05/16 Update below. This post was originally published on May 14
There’s a lot to like about Samsung’s Galaxy S20 (details), Galaxy S20+ (details) and Galaxy S20 Ultra (details). But now we know the smart money should wait. And this is why.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 render based on leaks
Concept Creator
MORE FROM FORBESSamsung Galaxy Note 20: Everything We Know So FarBy Gordon KellyIn a new interview, well connected Samsung insider Ross Young has revealed Samsung will give the Galaxy Note 20 major biometric and performance upgrades over the current Galaxy S20 lineup. And seemingly for a lower price.
05/15 Update: Young has now done a follow-up interview in which he has divulged further Note 20 and Note 20+ upgrades. These include a slightly increase in display size with a 6.42-inch Note 20 and 6.87-inch Note 20+ Vs the 6.3-inch and 6.7-inch Note 10+ and a battery upgrade from their predecessors 3,500 and 4,000 mAh batteries to 4.000 (Note 20) and 5,000 mAh (Note 20+). Young also says Samsung shouldn’t be affected by the COVID-19 outbreak with the same early August unveiling (the Note 10s appearing August 7) and a retail launch in late August/early September (Vs 23 August last year). This means just three more months and further evidence why you should keep your money in your pocket right now.
05/16 Update: Samsung now appears to be hammering the final nails into the Galaxy S20 Ultra ahead of the release of the Note 20 and Fold 2 releases (which the company recently confirmed). Popular Samsung insider Max Weinbach has revealed that Samsung will fit the Fold 2 (the company’s most expensive phone of the year) with the IMX 555 12MP sensor from the Galaxy S20+ rather than the 108MP sensor from the S20 Ultra. Given the (seemingly unfixable) problems with the S20 Ultra’s camera hardware, this makes a lot of sense. For potential S20 Ultra buyers, once again, the Note 20 looks the most logical choice.
In terms of biometrics, Young states that Samsung will equip the Note 20 series with Qualcomm’s next-generation ultrasonic fingerprint reader, the 3D Sonic Max. Compared to its poorly performing predecessor, the Max is on another level. Qualcomm states it will deliver a “recognition area that is 17x larger than the previous generation, allowing for increased security via simultaneous two-finger authentication, increased speed and ease of use.”
The 3D Sonic Max was expected to launch in the Galaxy S20 lineup but didn’t make the cut, with Samsung instead sticking with Qualcomm’s heavily criticised gen-one ultrasonic reader used in the Galaxy S10. Unsurprisingly, reviews pinpointed the unlocking experience of the S20 phones as one of their worst attributes. Considering how often you unlock a phone every day, this is a fundamental flaw which the Note 20 range will fix.
Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic Max in-display fingerprint reader is a massive step up over the first gen model … [+] inside the Galaxy S20
Qualcomm
Next performance, and here Samsung looks set to cause waves because Young explains that Samsung will equip both the entry-level Note 20 and flagship Note 20+ with 16GB RAM as standard. The Galaxy S20 Ultra does come with 16GB, but it costs $1,400, so you’re looking at a big cost saving for a cutting edge spec
Furthermore, the Note 20s RAM will be superior because it is the 16GB LPDDR5 DRAM modules Samsung started to mass product in February, just too late for the Galaxy S20 range. How much better? Samsung states the modules are 30% faster and up to 20% more efficient.
Couple this information with the news that Samsung is also going to equip the Galaxy Note 20+ with an all-new LTPO variable refresh rate panel that finally makes 120Hz power-efficient (again unlike the S20 phones) and you should expect longer battery life as well. And that’s before we get to the range’s headline feature: the biggest S Pen upgrade in generations.
To date, 2020 has been a year Samsung would rather forget, but the company may end it on a high. The Galaxy Note 20 lineup is starting to look like the smartphones the Galaxy S20 models should have been. So remember: this year, the smart money waits.
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