Short answer: Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 worth it in 2021? Yes, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G are worth buying in 2021. They are both great smartphones with top-notch specs and features, and you can get either for a low price from the Swappa marketplace.
The Galaxy Note has always been a feature-packed smartphone. One key feature is the S Pen, and for many, if you want a smartphone with a stylus — the Galaxy Note is often considered the only option. But this comes at a price. The starting MSRP was $999.99 for the Note 20 5G and $1,299.99 for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G — neither of which should be considered cheap or inexpensive. However, you can pick up a gently used Galaxy Note 20 5G or Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G for half the price on Swappa.
Keep reading if you’ve been asking yourself if the Galaxy Note 20 is worth buying in 2021.
Table of contents:
- Which Galaxy Note is the newest in 2021?
- What are the specs for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20?
- What are the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 features?
- Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 worth it in 2021?
- Here are the reasons to buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 20
Read our Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G Buyer’s Guide and our Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G Buyer’s Guide.
Which Galaxy Note is the newest in 2021?
The Galaxy Note 20 is the newest Galaxy Note as of August 2021. Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 20 5G and Galaxy Note Ultra 5G in August 2020. The Galaxy Note 20 lineup is the successor to the Galaxy Note 10 lineup, which included the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus. The Galaxy Note 10 was announced in August 2019.
The Galaxy Note lineup is typically announced in August during Samsung’s Unpacked events. While Samsung hasn’t officially stated the Galaxy Note 20 is the end of the line for the Galaxy Note lineup, the successor to the Galaxy Note 20 wasn’t announced during the latest Unpacked event, which took place on August 11, 2021.
Instead, Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, with the S Pen stylus support being passed from the Galaxy Note to the Galaxy Z Fold 3. This means that if you are looking for a Galaxy Note, you should get a Galaxy Note 20 or Galaxy Note 10.
What are the specs for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20?
Overall, the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 20 look similar. They both feature a display that is near edge-to-edge with very slim bezels, and they each use a hole-punch style front-facing camera. But Samsung did bring some improvements with the release of the Galaxy Note 20 5G and the Note 20 Ultra 5G. Samsung also added some size.
The smaller Galaxy Note phones are the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 20 5G. The Note 10 has a 6.3-inch display, and the Note 20 5G display is 6.7 inches. The increase in display size means the overall size of the phone is bigger.
The Galaxy Note 20 also includes a bigger battery and the newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor — welcome additions when considering a powerhouse smartphone such as a Galaxy Note. The table below outlines the specs for each of the models in the Note 10 and Note 20 lineups.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G | Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G | Samsung Galaxy Note 10 | Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus | |
Display | 6.7″ flat Infinity-O FHD+ Super AMOLED+ (2400 x 1080) | 6.9″ edge Infinity-O Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (3088 x 1440) | 6.3″ FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED (2280 x 1080) | 6.8″ WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED (3040 x 1440) |
Processor | Snapdragon 865+ | Snapdragon 865+ | Snapdragon 855 | Snapdragon 855 |
RAM | 8GB | 12GB | 8GB | 12GB |
Storage | 128GB or 256GB | 128GB, 256GB or 512GB internal with microSD card support up to 1TB | 256GB | 256GB or 512GB internal with microSD card support up to 1TB |
Rear Camera | Triple camera with OIS (12MP ultra-wide, 12MP wide, 64MP telephoto) | Triple camera with OIS (12MP ultra-wide, 108MP wide, 12MP telephoto) and Laser AF sensor | Triple camera with Dual OIS (16MP ultra-wide, 12MP wide, 12MP telephoto) | Quad camera with Dual OIS (16MP ultra-wide, 12MP wide, 12MP telephoto, DepthVision) |
Front Camera | 10MP Selfie camera | 10MP Selfie camera | 10MP Selfie camera | 10MP Selfie camera |
Water Resistance Rating | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
Battery | 4,300 mAh | 4,500 mAh | 3,500 mAh | 4,300 mAh |
Charging | 25W wired charging, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare | 25W wired charging, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare | 25W wired charging, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare | 45W wired charging, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare |
3.5mm Headphone Jack | No | No | No | No |
Network Connectivity | 4G LTE / 5G (sub6 & mmWave) | 4G LTE / 5G (sub6 & mmWave) | 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
Size / Weight | 75.2 x 161.6 x 8.3 mm / 194 grams | 77.2 x 164.8 x 8.1 mm / 208 grams | 71.8 x 151.0 x 7.9 mm / 168 grams | 77.2 x 162.3 x 7.9 mm / 196 grams |
What are the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 features?
In general, the Galaxy Note lineup has always been considered a flagship model smartphone. This means the Galaxy Note has top-notch hardware specs, along with top-notch software features. And sometimes these specs and features cross paths, such as with the S Pen. The Galaxy Note 20 5G and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G are no different, and these two smartphones arrived with improvements in several key areas.
- Display Size: 6.7-inches on the Galaxy Note 20 5G and 6.9-inches on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G. This larger display size, combined with the slim bezels, make for a great looking phone with lots of viewing room, and lots of room to take advantage of the S Pen functionality.
- S Pen: Improvements with the S Pen include better latency, which is now at 26ms on the Note 20 and 9ms on the Note 20 Ultra. This is down from 42ms on the Note 10 lineup. The battery life of the S Pen increased from 10 hours to 24 hours, and Samsung added five new Anywhere actions which assist with touchless navigation.
- Samsung DeX: In addition to being able to connect your Galaxy Note 20 to a computer monitor for a desktop-like computing experience, Samsung now also allows you to wireless connect your Note 20 to a Smart TV for better multitasking — watch a video on the big screen while still using the screen on the Note 20.
Samsung also included some new Microsoft Windows 10 integration features. With Microsoft’s Your Phone app, you can now access your mobile apps from your Windows 10 computer. This includes syncing your images, managing notifications, and responding to messages. Samsung and Microsoft also bring your favorite Xbox games to the Galaxy Note 20 with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy Note 20: Everything you need to know
Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 worth it in 2021?
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G or the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G are worth buying in 2021. They have great specs, and they are currently the newest models in the Galaxy Note lineup. Perhaps more important — you can get either the Galaxy Note 20 5G or the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G for about half of the original retail price.
Current prices for a gently used Galaxy Note 20 5G start around $500, and at around $660 for a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G. Of course, if those prices aren’t quite low enough, you can also consider previous generations of the Galaxy Note.
You can review our overall Galaxy Note Buyer’s Guide if you want more information on any of the other models in the Galaxy Note lineup.
You should buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 if…
- …you want a Galaxy Note and also must have the current-generation model.
- You should buy the Galaxy Note 20 if you want a bigger screen (as compared to the Galaxy Note 10) or if you want a Galaxy Note with the latest and greatest version of the S Pen.
You should consider a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 if…
- …you really want an S Pen with your smartphone, but feel the Galaxy Note 20 is still too expensive.
- You should buy a Galaxy Note 10 if you want a Galaxy Note but prefer a smaller size (as compared to the Galaxy Note 20 size).
Whichever option you choose, a Galaxy Note 20 or a Galaxy Note 10, you can rest assured knowing that you will find the best deals in the Swappa marketplace. Swappa is a safe and secure marketplace, and it is also easy to use.
Swappa’s support team is available 24/7/365 if you ever have any questions, and Swappa’s policies have been designed to protect all users — buyers and sellers. Swappa also has a ‘No Junk, No Jerks’ policy, which means you will not find any junky broken devices listed for sale, and that you will be dealing with like-minded individuals (who aren’t jerks).