The Samsung Galaxy Note series has been in India for a while now and it’s been able to capture a sizeable segment of the market that likes a utility device bundled with a more than impressive spec sheet.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is the latest entrant in the market and stands shoulder to shoulder with its rival, the Apple iPhone 11, in the flagship category. Since Apple is a favourite and is available at a lesser price tag, can the new Note 20 wave its magic stylus and woo flagship aspirants in the sub-Rs 80,000 category?
Let’s take a look.
Display & Design
First look at the new Note 20 and a gush of nostalgia hits you right in the face! Undoubtedly, Samsung has borrowed a lot of design elements from the previous Note 10 but again we’re not complaining. It’s a good mix of metal and glass and looks quite premium.
At 192 grams the Note 20 might feel heavier but it’s almost the same as the iPhone 11. But, in the hand, I am sure the iPhone 11 is more comfortable to hold.
No doubt the iPhone 11 has one of the best designs out there which is why you see a lot of people flaunting it.
Where the Note 20 comes with a Super AMOLED 6.7-inch FHD+, HDR10+ compatible display the Apple iPhone 11 offers an IPS LCD display that at 828 x 1792 pixels is not even full HD+.
Not to say Apple displays are bad but in terms of colour reproduction and the number of pixels you can push out, the Note 20 takes the cake. Apple fans would always disagree.
Hardware & Performance
The Apple iPhone 11 is powered by an A13 Bionic (7 nanometers) processor that is a tried and tested workhorse. It’s one of the best processing units out there despite carrying only 4GB of RAM onboard.
There is no expandable storage on either device as max you can go up to is 256GB but I doubt you’ll need more with cloud storage available at your disposal. More points to Apple here as it gives a choice of a low memory configuration. With Note 20, you have to buy a 356GB variant.
Samsung Note 20 runs on its own One UI with Android 10 on top of it. It runs on the Exynos 990 chipset bundled with 8GB of RAM. On paper, these are powerful specifications. We will get to review the device soon and give you an in-depth look at how the device performs.
Some of the bonus features that the Note 20 has over its rival is Samsung Pay contactless payment system, the S-Pen stylus, AKG Audio support and the ability to transform your smartphone into a PC using the Samsung Dex feature.
Apple has some catch-up to do in this department.
Camera & Battery
On the Note 20, you get a triple camera setup at the back with a 64-megapixel primary lens backed by a 12-megapixel wide-angle and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens.
It supports 8K video recording at 24fps and even offers super slo-mo. On the front, you get a 10-megapixel lens with the Note 20 that also has a wide mode. If you consider the specs on paper, this is a very good portfolio to have on a flagship device.
The Apple iPhone 11, touted to have one of the best camera systems out there, comes with a 12+12-megapixel dual-camera setup at the back one of which is an ultrawide angle lens.
The Apple iPhone gives you a maximum of 240fps at 1080p which is good enough for daily users. For selfies, you get a 12-megapixel snapper.
On paper, the Note 20 looks a more promising camera but we’ll reserve our final verdict when we get to see the samples from the Note 20.
The Note 20 comes with a bigger 4,300mAh battery with support for 25W quick wireless charging while the Apple iPhone 11 offers a 3,110mAh battery with 18W fast charge support.
Both come with reverse wireless charging so that’s taken care of.
The Note 20 is clearly a better proposition thanks to more battery juice and the fact that its fast charge tech offers more power.
Which One To Buy?
The Note 20 is a utility device and has a niche market. Therefore, it is not meant for everyone.
The feature set caters to more of the corporate segment of the society who want the additional stylus and the ability to multi-task without any hiccups. The Note 20 is more than capable of that.
The Apple iPhone 11 is a people-pleaser and is one of the most sought after smartphone in the flagship category because of not only the Apple brand but also in terms of security and the seamless ecosystem. Yes, it does not have the suave of the stylus and the robust display specs but it still manages to be a favourite in the sub-80k category.
Buy the Note 20 only if you need these additional features with a flagship experience else the Apple iPhone 11 is an equally good smartphone (especially to flaunt) starting at Rs 68,300.
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