10 Facts About the New Samsung Note 20, Ultra 20 & Other Stuff Announced in the ‘Unpack Event’

If you’re a tech buff, you’d probably have heard about Samsung’s massive Galaxy Unpacked 2020 annual event held yesterday (5 August 2020), following their announcements in July that five spectacular new products would be launched.

As many brands and schools and practically everyone has done in the midst of this pandemic, Samsung did what they do best and made use of online platforms to livestream the event.

K-pop superstars BTS, who are official partners of the South Korean based tech giant, also graced the event in the form of a short pre-recorded video, where the boys explored the functions of the new products.

All this, of course, to the delight of the tons of ARMYs worldwide – I mean, what’s better than seeing seven cute guys introducing you to the products while having fun themselves?

But if you’re not on that side of the Internet or are #TeamApple instead and have yet to catch up with what Samsung has to offer this time around, fret not – for we’re here to save the day by compiling 10 simple facts about the new products.

Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra Facts:

Bigger And Better

Samsung’s iconic Note series continues with better upgrades. The Samsung Note 10 and Note 10+ have gotten bigger and better brothers in the form of the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. Where the screen size of the Note 10 and Note 10+ were 6.3″ and 6.8″ respectively, the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra boasts screen sizes of 6.7″ and 6.9″ instead.

With a higher screen resolution of 3088×1440 pixels on the Note 20 Ultra, you no longer have to worry about not catching every detail of your Netflix show either for you’ll be able to see everything in crisp clarity.

The phone won’t die as fast too; in terms of battery, the new Note 20 has 4300 mAh, which was what the Note 10+ had, while the Note 20 Ultra has 4500 mAh.

Both phones support 5G, with the Note 20 retailing at $1,398 for the normal version, and $1,548 for the 5G version. The Note 20 Ultra 5G will be available for $1,898.

Anyone remembers when phones cost less than $1,000?

New Camera Functions

For those who have recently taken to doing home photoshoots of yourself due to the boredom of being in quarantine, you might be interested to hear that the new phones have a 10MP selfie camera and dual pixel autofocus functions.

It also has an in-display fingerprint detection function so you don’t have to worry about someone’s fingerprint accidentally blocking half the faces when you take a group selfie (of course, in groups of 5).

Triple cameras with ultra-wide, wide and telephoto modes equip the phone’s back camera, and combined with the 108MP wide-angle lens of the Note 20 Ultra, the photos just might rival that of a DSLR.

New Videography Functions, Too

The enhanced videography functions are a YouTuber’s dream come true, or may even aid aspiring YouTubers in making their dreams come true. Videos recorded can go up to a whopping 8K quality, with omnidirectional and hybrid laser autofocus so that too much motion won’t be a problem and the video will still turn out to be smooth.

There’s also a Zoom Speed Control function, which allows users to zoom and in out quickly while recording the video itself, yet still maintain clarity. Other functions, driven by the improvements in AI-based hardware and software, include personalised filters, colour-picking, and even suggestions about appropriate background music. Truly putting the smart in smartphone.

Audio Clarity Is Better

The Note 20 phones will include three in-built mics, and users can monitor the input levels of each specific mic while filming videos as part of the Audio Capture function. Users can also control the configuration for each mic, and specify directions for the mics to capture audio from. Goodbye, pesky wind sounds that ruin everything!

Additionally, the Galaxy Bud Wireless Earpieces also have a role to play in audio recordings, for it allows users to record voices with clarity amidst background noises if connected.

A Cooler Stylus (S-Pen)

Yeah, you know the stylus – the one that detaches from the Samsung phones and might often be used by your younger siblings to poke you instead of its actual use.

For a more lifelike experience to recreate the feeling of pen and paper, the stylus is now 40% more responsive than before. New sets of gestures involving the stylus have also been introduced, with an up-and-down motion being able to take you back to the home screen, or a left clamp motion being able to take you backwards to your last step.

 Improved Samsung Notes App

Just like Apple’s notes syncing function, you can now do that with Samsung as well across multiple devices such as tablets and Windows 10 computers, in this new era where working from home will need to become a norm in case of emergencies such as this current pandemic.

If your handwriting is on the uglier side, fret not, for the app’s improved special functions include one to fix your messy handwriting, so go wild.

Another Foldable Phone: Galaxy Z Fold 2

Samsung’s innovative foldable phones are continuing to overstep technological boundaries, and a third generation of these phones have been announced.

As expected, bigger means better, and better is bigger, so the new phone will naturally have a larger screen than its predecessors.

The Galaxy ZFold 2 will have a cover screen of 6.7″, and when unfolded, it will expand to a great 7.2″ screen. Just how big can Samsung’s phones get as the years go by?

As for the price…well, it’s a Galaxy Fold. It’s not confirmed yet but let’s not go there.

New Tablets

Image: Samsung

Along with the upgraded Note smartphones, the new Tab S7 and S7+ will follow suit with most of its functions, and will be compatible with the new stylus as well. K-drama and Netflix lovers will also be pleased to know that the screen size is as large as ever, boasting an 11″ display for the smaller S7 and a 12.4″ display for the S7+ for all your show watching pleasures.

There will be both a Wi-Fi only and a 5G version, which will retail at $998 and $1,798 respectively.

Galaxy Smart Watch

On first glance, this smart watch actually looks like a normal watch you’d use just to tell time, but as unassuming as it may look, the Galaxy Watch3 houses an impressive health suite. The watch will be able to monitor your blood pressure and oxygen levels as well as heartbeat patterns, among other functions, so it’s good to take along whenever you go for a run.

It isn’t available just yet, but the 41mm watch will go from $648, while the 45mm version goes from $948.

Wireless Earbuds

Following the trend of wireless earphones, Samsung’s also offering up the Galaxy Buds Live wireless earbuds. Battery-wise, the earbuds can last from 8 hours to even a stunning 29 hours if you turn off certain functions. Rumours have it that it can last forever if you didn’t turn if on forever.

Noise cancellation can also be activated by tilting the earbuds slightly for a more convenient experience. Even though the earbuds kind of look like beans, you’ve gotta admit that they are pretty impressive.

If you already can’t wait to get your hands on these new tech toys after coming all the way to the end of this article, the good news is that you can already begin pre-ordering them starting from today (6 August 2020) on the Samsung Online Store and certain IT and electronic stores.

The not-so-good news is that you’ll have to wait until 21 August until they’re available in Singapore, but that’s only 15 days away.

Just remember that if you’re going down to queue to get your hands on one of these sleek new devices, maintain social distancing rules despite the frenzy!

You can watch the entire event here: