The smartphone landscape is vast, ranging from ultra-budget options to premium flagships. Today, we're pitting a forgotten contender, the Spice Mi-550 Pinnacle Stylus, against the powerhouse Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G. Can a budget stylus phone even compete with a modern flagship?
🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G utterly dominates this comparison. While the Spice Mi-550 Pinnacle Stylus offered a stylus at a low price point, its age and lack of detailed specs make it no match for the Note20 Ultra's superior display, performance, camera, and battery life. It's a generational leap.
| Network |
|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 900 / 1800 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 - SM-N986U |
| 5G bands | - | 2, 5, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-N986U |
| Speed | HSPA | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| | - | 41, 66, 71 Sub6 - SM-N986W |
| Launch |
|---|
| Announced | 2013, September. Released 2013, September | 2020, August 05 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2020, August 21 |
| Body |
|---|
| Build | - | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 160 x 79 x 9.5 mm (6.30 x 3.11 x 0.37 in) | 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm (6.49 x 3.04 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | Dual SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 155 g (5.47 oz) | 208 g (7.34 oz) |
| | Stylus | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min)
Stylus, 9ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) |
| Display |
|---|
| Protection | - | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 720 x 1280 pixels, 16:9 ratio | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~496 ppi density) |
| Size | , - | 6.9 inches, 116.7 cm2 (~91.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | TFT | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| | - | Always-on display
120Hz@FHD/60Hz@QHD refresh rate |
| 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 |
| Chipset | - | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G+ (7 nm+) - USA |
| GPU | - | Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA |
| OS | Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5 |
| Memory |
|---|
| Card slot | microSDHC (dedicated slot) | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) |
| Internal | - | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM |
| | - | UFS 3.0 |
| Main Camera |
|---|
| Features | - | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 8 MP, AF | 3.15 MP |
| Triple | - | 108 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS
12 MP, f/3.0, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom, 50x hybrid zoom
12 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm |
| Video | Yes | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS |
| Selfie camera |
|---|
| Features | - | HDR |
| Single | 2 MP | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | - | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound |
|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| | - | 32-bit/384kHz audio
Tuned by AKG |
| Comms |
|---|
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| NFC | No | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | FM radio | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) |
| USB | microUSB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features |
|---|
| Sensors | Accelerometer, proximity | 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)
Ultra Wideband (UWB) support |
| Battery |
|---|
| Charging | - | 25W wired, PD3.0
15W wireless (Qi)
4.5W reverse wireless |
| Stand-by | Up to 504 h | - |
| Talk time | Up to 9 h 40 min | - |
| Type | Li-Ion 2500 mAh battery | Li-Ion 4500 mAh |
| Misc |
|---|
| Colors | Black, White | Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White |
| Models | - | SM-N986B, SM-N986B/DS, SM-N986U, SM-N986U1, SM-N986W, SM-N9860, SM-N986N, SC-53A |
| Price | About 150 EUR | € 381.00 / $ 248.44 |
| SAR | - | 0.71 W/kg (head) 1.18 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.34 W/kg (head) 1.47 W/kg (body) |
| Tests |
|---|
| Battery life | - |
Endurance rating 88h
|
| Camera | - |
Photo / Video |
| Display | - |
Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - |
-27.8 LUFS (Good)
|
| Performance | - |
AnTuTu: 508760 (v8)
GeekBench: 2603 (v5.1)
GFXBench: 42fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Spice Mi-550 Pinnacle Stylus
- Affordable (historically)
- Stylus included
- Outdated hardware
- Unknown specs
- Poor performance
- Low-quality display
- Basic camera
- Limited app compatibility
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
- Flagship performance
- Excellent display
- Versatile camera system
- Long battery life
- Premium design
- 5G connectivity
- Advanced stylus features
- Expensive
- Large size
- Can be bulky
Display Comparison
The Note20 Ultra boasts a stunning 1024 nits max brightness and an infinite contrast ratio, offering vibrant colors and deep blacks. The Mi-550's display is likely a much lower resolution and brightness, offering a significantly inferior viewing experience. The Note20 Ultra's larger size and higher resolution also contribute to a more immersive experience.
Camera Comparison
The Note20 Ultra's camera system is a major selling point, offering versatile lenses and impressive image quality. The Mi-550's camera is likely a basic, low-resolution sensor, producing mediocre results in most conditions. Video recording capabilities will also be vastly different.
Performance
The Note20 Ultra's Exynos 990 or Snapdragon 865 5G+ chipset (depending on region) provides flagship-level performance, handling demanding games and multitasking with ease. The Mi-550's processor is likely a very basic, older chipset, resulting in sluggish performance and limited app compatibility.
Battery Life
The Note20 Ultra's endurance rating of 88h is exceptional, indicating excellent battery life. The Mi-550's battery capacity and efficiency are unknown, but likely significantly lower, requiring frequent charging.
Buying Guide
The Spice Mi-550 Pinnacle Stylus is for someone seeking a very basic stylus experience on an incredibly tight budget, understanding significant compromises. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G is for power users, creatives, and anyone who wants a top-tier smartphone with a fantastic stylus, camera, and performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
❓ Is the Spice Mi-550 Pinnacle Stylus still worth buying?
Given its age and lack of detailed specifications, it's generally not recommended unless you're on an extremely tight budget and only need basic functionality. There are newer, more capable budget phones available.
❓ What are the key differences between the Note20 Ultra and other flagship phones?
The Note20 Ultra stands out with its integrated S Pen stylus, offering unique productivity and creative features. It also boasts a powerful camera system and a vibrant display, making it a compelling choice for power users.
