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Galaxy Note 20 vs Galaxy Note 10: Which one to buy?

The new Samsung Galaxy Note 20 has received mixed opinions from people due to subtle compromises made by Samsung. Therefore, we thought of comparing it with the last year’s Note 10 to see what actually has improved in the new generation and which one’s a better buy at the moment. Read on for the detailed Samsung Galaxy Note 20 vs Galaxy Note 10 comparison.

Galaxy Note 20 vs Galaxy Note 10: Comparison

Design: Plastic vs Glass Back

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 comes with a reinforced polycarbonate back panel instead of glass. It also features a flat display with thicker bezels and rounded corners.

On the other hand, Note 10 uses a Gorilla Glass 6-covered back panel. Besides, it gets an edge-to-edge screen with curved corners, giving it a more premium profile.

Note 10 has a few more advantages- it is smaller, thinner, lighter, and has a less pronounced camera bump. Now, while some people may prefer Note 20’s plastic back and flat display, it’s a downgrade, especially for the hefty price tag.

  • Galaxy Note 20 Dimensions, Weight: 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm, 194 grams
  • Galaxy Note 10 Dimensions, Weight: 151 x 71.8 x 7.9 mm, 168 grams

Display: Flat vs Curved Panels

Galaxy Note 20 vs Galaxy Note 10: Comparison

The Galaxy Note 20 features a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED Infinity-O display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and a pixel density of 393ppi. Note 10 gets a smaller 6.3-inch FHD+ AMOLED Infinity-O display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and sharpness of 401ppi.

As noted, Note 20 uses a flat-screen with soft rounded corners, while the latter has an edge-to-edge curved panel. Anyways, both displays have a 60Hz refresh rate, punch-hole, and are HDR10+ certified.

Unfortunately, Note 20 gets Gorilla Glass 5 screen protection, which is older than the Gorilla Glass 6 found on the Note 10.

  • Galaxy Note 20 Screen: Flat 6.7-inch Full-HD+ (2400 x 1080) | 393ppi | 60Hz
  • Galaxy Note 10 Screen: Curved 6.3-inch Full-HD+ (2280 x 1080) | 401ppi | 60Hz

Hardware: Exynos 990 vs Exynos 9825

The Galaxy Note 20 comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ SoC in North America, China, Korea, and Japanese markets. Whereas the rest of the world, including India, gets Exynos 990. Similarly, Note 10 gets powered by the Exynos 9825 or Snapdragon 855 chipset, based on the region.

Both devices offer 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage. There’s no microSD card slot for storage expansion. As for performance, Note 20 has an edge, thanks to the newer processor.

Moreover, the S-Pen stylus bundled with Note 20 has about 40-percent improvement in latency and also supports touchless navigation apart from usual gestures.

Cameras: 12MP Triple Array

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 comes with a 12MP (f/1.8, 1.8μm) primary sensor with OIS and Dual Pixel Autofocus. There’s a 64MP telephoto camera with 3x hybrid zoom, followed by a 12MP wide-angle shooter.

In contrast, the Galaxy Note 10 deploys a 12MP (1.4μm) primary rear camera with variable aperture (f/1.5-f/2.4), Dual Pixel Autofocus, and OIS. Besides, there’s a 12MP 2x Telephoto lens with OIS, followed by a 16MP 123-degree wide-angle sensor.

Note 20 can record up to 8K videos at 24fps. Whereas, Note 10 can shoot a maximum of 4K at 60fps. Samsung has also introduced new camera features. Both have 10-megapixel selfie cameras up front.

  • Note 20 Cameras: 12MP (f/1.8) + 64MP Telephoto (3x Hybrid) + 12MP wide-angle
  • Note 10 Cameras: 12MP (f/1.5- f/2.4) + 12MP Telephoto (2x Optical) + 16MP wide-angle

Battery & Charging: 4,300mAh vs 3,500mAh

With a larger 4,300mAh battery, the Galaxy Note 20 brings a significant improvement in battery life, compared to Note 10, which uses a 3,500mAh cell.

Both phones support 25W fast charging and wireless charging (15W on Note 20 and 12W on Note 10). Also, there’s support for reverse wireless charging.

Price

In India, the Galaxy Note 20 retails for Rs. 79,999 for the lone 256GB storage model. In comparison, the Note 10 comes down to about Rs. 69,999 for the same configuration. Some offline retailers may give you additional offers on the latter.

  • Note 20 Colors: Mystic Bronze, Mystic Gray, Mystic Green
  • Note 10 Colors: Aura Glow, Aura Red, and Aura Black

Galaxy Note 20 vs Galaxy Note 10: Final Words

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 brings several improvements over the last year’s Note 10 with regards to performance, battery life, and cameras. It also gets an improved S-Pen and a larger display.

However, the non-curved front and plastic build could disappoint many. Also, it lacks features like a 120Hz refresh rate or 5G, available on cheaper smartphones. If you’re planning to buy a new Note-series phone, go for Note 20 as far as you’re fine with the compromises. Else, wait for discounts on Note 10.

Anyways, if you’re an existing Note 10 user, it would be wiser to skip the Note 20. Instead, you can look forward to the top-end Ultra or wait another year for a worthy upgrade.

Also, read- Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20: What’s the difference?

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Ritik Singh

Ritik is the Managing Editor at GadgetsToUse. He manages the website and oversees the content to ensure it's as informative as possible. He also heads the sub-sites in the network. Putting work aside, he has a great interest in personal finance and is also a keen motorcycle enthusiast.