Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G vs Note 10+: specs, size and design comparison

Size-wise, the phones are very comparable, but the Ultra’s display comes at 6.9-inches, 0.1 more than that of the Note 10+ which is mostly noticeable because of the taller aspect ratio. The S20 Ultra’s screen has a 20:9 ratio while for the Note 10+ it’s 19:9. This should make the Ultra slightly more comfortable to hold despite its massive display. 

As is tradition with Samsung’s flagships, both screens have curved edges but this year it seems Samsung has reduced the radius of the curve even more to the point that it’s barely noticeable. Good news for all that dislike curved edges! 


On the back is literally the biggest difference between these two phones. The Galaxy S20 Ultra has an absolutely enormous camera bump. It looks like one of those photoshops that are made to mock smartphone cameras.

To say we like it will be a stretch but we’re sure aesthetics are not what Samsung was going for there. The purpose of this island is to send the message that this phone is going all out with its cameras. And that message is received loud and clear. The Note 10+ camera looks like a weakling in comparison, it’s almost comical. But more about the cameras later.

Another difference on the back panel is the lack of fancy Aura reflective finish for the S20 Ultra. The phone comes with boring subdued colors, but that doesn’t matter much since you’re putting it in a case anyway.

Now it’s time to see how these two flagships compare when it comes to muscle.

Being the newer phone, we can expect the S20 Ultra to have some obvious advantages over the Note 10+. And it does, but as we know, the Note has a trick up its sleeve. 

There are a few major differences worth noting. First, of course, is the system chip. The Snapdragon 865 performs between 20 and 40% better than the Snapdragon 855 depending on the workloads, which is an impressive feat. With that much horsepower under the hood, we can't think of a task that will make the S20 sweat, but we're sure there's one right around the corner. 

While base memory is 12GB on both phones, the S20 Ultra has the edge in this category as well since its RAM is LPDDR5. Compared to LPDDR4, the new generation offers about 50% higher transfer speeds. This means everything from changing between apps to taking pictures will be significantly faster on the S20. 

The battery on the S20 Ultra is just as impressive as its other specs. At 5000mAh, it's putting the one on the Note 10+ to shame. There's a good reason for that, however. The S20 comes with 5G connectivity as standard and we all know that 5G is modems are thirsty. But there's something else that will make good use of the extra juice: the 120Hz refresh-rate of the S20's display. That's twice as much as the 60Hz of the Note 10+ and will make your scrolling feel sooo smooth.

As expected, the headphone jack is now officially gone from Samsung's S series as well so at least in that regard the phones are equal. Coincidentally, Samsung just released a new set of Galaxy Buds!

But 30 or 50 percent improvements here and there can't overshadow the Note 10+'s biggest hardware advantage: the S Pen. If you can't live without the smart stylus then just having a faster phone won't be enough to make you switch. However, many Note users find themselves pulling out the S Pen less and less over time and will find the S20 Ultra very enticing. 

Еnough about boring numbers and percentages, let's check what the gigantic camera bump on that S20 is hiding.

While at both phones have a quad-camera assembly, the specifics of these cameras are where the big differences are.

The main camera of the S20 Ultra has a eye-watering 108MP sensor which allows Samsung to combine nine pixels into one for even brighter low-light photos. Of course, you can also take full 108MP photos but that won't be very practical for your everyday needs.

Both phones also have a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a time-of-flight sensor that counts as a forth camera. Nothing exciting here. What is exciting, however, is the periscope telephoto camera of the S20 Ultra. While the Note 10+ comes with 2x telephoto, the one on the S20 is a 5x one. But the zoom doesn't end at 5x. With Samsung's Hybrid Optic Zoom, you can go to 10x and with Super Resolution Zoom up to 100x. The S20 Ultra is the zoomiest Samsung smartphone yet and we can't wait to put it to the test. 

The front camera of the S20 Ultra is getting a significant upgrade as well compared to the Note 10+. Its 40MP sensor allows for 4-in-1 pixel combination for those extra crisp selfies at the club. Meanwhile, the Note 10+ is looking sad with its meagre 10MP.   

So, is the Galaxy S20 Ultra a penless Note? Yep, even more than the S10+ was before it. But it will be more accurate to say that it's a penless Note 20 since comparing it to last year's Note is not entirely fair. Still, both phones are great devices and the Ultra only makes us excited about what Samsung could bring next with the upcoming Note.