Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra hands-on review

Camera

The Galaxy Note20 Ultra comes with what looks like the S20 Ultra's camera system at first glance - it's got the 108MP main shooter, the big-pixel fixed-focus ultra-wide, and the periscope telephoto. It's got the same big hump and all too. For the most part, it is the same, but there are differences too.

Galaxy S20 Ultra (top) next to Galaxy Note20 Ultra

The most significant one is, in fact, about that periscope telephoto. As a quick reminder, the S20 Ultra has a 48MP Tetracell sensor behind a 4x zoom lens. That's the native zoom level though it does default to a 5x zoom when you hit the single tree button in the viewfinder, for reasons likely related to marketing more than anything else. It's a huge sensor for a telephoto cam at 1/2.0" while the lens' f/3.5 aperture isn't overly impressive, but it proved a non-issue in practice.

The new telephoto module on the Note20 Ultra changes things up a bit. It swaps out the Tetracell sensor for a conventional 12MP one, but bumps the native zoom level to 5x, and the lens aperture is now wider at f/3.0, which coincidentally matches the Oppo Find X2 Pro's periscope. We're not entirely sure how to feel about that as the numbers don't necessarily promise better performance. We'll be sure to check how the Note20 Ultra's telephoto cam compares to the S20 Ultra's.

The main shooter on the Note20 Ultra does come from the S20 Ultra. It uses the 108MP Nonacell sensor - a big 1/1.33" imager that outputs 12MP shots by binning 9 0.8µm pixels into 1, with some proprietary processing magic happening in the process. It's paired with a stabilized, 26mm-equivalent focal length lens that has an f/1.8 aperture.

Then there's the ultra wide-angle cam, and that too is lifted from the S20s. It's a 12MP unit with big 1.4µm pixels behind an f/2.2 aperture lens and a 120-degree field of view - before the software distortion correction steps in, that is. Sadly, there's no autofocus on this module.

The ToF camera from the Galaxy S20 Ultra is nowhere to be found on the Note20 Ultra. Instead, Samsung's added Laser AF to assist with nearby focusing. The S20 Ultra had poor focusing at close range so the change is welcome and in our experience, it really changes things for the better.

That's the Ultra's setup that we just detailed, while the vanilla Note20 has a different configuration. Things are easier here - it's the same as on the Galaxy S20 and S20+, minus the ToF.

That means a 12MP primary cam with a large 1/1.76" sensor and big 1.8µm individual pixels. This one has Dual Pixel autofocus, unlike the 108MP main unit on the Ultra. It does match that Ultra main cam's focal length equivalent at 26mm and aperture at f/1.8, and includes OIS as well.

There's no actual telephoto module on the Note20, just as there isn't one on the S20 and S20+. Instead, the 64MP 29mm 'telephoto' module is used for zooming in, achieving what Samsung calls 3x hybrid zoom. It does work, as we saw on the S20s, it's just not technically telephoto.

The ultra wide-angle cam is the same between all Samsung flagships this year, Note20 included.

That holds true for the front-facing camera too. It's a 10MP unit with an f/2.2 aperture lens and dual pixel autofocus. The focal length is equivalent to 26mm, but as usual for Samsungs of recent years, it defaults to a cropped in view at 32mm and 6.5MP.

Samsung made a big deal out of the Galaxy S20 family's capability for 8K video recording and that's been carried over to the Note20 pair as well, though it remains limited to 24fps. 24fps modes have now been included for 4K and 1080p as well, as is 120fps capture in FullHD.

A new addition on the video recording front is the expansion of the Pro Video mode to include further advanced controls. Key among those is the zoom speed controller, which allows you to do both slow cinematic zooms as well as dramatic rapid pull-ups.

Pro video mode

Directional audio recording that leverages the three available mics is the other extra feature, letting you select whether to focus on sound coming from your subject in front of the camera, or you as the one recording it, or instead opt for omnidirectional capture. You get real-time audio level meters as well as a gain control slider. You can even record wirelessly off of a Bluetooth mic connected to the phone - like the Galaxy Buds, for instance.

We'll be sure to test these new features when we get the chance to spend time with a review-ready unit of the Galaxy Note20 Ultra. The new periscope is also a prime candidate for head-to-head comparisons with the one on the S20 Ultra, and maybe even the Find X2 Pro's, which we suspect could have some shared DNA. Of course, a thorough examination of all other things camera-related is planned too - we just didn't have the time for now.