Samsung Galaxy Note20 vs. S21+ 5G: Which Samsung Flagship Reigns Supreme?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G is the superior choice. Its newer Exynos 2100 (or Snapdragon 888) chipset delivers a noticeable performance boost, and the brighter display enhances outdoor visibility. While the Note20 retains the S Pen advantage, the S21+'s overall refinement and future-proofing make it the better investment.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy Note20 | Samsung Galaxy S21+ 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 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 - SM-G996U1 |
| 5G bands | - | 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-G996U1 |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 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 |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G996B | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, August 05 | 2021, January 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2020, August 21 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic back | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm (6.36 x 2.96 x 0.33 in) | 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8 mm (6.36 x 2.98 x 0.31 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 192 g (6.77 oz) | 200 g (Sub6), 202 g (mmWave) (7.05 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Stylus, 26ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~393 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~394 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm2 (~89.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 107.8 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED Plus, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2x2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - GlobalOcta-core (1x3.0 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA | Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - InternationalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA/China |
| Chipset | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G+ (7 nm+) - USA | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China |
| GPU | Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA | Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China |
| OS | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5 | Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| UFS 3.0 | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/2.0, 27mm (telephoto), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x hybrid zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm | 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 |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 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 | 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 (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) ANT+ Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 4300 mAh | Li-Ion 4800 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Mystic Green, Mystic Bronze, Mystic Gray, Mystic Red, Mystic Blue | Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, Phantom Gold, Phantom Red |
| Models | SM-N980F, SM-N980F/DS | SM-G996B, SM-G996B/DS, SM-G996U, SM-G996U1, SM-G996W, SM-G996N, SM-G9960 |
| Price | $ 202.82 / € 280.00 | $ 162.99 / £ 185.00 / € 199.00 |
| SAR | 1.11 W/kg (head) 1.14 W/kg (body) | 0.65 W/kg (head) 0.95 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.36 W/kg (head) 1.37 W/kg (body) | 0.54 W/kg (head) 1.33 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 114h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.8 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 622276 (v8) GeekBench: 3476 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy Note20
- Integrated S Pen for productivity and creativity
- More affordable price point (especially now)
- Expandable storage via microSD card (market dependent)
- Older chipset with lower performance
- Less efficient power consumption
- Potentially lower peak display brightness
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
- Faster and more efficient chipset (Exynos 2100/Snapdragon 888)
- Brighter and more vibrant display
- Improved camera processing and image quality
- Lacks S Pen functionality
- Generally more expensive
- No expandable storage
Display Comparison
The S21+ 5G boasts a brighter display, reaching a measured 883 nits, compared to the Note20’s unspecified peak brightness. While both utilize Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology, the S21+’s higher peak brightness translates to better visibility in direct sunlight. Both feature a 120Hz refresh rate, but the S21+’s adaptive refresh rate, likely utilizing LTPO technology (though not explicitly stated), dynamically adjusts the refresh rate to conserve battery life. The S21+ also has an 'infinite' contrast ratio, indicating deeper blacks and more vibrant colors.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer versatile camera systems, but the S21+ 5G benefits from the newer image processing capabilities of its chipset. While both are listed as having 'Photo / Video' capabilities, the S21+’s processing pipeline likely delivers improved dynamic range and noise reduction. The Note20’s camera system, while capable, is held back by the older chipset’s processing limitations. Details regarding sensor sizes and apertures are missing, but the S21+’s newer hardware suggests a slight edge in image quality, particularly in low-light conditions. The 2MP macro cameras on both devices are largely a marketing feature and offer limited practical benefit.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets. The Note20 utilizes either the Exynos 990 (globally) or the Snapdragon 865+ (USA), both built on a 7nm+ process. The S21+ 5G, however, features the more advanced Exynos 2100 (international) or Snapdragon 888 (USA/China), fabricated on a 5nm process. This smaller node allows for increased transistor density, resulting in improved performance and efficiency. The S21+'s CPU, with its Cortex-X1 prime core clocked at 2.9 GHz (international) or 2.84 GHz (USA/China), outperforms the Note20’s Mongoose M5 core. The S21+ also benefits from faster RAM, likely LPDDR5, contributing to smoother multitasking.
Battery Life
Both the Note20 and S21+ 5G achieve an endurance rating of 114 hours, suggesting similar real-world battery life despite potential differences in battery capacity (not specified in the provided data). Both support 25W wired charging with PD3.0, 15W wireless charging (Qi), and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The S21+’s more efficient chipset, however, may translate to slightly longer screen-on time, especially during demanding tasks. The adaptive refresh rate on the S21+ also contributes to battery conservation.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Note20 if you absolutely require the S Pen for note-taking, sketching, or remote control functionality and prioritize a lower upfront cost. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G if you value raw performance, a brighter and more modern display, and a more streamlined software experience, even if it means sacrificing the S Pen.