Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Note 20

76 out of 100

66 out of 100

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (with Exynos 2100) that was released on January 14, 2021, against the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, which is powered by Exynos 990 and came out 5 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

The rear camera has a 10x optical zoom
Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Comes with 700 mAh larger battery capacity: 5000 vs 4300 mAh
Delivers 64% higher peak brightness (1023 against 622 nits)
31% higher pixel density (515 vs 393 PPI)
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.2)
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
16% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (833K versus 718K)
More energy-efficient CPU – Exynos 2100
26% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 1458 and 1155 points

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy Note 20

Weighs 35 grams less

Review

Evaluation of Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Note 20 crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	Dynamic AMOLED	Super AMOLED
Size	6.8 inches	6.7 inches
Resolution	1440 x 3200 pixels	1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio	20:9	20:9
PPI	515 ppi	393 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	Yes	No
Max rated brightness	1500 nits	600 nits
HDR support	Yes, HDR10+	Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus	Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Screen-to-body ratio	89.8%	89.2%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

RGB color space	-	99.9%
PWM	-	250 Hz
Response time	-	6.4 ms
Contrast	-	∞ Infinity

Height	165.1 mm (6.5 inches)	161.6 mm (6.36 inches)
Width	75.6 mm (2.98 inches)	75.2 mm (2.96 inches)
Thickness	8.9 mm (0.35 inches)	8.3 mm (0.33 inches)
Weight	227 g (8.01 oz)	192 g (6.77 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Advanced cooling	-	Vapor chamber
Rear material	Glass	Plastic
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	Black, Silver, Gray, Blue	Black, Green, Brown
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	Yes, in-display

Chipset	Samsung Exynos 2100	Samsung Exynos 990
Max clock	2840 MHz	2730 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	8 (2 + 2 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.81 GHz: Cortex-A78 - 1 core at 2.91 GHz: Cortex-X1	- 4 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2.5 GHz: Cortex-A76 - 2 cores at 2.73 GHz: Exynos M5
L3 cache	-	2 MB
Lithography process	5 nanometers	7 nanometers
Graphics	Mali-G78 MP14	Mali-G77 MP11
GPU shading units	896	704
GPU clock	854 MHz	550 MHz
FLOPS	~1530.4 GFLOPS	~1126 GFLOPS

CPU	236566	214069
GPU	255535	202411
Memory	157504	134994
UX	183564	164236
Total score	833650	718109

Max surface temperature	40.8 °C	38.6 °C
Stability	69%	88%
Graphics test	31 FPS	25 FPS
Graphics score	5221	4317

Web score	-	7804
Video editing	-	5716
Photo editing	-	29885
Data manipulation	-	7954
Writing score	-	11968

RAM size	12, 16 GB	8 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR5
Memory clock	2750 MHz	2400 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage size	128, 256, 512 GB	256 GB
Storage type	UFS 3.1	UFS 3.1
Memory card	No	No

Operating system	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)	Android 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)
ROM	One UI 5.1	One UI 5.0
OS size	26.4 GB	35 GB

Capacity	5000 mAh	4300 mAh
Max charge power	25 W	25 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (15 W)	Yes (15 W)
Reverse charging	Yes, (wireless)	Yes, (wireless)
Fast charging	Yes (54% in 30 min)	Yes (50% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:11 hr	1:05 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	10:13 hr	-
Watching video	15:32 hr	-
Gaming	05:26 hr	-
Standby	98 hr	-

Main camera
Matrix	108 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	12000 x 9000	4000 x 3000
Zoom	Optical, 10x	Optical, 3x
Flash	Dual LED	Dual LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	Up to 24FPS	Up to 24FPS
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 240FPS
Slow motion	960 FPS (720p)	240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens	120°	120°
Lenses	4 (108 MP + 10 MP + 10 MP + 12 MP)	3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 108 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.33", Samsung S5KHM3 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Laser autofocus - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.76", Sony IMX555 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Telephoto lens	- 10 MP - Aperture: f/4.9 - Focal length: 240 mm - Pixel size: 1.22 micron - Sensor: 1/2.65", Samsung S5K3J1 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 64 MP - Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 27 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.72", Samsung Bright S5KGW2 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization
Ultra-wide lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX563 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Samsung S5K2LA (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra from DxOMark	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy Note 20 from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	40 megapixels	10 megapixels
Image resolution	7864 x 5200	3872 x 2592
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.2
Focal length	26 mm	26 mm
Pixel size	0.7 microns	1.22 microns
Sensor type	ISOCELL CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	1/2.65"	1/3.2"
Video resolution	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.2	5
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	3.2	3.2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, NAVIC
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Number of SIM *	2	2
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Standby
eSIM support *	Yes	Yes
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat *	24	20
5G support	Yes	Yes

Speakers	Stereo	Stereo
Headphone audio jack	No	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	January 2021	August 2020
Release date	February 2021	August 2020
SAR (head)	0.71 W/kg	0.359 W/kg
SAR (body)	1.58 W/kg	1.366 W/kg
Sensors	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Note 20

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Note 20

Key differences

Review

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Display

Design and build

Performance

Benchmarks

Memory

Software

Battery

Camera

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Sound

Other

Conclusion