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Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 5G will snub the latest trends with a flat screen

By Adrian Diaconescu

Updated: Jul 23, 2020, 5:24 AM

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Leaked Galaxy Note 20 renders

After releasing three Galaxy S-series flagships and two Note-series devices in 2019, Samsung unveiled the S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra earlier this year while reportedly preparing a Note 20 and Note 20+ for an August 5 announcement.

But if you draw a comparison between the company's Galaxy S10 and S20 families, you'll obviously find plenty of meaningful differences, starting with the fact that the compact, flat-screened S10e didn't get a direct sequel. Curiously enough, it looks like Samsung could make the opposite transition for the Galaxy Note roster, possibly moving from a fully curved to a partially flat lineup in just a couple of months.

That's at least according to Ice Universe, aka @UniverseIce, a relatively prolific leaker and generally trusted source of inside information on unannounced Samsung devices.

Flat is back

It's certainly a little surprising to hear Samsung is purportedly gearing up to roll out the "regular" Galaxy Note 20 5G with a flat display when you consider the company's history, as well as a rapidly spreading new industry trend.

In case you're wondering, you have to go all the way back to 2015's Galaxy Note 5 to find the previous member of the popular S Pen-wielding flagship family released with a "conventional" design. Well, there was also 2016's Note 7, but we all know how that "fiery" 5.7-incher turned out before the Note 8 stepped in the next year to move the high-end series in a bold new direction.

Who here remembers this beaut?

Of course, Edge-branded Galaxy S flagships started becoming a thing even earlier than that, inspiring a wave of copycats that seems to be growing larger and larger every year. Some of these "edgy" Samsung-inspired powerhouses are trying to take display curves to the next level as part of the so-called "waterfall" movement, but even though Samsung was rumored to join that club with the Galaxy Note 20 at one point, it appears that the world's number one smartphone vendor will instead swim against Huawei, Vivo, Oppo, and Motorola's tide after all.

However, Ice Universe's recent tweet claiming the "Note 20 is flat" shouldn't come as a complete shock, essentially corroborating some leaked renders of the 6.4-inch or so device from a few weeks ago. What we're now curious to see is whether or not Samsung will also bring a Galaxy Note 20 Lite variant to market down the line.

After all, the company may have inexplicably left the Galaxy S10e without a follow-up, but the S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite strongly indicated flat-screened Samsung giants sporting premium designs were not done.

Don't expect aggressive curves on the other main model either

Whether it'll be called Note 20+ 5G or Note 20 Ultra 5G, we have reason to believe Samsung only has one more variant in the pipeline, which will carry on the dual-curved legacy of so many of its forerunners. But as highlighted in recently leaked factory CAD-based renders, these screen curves may not be as pronounced as the ones boasted by the Galaxy S20 and Note 10 families.

It's almost as if Samsung is considering going back to flat displays altogether, gradually making changes to its high-end smartphone lineups to gauge customers' reactions and keep any ensuing criticism to a minimum.

Leaked Galaxy Note 20+ renders

It remains to be seen how the Galaxy S21 (S30) roster will be shaped by this revised approach, but for the time being, it's probably better to focus on the impending Galaxy Note 20 5G family rather than think too much about the still-distant next entry in the Galaxy S series.

To recap some of the key specs and features rumored of late, the 6.4-inch Note 20 5G is expected to come packing a 4,300mAh or so battery alongside the same Snapdragon 865 SoC and up to 16GB RAM count of the 6.9-inch Note 20+ (Note 20 Ultra) 5G. While the two phones are likely to share 120Hz refresh rate technology, the smaller model should settle for a humbler 2345 x 1084 pixel count compared to the 3096 x 1444 resolution of its big brother.

Finally, the camera specifications of the Note 20 remain somewhat unclear, with the plus-sized variant pretty much guaranteed to accommodate a 108MP primary shooter, as well as a 13MP periscope lens with 50x zoom capabilities and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor on its back.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.