Samsung Galaxy Note10+ vs. Galaxy S20+ 5G: Which Samsung Flagship Reigns Supreme?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G is the better choice. While the Note10+ boasts excellent battery endurance, the S20+ 5G’s more powerful Snapdragon 865 (in US models) or Exynos 990 chipset delivers a noticeable performance boost, and its 5G capabilities offer future-proofing. The camera improvements, though iterative, also lean in favor of the S20+ 5G.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy Note10+ | Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - Global, LATAM | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - SM-G986B |
| 5G bands | - | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G986B |
| EDGE | No | - |
| GPRS | Yes | - |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 66, 71 - Canada | - | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, August 07. Released 2019, August 23 | 2020, February 11 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2020, March 06 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9 mm (6.39 x 3.04 x 0.31 in) | 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8 mm (6.37 x 2.90 x 0.31 in) |
| Keyboard | QWERTY | - |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 196 g (6.91 oz) | 188 g (6.63 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Stylus, 42ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | - | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3040 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~498 ppi density) | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~525 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 114.0 cm2 (~91.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 108.0 cm2 (~90.5% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | - | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x1.9 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEA/LATAMOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) - USA/China | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2x2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - GlobalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA |
| Chipset | Exynos 9825 (7 nm) - EMEA/LATAMQualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) - USA/China | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G (7 nm+) - USA |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP12 - EMEA/LATAMAdreno 640 - USA/China | Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 12, One UI 4 | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Call records | Yes | - |
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) - dual SIM model only | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM |
| Phonebook | 200 entries | - |
| UFS 3.0 | - | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | CIF | - |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 27mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.1, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 16 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1", 1.0µm, Super Steady video 0.3 MP, TOF 3D, (depth) | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm (telephoto), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x optical zoom, 3x hybrid zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video 0.3 MP, TOF 3D, f/1.0, (depth) |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | FM radio (USA & Canada only) | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Browser | WAP 2.0 | - |
| Games | Downloadable | - |
| Java | No | - |
| Messaging | SMS, MMS | - |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) ANT+ Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | - | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 45W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Stand-by | Up to 450 h | - |
| Talk time | Up to 6 h | - |
| Type | Li-Ion 4300 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4500 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Aura Glow, Aura White, Aura Black, Aura Blue | Cosmic Black, Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Cloud White, Aura Red, Aura Blue |
| Models | SM-N975F, SM-N975U, SM-N9750, SM-N975U1, SM-N975W, SM-N975N, SM-N975X, SCV45 | SM-G986, SM-G986F, SM-G986F/DS, SM-G986U, SM-G986U1, SM-G9860, SM-G986B/DS, SM-G986N, SM-G986B, SM-G986W, SCG02 |
| Price | About 220 EUR | $ 174.17 / C$ 684.99 / € 299.97 |
| SAR | 0.35 W/kg (head) 0.70 W/kg (body) | 1.08 W/kg (head) 1.02 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.19 W/kg (head) 1.40 W/kg (body) | 1.09 W/kg (head) 1.57 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -94.0dB / Crosstalk -95.1dB | - |
| Battery life | Endurance rating 107h | - |
| Camera | Photo / Video | - |
| Display | Contrast ratio: infinite (nominal) | - |
| Loudspeaker | -26.0 LUFS (Very good) | - |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 342208 (v7), 438622 (v8) GeekBench: 10403 (v4.4), 2154 (v5.1) GFXBench: 24fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | - |
Samsung Galaxy Note10+
- Exceptional battery life (107h endurance)
- Integrated S Pen for productivity and creativity
- 45W fast wired charging
- Older chipset (Exynos 9825 or Snapdragon 855)
- Lacks 5G connectivity
- Slightly larger and heavier design
Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G
- More powerful chipset (Snapdragon 865 or Exynos 990)
- 5G connectivity for faster data speeds
- Improved camera system with better low-light performance
- Shorter battery life compared to Note10+
- 25W wired charging is slower than Note10+
- Can experience thermal throttling under sustained load (Exynos variant)
Display Comparison
Both devices feature excellent Dynamic AMOLED displays with an infinite (nominal) contrast ratio. However, the Galaxy Note10+ achieves a measured peak brightness of 794 nits, while the S20+ 5G’s brightness is not specified. This suggests the Note10+ may be more visible in direct sunlight. Both support HDR10+, but the S20+ 5G benefits from a higher 120Hz refresh rate (though not always active), offering smoother scrolling and animations. The S20+ 5G’s smaller bezels contribute to a slightly more modern aesthetic.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer versatile camera systems, but the S20+ 5G introduces improvements in image processing and sensor technology. While both feature a primary photo/video focus, the S20+ 5G’s larger main sensor (spec not provided, but generally larger than Note10+) captures more light, resulting in better low-light performance. The S20+ 5G also benefits from improved stabilization and enhanced zoom capabilities. The Note10+'s camera is still excellent, but the S20+ 5G offers a more refined and capable experience.
Performance
The chipset is the most significant differentiator. The Note10+ shipped with either the Exynos 9825 (EMEA/LATAM) or the Snapdragon 855 (USA/China). The S20+ 5G utilizes the Exynos 990 globally and the Snapdragon 865 5G in the US. The Snapdragon 865 represents a substantial leap in CPU and GPU performance over the 855, thanks to its newer Cortex-A77 cores and Adreno 650 GPU. The Exynos 990, while an improvement over the 9825, often trails the Snapdragon 865 in efficiency and sustained performance. The S20+ 5G’s LPDDR5 RAM also contributes to faster application loading and multitasking.
Battery Life
The Note10+ boasts an impressive endurance rating of 107 hours, thanks to its larger battery capacity (spec not provided, but larger than S20+). The S20+ 5G, with its more power-hungry chipset and 5G modem, achieves a lower endurance rating (spec not provided). However, the S20+ 5G supports 25W wired charging, compared to the Note10+'s 45W, potentially reducing the charging time difference. Both support 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ if you prioritize exceptional battery life and heavily utilize the S Pen for productivity and creative tasks. Its 107-hour endurance rating remains a strong selling point for power users. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G if you want a faster processor for demanding applications, 5G connectivity for faster data speeds, and a slightly more advanced camera system, even if it means sacrificing some battery longevity.