If you are thinking of upgrading your Android phone, two of the best options you will have are the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. While the Note 20 is the more recent of the two, the Samsung Note 10 makes a strong case for itself as a powerful and affordable device,given it was the flagship when it was released. But which of the two will you go for? It is worth comparing bothphones to see what has changed and whether it is enough to split the decision between either. So here is our comparison, the Samsung Note 10 vs Note 20 head-to-head.
Design
Right out of the box, you will instantly noticethat the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is bigger compared to the Galaxy Note 10. The Galaxy Note 20 gives phablet vibes adding another four-tenths of an inch on top of the already massive Galaxy Note 10’s form factor. While the Note 10 was advertised as compact and powerful, the Note 20 may be fussier to hold, butit pays in kind by having a huge bright display—only a tenth of an inch smaller than the Galaxy Note 10 Plus. Other design cuesinclude thetrademark S-pen, with the Galaxy Note 20, having further reduced the latency to 26ms—a 40% decrease.
That said, the Galaxy Note 20 has its quirks. Instead of the premium glass back like in the Galaxy Note 10, it has a full plastic back cover. Likewise, unlike the curved display on the Galaxy Note 10, it has a completely flat display. It also ditches the boxy design on the Galaxy Note 10 in favour of rounded edges. That aside, both phones are IP68 water, and dust resistance rated, have an ultrasonic under-screen fingerprint scanner, and do not have a headphone jack.
Display
The 6.7-inch display on the Galaxy Note 20 is one of the biggest displays on the phone,but at 6.3 inches, the Galaxy Note 10’s display is no slouch either. In comparison, however, the Super AMOLED Plus display on the Galaxy Note 20 has a lower pixel density of 393 PPI—pixels per inch compared to the 401ppi on the Dynamic AMOLED display of the Galaxy Note 10. Both phones have an always-on display capability. However, thedisplay on the Galaxy Note 10 is protected by scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 5, and the Galaxy Note 20 uses Gorilla Glass 6. Both displays are HDR10+ enabled, but the Note 20 has adaptive LTPO technology.
Cameras
Both the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 have triple rear camera arrays. On the Note 20, the main sensor is 12MP f/1.8,the telephoto is 64MP f/2.0, andthe ultrawide lens is a 12MP f/2.2. In comparison, the Galaxy Note 10 uses a 12MP f/1.5-2.4 main sensor, 12MP f/2.1 telephoto, and 16MP f/2.2 sensors. Both phones have LED Flash, Auto-HDR, and panorama.The Galaxy Note 20 features a 3X hybrid zoom, while the Galaxy Note 10 has a 2X optical zoom, but both phones are capable of much more digitally. The Note 20 beats the Note 10 in video abilities being capable of shooting 8K video at 24fps. Nevertheless,the two can deliver an impressive 4K at 60fps and further up to 720P at 960fps. This is good for those high-definition slow-mo shots. The front cameras are a similar 10MP f/2.2 sensor capable of a dual videocall, Auto HDR, and 4K video.
Performance
On paper, this ought to be the part that differentiates both phones, but does it? The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 has the Snapdragon 865 Plus chip, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 uses the Snapdragon 855 chip. The Snapdragon 865 plus has a 25% boost in CPU performance and a further 20% bump in GPU performance over the Snapdragon 855—at least on paper. That said, we highly doubt you will notice this performance difference when engaging in regular tasks like receiving calls, browsing, taking notes, etc. Both phones have 8GB RAM and are available in different storage options.
Battery
The Li-Ion battery in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 has a 4,300mAh capacity, and the Galaxy Note 10 has a 3,500mAh battery. Both the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 20 support 25W fast charging and USB power delivery 3.0. They also support reverse wireless charging at 4.5W and fast Qi /PMA wireless charging at 15W.
Wrapping up
If you’re looking for value, we recommend buy a refurbished Samsung Note 10 or a Note 20 as refurbished devices offer better value for money. A refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note 20from Phonebot is priced at $939 AUD and the Samsung Note 10 starts at $679 AUD. But that does not mean that the Galaxy Note 10 performs poorly either. It still has a mighty powerful Snapdragon 855, which is still snappy but given the time from its release, it is affordable right now, which means you can get it for cheaper and better value as a refurbished device. The Note 20 is also a powerful phone with great features,and you can’t go wrong with either one.
