch of the powerful new Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Note20 Ultra smartphones.
Samsung revealed the powerhouse devices at its first virtual Galaxy Unpacked event along with the Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Buds Live earphones and the powerful Galaxy Tab S7 tablet.
Samsung also teased its new premium folding device – the Galaxy Z Fold2 – a phone and tablet in one with a range of improved features.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra will be available in 4G and 5G variants and will go on sale on August 21 with prices starting at $1,499 (Note20) and $1,849 (Note20 Ultra).
“Never before have we relied on technology like we are today. It’s how we are staying connected as we navigate the extraordinary challenges faced around the world,” said Dr. TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics.
“Technology must make life easier, not more complex. That’s why we have introduced five new power devices.
“Alone, these devices are powerful tools to help you maximize work and play. Together, as part of the Galaxy ecosystem, they work together seamlessly so you can spend your time focused on what matters most.”
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The Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Note20 Ultra are the most powerful smartphones Samsung has ever produced and puts laptop-like power in the palm of your hand.
The Note20 is aimed at the broader Note customer who wants a device for work and play while the Note20 Ultra is suited to the Note fan who expect the ultimate in power and performance to stay productive on the move.
The Note20 has a flat 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Plus Infinity O display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 and 393ppi (pixels per inch) and HDR10+ certified.
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The Note20 Ultra sports a 6.9-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity O display that’s slightly curved at the edges with a 3088 x 1440 resolution, 496ppi, HDR10+ certification and 120Hz refresh rate.
The new Samsung smartphones are powered by a 7nm 64-bit octa-core 3Ghz processor with up to 12GB RAM and up to 512GB RAM. The Note20 Ultra also has expandable memory.
Design-wise the phones take a leaf out of the Galaxy S smartphone’s book.
These design cues also apply to the camera systems of the Note20 and Note20 Ultra which includes a similar lens arrangement inside a black rectangle.
The trademark performance and power of the Note series offers customers the ability to be more productive on the go so they can complete tasks on the device that would normally have required a laptop or desktop computer.
The Samsung Note20 and Note20 Ultra can now definitively prove that work is a thing you do, not a place you go.
And, of course, it wouldn’t be the Note without the S Pen which is now more versatile and responsive than ever.
There are also five new S Pen gestures which can now do things like snap a screenshot and return to the home screen with a wave of your hand.
The device is also smart enough to recognise your untidy handwriting and not only straighten it on the page buy even make it more legible.
S Pen also makes it easy to take notes and annotate documents and images.
The Samsung Notes app now lets you record and synchronise audio while you’re taking notes.
This means you can go back to your handwritten notes on the device and tap on a sentence to hear the audio that was recorded as you wrote those words.
The Microsoft Your Phone app with Link to Windows integration allows Note20 and Note20 Ultra users to access their mobile apps on their Windows PC and to sync photos and notes across their devices as well as within Outlook and OneNote.
Samsung Dex is also onboard the new Note20 smartphones so you can turn the device into a computer by adding a monitor, keyboard and mouse.
And, for the first time users, can now connect Samsung DeX wirelessly to a smart TV for those occasions when you need a bigger screen to finish your work or share content.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra will feature UWB (ultra-wideband technology) to enable Nearby Share – a feature that makes it quick and easy to share data with other Galaxy users close by.
UWB could also be used to turn the Note20 smartphones into a digital key for your car or to open your front door.
On the camera side, the Note20 and Note20 Ultra are capable of recording 8K video at 24fps (frames per second) as well as professional grade focus, exposure and audio recording.
Users can select the different microphones to use depending on where the audio is coming from and even pair with wire-free earphones, including the new Galaxy Buds Live, and use them as audio sources.
The Note20 Ultra has a 108-megapixel wide-angle camera with up to 50x Super Resolution zoom and 5x optical zoom along with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle and 12-megapixel telephoto camera.
The Note20 includes a 64-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and 30x Super Resolution zoom as well as a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and 12-megapixel wide-angle camera.
Gamers will also appreciate the Xbox Game Pass which goes live on September 15 and put the latest games in the palm of your hand.
“As the Australian smartphone landscape continues to evolve, people are expecting their devices to play numerous roles with a seamless experience and connectivity – a device for professional pursuits, that also powers hobbies and passions,” says Garry McGregor, Vice President, Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics Australia.
“In Note20 we are giving Australian customers a device that is truly so powerful it works like a computer and plays like a gaming console.
“The Note range has an extremely loyal fanbase – from business professionals to creative artists – all united by their love of the S Pen. Note20 brings with it Samsung’s most innovative and intuitive S Pen to date, for the first time featuring AI annotation, remote control functionality and presenter mode.
“Loyal Note customers have come to view the range as the pinnacle of Samsung’s latest innovations. We are incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to achieve in Note20 – a future-proofed device with ultra-wide band width, intelligent S Pen, 5G gaming experience and our best ever display, 8K cinema grade video and a 108 mega-pixel camera.”
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 will be available in three colours – Mystic Bronze, Mystic Green and Mystic Grey – and will be priced at $1,499 (4G, 256GB) and $1649 (5G, 256GB).
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra will available in Mystic Black, Mystic White and Mystic Bronze and priced at $1,849 (4G, 256GB), $1,999 (5G, 256GB) and $2,199 (5G, 512GB).
Customers can pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Note20 Ultra from August 6.
