Samsung announced five new devices during today’s Unpacked event. The big headliners are no doubt the two new Samsung Galaxy Note 20 devices and the new Galaxy Fold 2. Just like the flagship device from earlier this year, the new note is has skipped a load of numbers and gone straight to 20. The company claims the new Note is the first “fully 5G-capable Note” device. However, expect to pay for the Galaxy Note 20 in South Africa. These new devices start at R24,999 for the standard and R26,999 for the Ultra.
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There’s nothing magical about the new range. It includes a massive display putting it into the “phablet” technology category. However, Samsung kind of owns that genre now and very few tech companies have tried to touch it. When you think “giant smartphone with a pen,” you think Note.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 sports a 6.7 and 6.9-inch display. These are bigger than the Note 10 which sat as 6.3 and 6.8. The Ultra also includes a 120Hz refresh rate. However, like other devices on the market, this refresh rate is only active when you enable it and the display’s resolution drops when using it.
When it comes to the camera, the Samsung Galaxy Note Ultra 5G borrows from the S20 Ultra by adding the much-criticized 108-megapixel wide-angle and Space Zoom technology. This camera supports 50x digital zoom and 5x optical zoom. The Ultra also packs laser autofocus for quicker shots. The Ultra and non-Ultra both sport a 64-megapixel telephoto lens. Both models can also shoot in 8K.
When it comes to the S Pen, Samsung tweaked it a little. There’s increased precision and responsiveness along with gestures controls. Users can take screenshots or return to the home screen. You can also use the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 S Pen as a remote control.
As for the storage and CPU, both models are powered by the new Snapdragon 865+ chip. The Ultra ships with 12GB of RAM in 128GB and 512GB. It packs a 4,500mAh battery. The Note 20 has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It includes a slightly smaller 4.300mAh battery.
Samsung and Microsoft
Samsung announced a new partnership with Microsoft at the same time. Users now have the ability to access Samsung notes on a Windows device and mirror the mobile device to the PC. In addition, next month, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is getting Xbox Game Pass with 100+ games. This is in an attempt to market these expensive smartphones as gaming devices.
When can you get your hands on these phones? Samsung confirmed that both the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra are available in South Africa from 21 August 2020. The Note 20 comes in three colours – Grey, Green, and Mystic Bronze. The Note 20 Ultra is available in Bronze, Black, and White. Customers can pre-order the devices from 5 August 2020 and receive an R4,000 voucher for the Samsung online store.
The company said that they are reintroducing its trade-in program which a special launch offer. Customers can trade in an old Samsung device at a Samsung Store and get up to R10,000 off their new Note 20.
Contract prices for the device start at R899 for the Note 20,R999 for the Note 20 5G and R1,399 for the Note 20 Ultra 5G.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 South African price
- Galaxy Note 20 – R24,999
- Galaxy Note 20 5G – R27,999
- Galaxy Note 20 Ultra – R26,999
Take a look at the official Samsung Galaxy Note 20 specs down below;
Specifications | Galaxy Note 20 | Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
OS | Android 10 | Android 10 |
Display | 6.7-inch 2,400 x 1,080 AMOLED | 6.9-inch 3,200 x 1,440 AMOLED 120Hz |
Processor | Exynos 990 | Exynos 990 |
RAM | 8GB | 12GB |
Storage | 256GB | 256GB, microSD up to 1TB |
Rear camera | 64MP + 12MP + 12MP | 108MP + 12MP + 12MP + DepthVision |
Front camera | 10MP | 10MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C |
Network | LTE/5G | LTE/5G |
Battery | 4,300mAh | 4,500mAh |
Price | R24,999 | R26,999 |