The Samsung Galaxy S20 has finally arrived. So, if you’re a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 owner, should you think about upgrading? We’re digging into some of the specs and early impressions to help inform your decision.
We’re running the two phones head to head to consider the main differentiators between the all-new S20, and the Note 10. The early impressions of the S20 are that it’s a good all rounder, but it has a reasonably hefty price tag too. Is it worth it?
Related: The Galaxy S20’s 120Hz display has one huge catch
Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10: At a glance
- The all-new S20 is a typical Samsung offering. It packs a great camera and a pleasing display, alongside a good selection of features.
- In our initial hands on, we suggested that the S20 has fixed many of the issues of its predecessor, the S10, including niggling battery life issues.
- In many ways the Galaxy Note 10 just felt like a remodelled Galaxy S10. One of the main differences was the presence of the S Pen stylus.
- The design and display of the Galaxy Note 10 were great. However, we felt Samsung were trying to push buyers towards the Note 10 Plus – and this impacted negatively on the Note 10’s performance and specs.
Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10: Specs and camera
First up, the S20. It packs some decent specs but comes with a big price tag and no headph0ne jack, which will annoy many potential customers.
- Review Price: £799
- 6.2-inch 120Hz OLED QHD+
- Snapdragon 865/Exynos 990
- 8/12GB RAM
- 4000mAh battery
- OneUI 2.0
- No headphone jack
- 4G/5G options
The Note 10 was even more expensive at launch, though it can now be sourced more affordably. It has a slightly smaller battery and a slightly larger screen, but still no headphone jack for the sticklers out there.
- Review Price: £869
- 256GB storage, no microSD
- Up to 45W fast charging
- Exynos 9825, 8GB RAM
- 6.3-inch FHD+ display
- No headphone jack
- 3500mAh battery
- IP68 certified
- One UI
Related: Hands on with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
One key point of comparison is the camera set up. The S20 launch saw the phone aim to impress when it comes to photography. Conversely, the Note 10’s camera was basically just the S10 camera re-hashed.
The Note 10’s camera takes good shots, granted, but in terms of specs it has nothing to challenge the S20’s impressive camera array. That main 108MP on the S20 Ultra and the 64-megapixel telephoto camera on the S20 and S20 Plus both sound seriously impressive. Whether or not the Super Zoom feature (up to 30x zoom on the S20 and 100x on the S20 Plus) and turns out to be a great feature or a hard-to-use gimmick, remains to be seen.
That said, we’ll have to wait until we have a more in-depth hands-on with the S20 to deliver a final verdict on the camera.
Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10: Battery and charging
Previous Galaxy phones have struggled in terms of battery life. We can’t comment with too much certainty on the S20 yet, having only had a short hands-on, but the initial signs are good. The 4000mAh battery is a good size and comes with 25W fast charging.
Conversely, our reviewer described battery life as the Note 10’s “weakest point”, “The 3500mAh cell that sits in the device just isn’t big enough to power everything on offer here and that leads to middling endurance that often struggled to get me through the whole day – not something I expected from a Note phone.”
Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10: Look and feel
In terms of aesthetics, the Galaxy note has a nice design and the S Pen can be easily tucked away when not in use. It comes in a variety of colours and looks pretty slick.
It’s a nice size too and compares well on looks with any Android phone going.
Meanwhile, the S20 looks nice but doesn’t exactly break the mould. It’s pretty by the numbers in terms of design. The camera array is one of the few recognisable visual flourishes and, of course, its presence is more through functional necessity than a design decision.
Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10: How much do they cost?
At launch, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 was £869. It’s still listed at that price on Samsung’s website currently but other sites list the phone at around £650.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 is currently £799 (or £899 if you want the 5G model) and, seeing as it’s just launched, it’s going to be hard to get any sizeable discounts for the foreseeable future.
Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10: Initial thoughts
If you’re making a decision between these two phones, the Note 10’s stylus could be a key difference. If that matters to you and you like using stylus based apps, then the Note 10 could be a better use of your money.
However, our initial hands on with the all-new S20 suggested it’s quite an impressive all-rounder. It’s got a good camera, an improved battery and decent specs.
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
