Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Release Date, News, and Rumors
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is expected to get a successor later this year. Rumors have so far pitched the name Galaxy Note 10, keeping in mind the version jump Samsung made from the Galaxy S10 to the Galaxy S20 earlier in 2024. The phone is expected to be announced in Q3 of 2020 and be sold at around the same time.
Some features are understandably going to make a comeback on the smartphone, although it’s still unclear if there will be new additions. As you would expect, we’ve come across a fair bit of information pertaining to the smartphone, which we’re going to carefully go through in this article today. So here’s everything you need to know about the Galaxy Note 20 ahead of its highly anticipated release later this year.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Release Date, News, and Rumors
Galaxy Note 20 News
Reports in early March from Twitter source @UniverseIce mentioned that Samsung was working on a Note 10 successor with the codename Project Canvas.
Separately, SamMobile said that the Galaxy Note 20 storage capacities could now start from 128GB instead of 256GB.
A report from a few days ago also mentioned that Samsung was currently working on the Exynos 992 chipset meant for the Galaxy Note 20s selling in EMEA markets. The U.S. version is likely to use the Snapdragon 865 processor.
Galaxy Note 20 Release Date
Going by past Galaxy Note announcements, it’s safe to assume that the Galaxy Note 20 will most likely be unveiled at a standalone Samsung event by August. While the company is yet to send out invites for the event, it’s clear that the phone is just a few months away from arriving on the shelves. While it’s likely that the global pandemic has impacted Samsung’s development of the smartphone, the company is expected to streamline development across its R&D facilities in due course of time.
Galaxy Note 20 Rumors
Size & Design
Despite Samsung’s intentions to make radical changes to its smartphones with each upgrade, internal sources have suggested that the Galaxy Note 20 will remain mostly identical to the galaxy s20 in terms of design. However, it is said that the phone may come with slightly rounder corners.
This means the only differentiating factor between the Galaxy Note 20 and the galaxy s20 will be the S Pen stylus on the Note flagship. Of course, all of this could change significantly over the next few months, so we’re hoping to get further updates on this front. It’s also likely that the company will use the same design as the Galaxy Note 10 since the display size isn’t expected to get a major boost.
There’s also talk of the Galaxy Note 20 selling in three different variants, much like the galaxy s20 flagship earlier this year. If there aren’t too many changes with the display technology, we expect the Note 20 to be just as thick as the predecessor (7.9mm).
Display
Multiple sources have so far mentioned that the Galaxy Note 20 will use the same display sizes as last year, which would mean a 6.3-inch panel for the entry level Galaxy Note 20, while the Note 20+ should have a 6.8-inch screen. There’s not much information on the display size for the third variant, but it’s likely that this refers to the Lite version of the Galaxy Note 20, which will likely have a 6.7 inch panel under the hood.
There should be no change with regard to the display quality used on the flagship. The Galaxy Note 20 should continue using a Super AMOLED panel, perhaps with a resolution of 3200 x 1440, which is the same resolution as the Galaxy S20+. There’s still some confusion regarding this aspect, so we recommend you to take it with a pinch of salt.
Features like HDR10+ as well as an always-on display should also be present with the Note 20. The display could also offer support for a 120 Hz refresh rate natively, though this may take a heavy toll on the phone’s battery life.
Camera
The Galaxy Note 20 will likely borrow the same camera arrangement as either of the one galaxy s20 models. Some sources indicate that the same camera layout as the Galaxy S20+ could be used on the Note 20. This basically means the rear camera should consist of a 64MP primary telephoto sensor, a 12MP ultrawide sensor, and a 12MP wide-angle sensor. This will be accompanied by a fourth sensor, known as DepthVision.
The front camera is a bit of a mystery right now, but knowing that Samsung is also working on an under-display camera sensor, it makes sense to assume that the company will try to implement it on the Galaxy Note 20 in some form.
The technology has been shown off by manufacturers like Vivo, although Samsung is said to be assessing the feasibility of a technology like this. There could be a handful of challenges with regard to implementing a tech like this given the potential to obscure the camera’s view if the display/screen is dirty. So it’s equally likely that Samsung may choose to wait until the Galaxy S21 to bring this feature.
Other features
The company has found ways to get rid of bezels by including an optical under-display fingerprint scanner. Given that this is also seen with the galaxy s20 lineup, it’s safe to assume that the sensor will make a comeback on the Galaxy Note 20.
5G a possibility
Powering the device will be Qualcomm’s latest and greatest silicon, the Snapdragon 865. This also makes it quite obvious that the phone will be sold in 5G variants at launch, although it’s unclear if it will be available globally. Much like the company did with previous iterations of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagship, the Snapdragon variant will likely be used for North America and some European markets, while the company may also have a version running the Exynos chipset. It has been rumored that Samsung is working on the Exynos 992 chipset meant for the Asian variant of the Galaxy Note 20.
Upgraded RAM and storage
The phone will most likely come with up to 12GB of RAM, which is a sensible upgrade from the Galaxy Note 10’s 8GB capacity. This will also bring the flagship in line with the company’s recently launched galaxy s20 trio.
