Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G review

OneUI 2.5 and Android 10, 3 OS updates too

Update, Dec 30: One UI 3 update is out for many Galaxy phones. Here's what's new there.

The Note20 Ultra introduces an updated version of the company's OneUI - this one stands at 2.5, while we've only seen up to 2.1 on previous Galaxies. Not that we witnessed major differences going from one to the other. In any case, there's Android 10 running underneath the in-house overlay.

Samsung has announced it will be offering three OS version updates for the Note, among other high-end and mid-tier devices - a most welcome development. So when Android 11 drops in the coming weeks (and the Note gets it in, say, March 2021), that will count as the first major update. And then the OS update cycle for the Note20 Ultra will end with Android 13 sometime in late 2022 (or, more realistically, early 2023).

OneUI has been a favorite around the office. Things like the system-wide dark mode and the gesture navigation we're already taking for granted and we debated even mentioning them. What tipped the scales was the fact that neither comes enabled by out of the box - perhaps we've reached a point, when gesture navigation should be the go-to method?

And it's not just gesture navigation. Samsung's OneUI is rarely

System-wide dark mode • Navigation options

Biometric security on the Note20 Ultra comes in one of two shapes - fingerprint authentication and facial recognition. Even if this one reviewer insists he's having no issues and has used it happily on an S20+ and a Note10+ before it, and now on the Note20 Ultra, consensus around the office is that Samsung's ultrasonic fingerprint sensor isn't quite as fast or reliable as competing optical solutions.

If it doesn't work for you, the face recognition will offer a more convenient (if not as secure) access to your homescreen, leaving the fingerprint reader for just password managers or banking apps.

Biometrics

As we mentioned, spotting differences in OneUI 2.5 when it comes to the basics is a tall order - we'd essentially call it identical to what you'd get on any other Samsung rocking One UI 2 and very similar to One UI One ones.

Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Notification shade • Quick toggles • Task switcher

'Edge panels' is a well-known, long-standing feature that's gotten yet another redesign on the Note20 Ultra - that's a OneUI 2.5 change right there! Icons in the panes are now larger, the pane names have been moved to the center of the screen, and... that's about it. Functionality hasn't changed - It gives you quick access to apps, actions, tools, etc. with a single swipe from the side. You can choose which side the handle is located on, as well as adjust its position along the edge of the phone. In the Edge screen sub-menu, you will also find Edge lighting - a feature that can light up the outline of the UI in an ever-growing selection of glow types to gently alert you of any new notifications.

Edge screen

Nearby Share, Google's universal sharing feature for Androids announced a couple of weeks ago can be found on the Note20 Ultra - also theoretically available to every Android phone running Marshmallow and up. It's just that the releases coincided (or they were meant to coincide) and Samsung is making it a point to promote the feature. Its so far unique take on it is that the Note20 Ultra is using UWB (ultra wideband) radio to help it find other compatible Galaxies more quickly.

Pre-existing Galaxy-only sharing features are still here. Quick Share is Samsung's latest name for the company's sharing solution based around Bluetooth for device discovery and Wi-Fi direct for actual data transfer that works with Samsungs only - last time we checked it worked all the way on the Note 3 where it's called Quick Connect. Another, more intriguing sharing feature is Music share. Enabled by Bluetooth 5, it lets you connect the Galaxy to a BT speaker and use the phone as a hub for other phones to connect to the speaker.

Sharing is caring: Nearby Share • Quick Share • Music Share

With the Note20s, Samsung is also making a big push with Notes - its... well, note-taking app and platform. Annotation of existing PDF is one of the key features, but you can also export your own notes into PDFs as well as PowerPoint presentations or regular doc files. A new addition to the feature set is the ability to sync voice recording with hand-written notes. Handwriting recognition is as good as ever, but Notes can now also Auto Straighten your scribblings. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Samsung Notes will now sync between all your devices, Windows 10 PCs included and that's been a pain point for a lot of users, we hear.

Samsung Notes

Synthetic benchmarks

In typical fashion for Samsung top-tier smartphones, the Note20 Ultra is made in two main versions when it comes to the chipset inside. North America, South Korea, Japan and China now get the Snapdragon 865+ SoC - the souped-up fall version of Qualcomm's high-end chipset for 2020. Other places like Europe, India, Brazil or Australia receive the Exynos 990, the same Exynos that spring models had. A lot has been said of this regional divide with customers in Exynos territories complaining they're getting an inferior product at the same or even higher price. A philosophical 'it is, what it is' is all we can muster.

There's a further split from there - 5G-enabled and LTE-only versions exist too. Our review unit is an Exynos version with 5G, 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Benchmark performance on the Note20 Ultra in this trim is... flagship-grade but low-to-average for the class. In single-core GeekBench, the Note with Exynos inside is ever so slightly slower than Snapdragon 865 devices, while adding a plus to the Snapdragon means a more noticeable bump in the score. The Note does post a 13% higher score than the Kirin-powered Huawei P40 Pros, for what that's worth.

