At the time of testing, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is one of the best smartphones available. The phablet shines in the test with a very bright AMOLED display, high system speed, a good and versatile camera, pleasing speakers, and a fancy design.

super-bright OLED display with HDR10; good speakers; S Pen; strong triple-camera setup; expandable storage; Wi-Fi 6; 5G; and eSIM; IP68 certification

slow microSD slot; 120 Hz only at Full HD; neither aptX HD nor aptX Adaptive; SoC policy

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera is an incremental improvement of the great camera platform introduced with the Galaxy S20 Ultra, with noticeable improvements in low-light and zoom photography.

Excellent colors and, Incredible details, Natural color hues, Noticeably better noise-reduction vs; S20U, Excellent details preservation, The best zoom tested to date, Fewer filtering artefacts than competitors, Wider angle than some competitors, Excellent daylight quality

A 27MP resolution option would be great; Slow shutter speed; Nothing obvious; Not the absolute best in low-light

Samsung Galaxy Note series has always been the best of what the company got to offer. And with the Galaxy Note 20 series-- Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G, it’s the same story.

In a year when mid-range devices like the Pixel 4a and OnePlus Nord have been getting a lot more attention than usual, Samsung has just released the new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. If you’re looking for a pragmatic device that offers a decent value proposition, this isn’t the phone for you.

S Pen; Display; Cameras; Performance

Battery Life; Software

But if you want all of its features, or even just want the S Pen stylus, it’s probably worth it – few phones offer an experience close to this, and it’s a big upgrade on the standard Samsung Galaxy Note 20.

Great zoom capabilities; S Pen stylus is useful; Top screen

Very expensive; Can't have QHD+ and 120Hz simultaneously; Doesn't use the best Android chipset

While the Note 20 Ultra 5G doesn't offer a huge leap forward from existing Notes and Galaxy S phones, it comes packed with the best specs around, is beautifully designed, and has one key feature that you can't really find anywhere else – that useful S Pen stylus.

Packed with powerful components; Giant; gorgeous-looking screen; The S Pen continues to improve

Costs a lot of money; Huge camera bump; Stock Android still superior

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G delivers in every aspect. As a premium phone, it delivers power, style and an absolutely phenomenal screen. As a gaming device, it will definitely pair nicely with the future that publishers such as Xbox are laying down.

The Beautiful AMOLED Display, Performance Is Top Notch, Cameras Cater To Most Type Of Shots, S-Pen Improvements

The Size Can Be Awkward, On The Expensive Side, The Camera Bump

Giant, gorgeous screen, fast processor, and great battery life; Mystic Bronze is the new pinnacle in phone colors; Lower S Pen latency makes a huge difference; Laser autofocus is the fastest I've ever used in a phone;

Extremely expensive with less storage than the Note 10+; Might be too big for some pockets; Can get hot during heavy loads;

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is Samsung’s best phone to date, but it launches at a time when expensive superphones look like lavish exuberance, not must-haves. That’s not to say the £1,179 price-tag is actually that expensive in the high-priced world of top-end smartphones that scale to £2,000.

After nearly 10 years at the cutting edge, the Samsung Galaxy Note series is still on top of its game. Yes, it's easy to see the Note 20 Ultra as "just another Note" - but that's because it's got so much right.

Integrated stylus delivers key point of difference; Great handwriting and notes input; Massive screen is a delight; Powerful and fluid operation

Big camera protrustion; Battery struggles to last a full day; Zoom camera is unimpressive; 120Hz display unavailable at max res; Gimmicky Air Gestures; Pricey