Samsung also took the bold step of making the internal storage on the Note 10 non-expandable. It will be interesting to see if Samsung will maintain this with the 2020 Note flagship. But customers shouldn’t mind this too much given that Samsung may theoretically offer up to 512GB of internal storage with the Note 20, hence negating the need for a microSD card. There’s also talk about Samsung looking to bring down the storage capacity of the entry level Note 20 to 128GB, which makes it likely that the company may include a microSD card slot after all.
No hope for improved face unlock yet
Although customers would rather prefer a more robust and secure face recognition technology, the company continued to use the same old face unlock tech on the recently unveiled galaxy s20. Hopefully, the company will consider enhancing this particular aspect so that fingerprint scanning for authentication becomes a thing of the past.
The Note 20 will also most likely come with IP68 certified water and dust resistance, which was one of the major selling points of the Galaxy Note 10.
While one assumes that the Galaxy Note 20 may offer the same battery capacity as the galaxy s20 lineup, sources suggest that may not be the case. Given that the standard Galaxy Note 10 came with a 3,500 mAh unit, it’s likely that the company will provide a 4,000 mAh battery on the Note 20. So if you’re hoping to find a 5,000 mAh battery on the Galaxy Note 20, you may be in for disappointment.
One of my favorite features of the Galaxy Note 10 is its ability to reverse charge devices using the USB C port. This allowed users to charge nearby devices using the Galaxy Note 10. Additionally, the phone could also wirelessly charge compatible devices including Samsung’s earbuds and smartwatches.
It would be a huge loss if Samsung decides to skip these features on the Note 20. The phone should support wired charging at up to 45W using Samsung’s latest adapter, while it will also likely offer 15W fast wireless charging speeds using the Samsung fast wireless charger. On the other hand, we shouldn’t be surprised if Samsung decides to unveil even faster wireless charging tech with the Galaxy Note 20.
S Pen
While the S Pen is what makes the Note standout from the crowd, this may be the only difference between the galaxy s20 and the new Note 20, as per reports. Given that Samsung is expected to use an almost identical hardware as the Galaxy S20+ with the 2020 Note flagship, there may be very little to get excited about.
It is hoped that Samsung will make some much needed improvements to the S Pen stylus to bring it on par with Apple Pencil. But it’s worth mentioning that Samsung doesn’t charge extra for the S Pen while Apple does. Also, the S Pen has a dedicated slot which can also charge the stylus when not in use. This makes it an extremely convenient accessory to have on any device.
No headphone jack
Much like the 2019 Note flagship and the subsequently launched galaxy s20 handsets, the Galaxy Note 20 may not have a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired headphones. This would require customers to either get a USB C adapter or stick to wireless Bluetooth earbuds or headphones.
Android 10, not Android 11
Given that Android 10 is expected to be replaced by Android 11 over the next few months, there’s speculation from some quarters that the Galaxy Note 20 may come with Android 11 by default. This may not be the case given that Google isn’t expected to release Android 11 until fall this year. The likes of the Pixel 4 and the yet to be launched Pixel 5 will likely be the first to run Android 11.
However, this doesn’t mean Samsung won’t make software or UI changes to the Galaxy Note 20. One UI could be significantly revamped to make for a more enhanced Note experience, while Samsung will also likely provide the Android 11 update before the end of 2020.
Customers of the Galaxy Note 20 should also see enhancements made to software features like Samsung DeX, a feature that allows you to use your phone as a desktop with compatible televisions and monitors around you. This converts the smartphone into a productivity powerhouse with the ability to add a keyboard and mouse as well.
Galaxy Note 20 Price
This is an area where Samsung could potentially surprise us, considering that the Note 10 last year wasn’t exactly the most affordable flagship in the market. But with the Plus variants selling for well beyond $1,000 in 2019, it’s likely that the trend will continue with the Galaxy Note 20.
What could be different?
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the Galaxy Note 20 will likely be an S Pen toting version of the galaxy s20. However, the phone could come with slightly rounded corners, and possibly an all-new under-display selfie camera. This could get rid of the hole punch camera that was introduced with the Galaxy Note 10 last year.
Also different will be the likely inclusion of a microSD card slot for storage expansion, something that Galaxy Note 10 users missed a great deal. RAM capacity may also see an upgrade, although Samsung will likely reserve the major upgrades for the high-end Galaxy Note 20+ model.
The triple camera from the Galaxy Note 10 could be ditched in favor of a four-sensor arrangement, including the company’s iconic DepthVision sensor.
While early rumors have also talked about some upgrades to the S Pen stylus, it’s too early to tell if these will actually impact day-to-day usage or just remain a novelty feature.
There’s also some positive news coming about the battery capacity of the Galaxy Note 20. It’s likely the standard and Plus models will see the addition of a 4,000 mAh, up from the 3,500 mAh capacity on 2019’s Galaxy Note 10.
New colors?
Samsung is known to experiment and innovate extensively with regard to the appearance of its high-end flagships. While there’s no major design change expected with the Galaxy Note 20, there could be plenty of new colors to choose from. The Note 10 is sold in colors like Aura Red, Aura Glow, Aura White, Aura Pink, and Aura Black.