GeekBench 5.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
  1332
• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  975
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  959
• LG V60 ThinQ 5G (new run)
  910
• Motorola Edge+
  910
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  905
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  904
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  902
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  900
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  897
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  886
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  880
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  781
• Huawei P40 Pro
  780
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  776

It loses that advantage in the multi-core test, however, where all Galaxies are trailing behind. Even the Snapdragon 865+ Tab S7+ isn't up to its chip's standard - there could be some artificially imposed limitations here. It's worth noting that the Note20 Ultra posts ever so slightly lower numbers than the S20 Ultra, a trend we'll be seeing in more benchmarks to follow.

GeekBench 5.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
  3503
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  3374
• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  3357
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  3331
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  3318
• Motorola Edge+
  3295
• LG V60 ThinQ 5G (new run)
  3289
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  3269
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  3203
• Huawei P40 Pro
  3197
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  2703
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  2697
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  2690
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  2603
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  2154

Here's Antutu to prove that point, with the S20U posting a whopping 6K points better score than the N20U. This inconsequential difference aside, the Galaxies we've tested (all Exynos) occupy the lower end of the chart. The ROG Phone 3 with an S865+ inside does markedly better, but so do some S865 overachievers.

AnTuTu 8

Higher is better

• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  601858
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  595246
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  593717
• Motorola Edge+
  574155
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  573276
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  566786
• Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
  536883
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  534701
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  529687
• LG V60 ThinQ 5G (new run)
  527612
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  514485
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  508760
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  500114
• Huawei P40 Pro
  496356
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  438622

In GPU-focused benchmarks the Note20 Ultra posts respectable, though entirely unexciting results and is never withing a fighting distance for the top spot.

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
  179
• Motorola Edge+
  128
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  127
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  126
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  124
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  124
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  123
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  123
• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  123
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  120
• Huawei P40 Pro
  118
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  118
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  116
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  112

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  111
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  101
• Motorola Edge+
  89
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  88
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  88
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  84
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  67
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  67
• Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
  60
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  60
• Huawei P40 Pro
  59
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  58
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  58
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  57

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
  120
• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  92
• Motorola Edge+
  89
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  88
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  87
• LG V60 ThinQ 5G (new run)
  86
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  86
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  86
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  85
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  85
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  84
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  80
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  76
• Huawei P40 Pro
  75
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  68

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Motorola Edge+
  83
• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  82
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  76
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  75
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  75
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  74
• Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
  60
• LG V60 ThinQ 5G (new run)
  59
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  59
• Huawei P40 Pro
  52
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  52
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  43
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  43
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  40
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  38

GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
  67
• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  56
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  54
• Motorola Edge+
  52
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  51
• LG V60 ThinQ 5G (new run)
  51
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  51
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  51
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  51
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  50
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  50
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  50
• Huawei P40 Pro
  44
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  44
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  43

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
  57
• Motorola Edge+
  48
• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  48
• LG V60 ThinQ 5G (new run)
  44
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  43
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  42
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  42
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  42
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  39
• Huawei P40 Pro
  31
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  31
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  25
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  24
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  24
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  24

Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Motorola Edge+
  32
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  29
• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  27
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  26
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  26
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  20
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  20
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  17
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  17
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  16
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  16
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  13

Aztek OpenGL ES 3.1 High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Motorola Edge+
  33
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  32
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  32
• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  32
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  31
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
  29
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  27
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  23
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  18
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  17
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  16
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  16

3DMark SSE OpenGL ES 3.1 1440p

Higher is better

• Asus ROG Phone 3 (144Hz)
  7645
• Motorola Edge+
  7409
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  7159
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  7138
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  7127
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  6819
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  6713
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  6543
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  6065
• Huawei P40 Pro
  6062
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  4984

3DMark SSE Vulkan 1440p

Higher is better

• Motorola Edge+
  6666
• Oppo Find X2 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  6526
• OnePlus 8 Pro (120Hz, 1440p)
  6425
• Galaxy S20+ (120Hz, 1080p)
  6354
• Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (120Hz, 1080p)
  6308
• Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
  6248
• Sony Xperia 1 II
  6167
• Huawei P40 Pro+
  5641
• Huawei P40 Pro
  5637
• Samsung Galaxy Note10+
  4763

The Note20 Ultra heats up significantly with prolonged heavy load too. Thermal throttling is pronounced as well, resulting in progressively lower scores after repeated benchmark runs. We ran a CPU throttling test and witnessed a gradual decrease in performance in the first 20 minutes to about 80% of the maximum and then a drop to around 70% of its peak results, a level that the phone could then sustain.

CPU throttling test

Overall, we're hardly enthusiastic about the Note20 Ultra's performance, in the Exynos trim that we got to review it in. Yes, it's fast and smooth and fluid and all that, and it won't leave you waiting. But it's also not the best that's available right now, and the Note should be the best that's available. The Snapdragon version is closer to that ideal, making the chipset divide we need to live with an even more bitter pill to swallow.