Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series of phones were introduced early this month during the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020.
The virtual event saw the launch of other devices including the Galaxy Tab S7, Galaxy Tab S7+, Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Buds Live, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 features a 6.7″ flat FHD+ display (2,400 x 1,080), Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
It is powered by a 4300mAh battery.
In terms of optics, you get a quad-camera setup that includes the 64MP f/2.0 telephoto camera with 3X hybrid optical zoom and 30x space zoom with OIS(optical image stabilization), 12MP f/1.8 main camera with “super speed dual pixel AF” and OIS, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide and a hole-punch 10MP f/2.2 selfie camera.
On the other hand, the Ultra brought it all the specs. It features a 6.9″ curved Quad HD+ display (3,088 x 1,440), Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ and will come in two configurations: 8GB RAM/128GB storage or 12GB of RAM/ 512GB of storage expandable to 1TB via microSD.
It is powered by a 4300mAh battery.
Photography is handled by a quad setup too that features 108MP f/1.8 main camera w/ “phase-detection autofocus” and OIS, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, 12MP f/3.0 telephoto camera with 5X optical zoom & 50x space zoom with OIS and the ability for 8K video recording at 24 fps in 21:9 aspect ratio.
Selfies are taken care of by a hole-punch 10MP f/2.2 camera.
Both Notes come with the S Pen and are 5G capable.
Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra come running Android 10 and OneUI 2.5 out of the box.
With the Note 20 series being productivity focussed, Samsung increased its integrations with Microsoft. They not only support Windows 10 & Office app synchronization but also Microsoft’s xCloud game streaming functionality w/ Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Other standard features in both phones include HDR10+, IP68 water- and dust-resistance, Dolby Atmos support, wireless charging, Wireless PowerShare, Android 10, and OneUI 2.5.
To encourage more consumers to buy the feature-packed devices, Samsung is guaranteeing that the Note 20 series will “support three generations of Android updates” unlike its usual promise of two years of updates.
This means that the Note 20 series will get Android 11 when it goes live next month, Android 12 next year and Android 13 in 2022.
It’s worth noting that Samsung used generation instead of years to remove ambiguity.
This will come handy as more consumers hold on to their devices for much longer especially in these unprecedented times.
Hopefully, these updates will be timely.
How to Pre-order
The regular Note 20 starts at Ksh 107,000 while the Note 20 Ultra starts at Ksh 137,000. Pre-orders will start on August 14th and run till the 28th.
You can now pre-order both these phones.
Visit the Samsung website(direct link), and choose which device you want. You pay a 10% down payment and then pay in full when you go to pick you Note 20 phone later this month(29th August).
With each pre-order, you’ll get the Buds Plus and the Buds Live for the regular and Ultra version respectively which were also announced at the Unpacked event.
Here’s where to pre-order which includes a full list of official Samsung retail stores in the country.