Samsung is about to unveil its next big Galaxy Note phone — here's everything we know about it so far
Lisa Eadicicco
- Samsung is expected to announce its next Galaxy Note phone at an upcoming event on August 5.
- The phone is rumored to come in two variants and will likely come in a new bronze color.
- Other rumors suggest it could include a triple-lens camera, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865+ processor, and a new S Pen with a pointer feature.
Samsung is holding a virtual event on August 5, where it's expected to unveil its next major addition to its smartphone lineup: the Galaxy Note 20.
Samsung typically announces its new Galaxy Note devices in the August and September time frame, and recent rumors and reports are suggesting this year will be no different.
The main difference between the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S phones is the Note's included S Pen stylus, which has been a hallmark of the lineup since the first Note launched in 2011. In their earlier years, Samsung's Note phones also stood out for their larger screens and longer battery life — and a higher price tag to go along with those benefits — but the Note has grown increasingly similar to the Galaxy S line in recent years.
The next Galaxy Note phone, likely to be called the Galaxy Note 20, is expected to come in a new bronze color, may feature a larger design, and could come with a new S Pen feature, according to various leaks.
The launch of a new high-end phone like the Note would come as Samsung and other smartphone makers have been focusing on more affordable devices recently to combat slowing sales across the industry. The International Data Corporation reported in June that it expects the worldwide smartphone market to plummet 11.9% year-over-year in 2020 as the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic influence consumer spending.
Here's a closer look at everything we're expecting to see.
It may have a larger design that resembles the Galaxy S20.
The Galaxy Note has always been known for having a larger than usual screen, and it looks like Samsung is focusing on size again this year.
The Galaxy Note 20 is said to be noticeably larger than last year's Note 10, according to leaks from YouTuber Jimmy Is Promo and tech accessory maker Pigtou.
The design will also look familiar to anyone who's seen the Galaxy S20, according to the leaks, as the phone is expected to have a borderless screen with a hole punch cutout from the camera.
The phone is expected to launch in two versions: the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or Plus.
Samsung is reportedly planning to launch the Note 20 in two variants, marking a departure from last year when it debuted three versions of the Galaxy Note 10.
But reports vary on what the high-end version of the phone might be called. Frequent leaker Ice Universe has referred to the more premium model as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, while other media reports such as the one translated story from Korea Joongang Daily have called it the Note 20 Plus.
Pigtou reports that the standard Note 20 will have a 6.7-inch screen, while the larger Note 20 could have a 6.9-inch curved screen.
Ice Universe also suggests the bigger variant could have a "more fine-tuned" version of the S20's 120GHz refresh rate technology for its screen.
The Note 20 and Note 20 Plus will reportedly have triple-lens cameras, but won't have 100x zoom like the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
According to Ice Universe, which claims to have shared details about the Note 20 Plus' camera on the Chinese social network Weibo, the Galaxy Note 20 Plus will have a triple camera with a 108-megapixel main camera, a 13-megapixel periscope camera, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. It will also reportedly have improvements when it comes to focusing.
The standard Galaxy Note 20, comparatively, could have a 12-megapixel main camera, a 64-megapixel telephoto camera, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, reports CNET citing Korea Joongang Daily and Ice Universe.
The Note 20 Plus, however, is not expected to have the same 100x zoom feature as the Galaxy S20 Ultra, according to Ice Universe.
When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S20 Ultra in February, it touted the high-end model's ability to zoom in up to 100x as a standout feature. But in practice, many reviewers, including Insider's Antonio Villas-Boas, found that photos zoomed in to that degree were often too blurry to be useful.
It may also come in a new bronze color.
Samsung may have accidentally posted a picture of the Galaxy Note 20 in a new bronze color, as multiple outlets, such as Android Authority, CNET, and others, reported.
XDA Developers writer and leaker Max Weinbach also posted the image on Twitter, which Samsung has since taken down. In one of the biggest clues of all, Samsung has featured this same bronze color in its event invite for August 5.
The color looks similar to the pinkish gold color available for some of Apple's products, such as the MacBook Air and iPhone 11 Pro.
The S Pen may get a new feature that lets it act as a pointer.
The Note 20's S Pen may be able to serve as a pointer for selecting content on screen, according to Jimmy Is Promo.
A leaked screenshot posted by Jimmy Is Promo shows how Galaxy Note 20 owners may be able to choose the size of the pointer as well as its color and speed. It looks like users will be able to activate the feature by pressing the S Pen's button and moving the stylus.
Samsung already offers a similar feature on the Note 10 called Air Actions, which makes it possible to control the phone's camera, volume, and certain apps. It looks like the Note 20 could include some type of expansion of this feature.
It'll likely be powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 865+ processor.
The Galaxy Note 20 will reportedly run on Qualcomm's new processor: The Snapdragon 865+. That's again according to Ice Universe, which tweeted near the end of June that the Note 20 as well as other rumored Samsung products, like its next-generation versions of the Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip, will run on this processor.
Qualcomm just announced the Snapdragon 865+ in early July, and the company says the processor is designed with 5G, artificial intelligence, and gaming in mind.
We'll learn more on August 5, when Samsung is expected to debut the device.
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