vivo X Note vs Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G: A Clash of Titans
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The vivo X Note wins on raw power and charging speed thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. However, the Note20 Ultra’s S Pen, established software, and potentially better camera versatility (depending on user preference) make it a strong contender. It depends on your priorities: speed vs. refinement.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | vivo X Note | Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 | 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 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA | 2, 5, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-N986U |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA2000 1x | 41, 66, 71 Sub6 - SM-N986W | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, April 11 | 2020, August 05 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, April 15 | Available. Released 2020, August 21 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | - | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 168.8 x 80.3 x 8.4 mm (6.65 x 3.16 x 0.33 in) | 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm (6.49 x 3.04 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 216 / 221 g (7.62 oz) | 208 g (7.34 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | 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 | 1440 x 3080 pixels (~486 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~496 ppi density) |
| Size | 7.0 inches, 121.3 cm2 (~89.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.9 inches, 116.7 cm2 (~91.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| - | Always-on display 120Hz@FHD/60Hz@QHD refresh rate | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) | 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 | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G+ (7 nm+) - USA |
| GPU | Adreno 730 | Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA |
| OS | Android 12, OriginOS Ocean | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, Zeiss optics, Zeiss T* lens coating, Dual-LED flash, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | 50 MP, f/1.6, (wide), 1/1.31", 1.2µm, PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/3.4, 125mm (periscope telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.0, 47mm (telephoto), 1/2.93", 1.2µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom 48 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 114˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm | - |
| Single | 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide) | 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 | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide) | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 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 |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) |
| USB | USB Type-C, 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, optical), 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) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 80W wired, 100% in 32 min 50W wireless 10W reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 4500 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Blue, Gray | Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White |
| Models | V2170A | SM-N986B, SM-N986B/DS, SM-N986U, SM-N986U1, SM-N986W, SM-N9860, SM-N986N, SC-53A |
| Price | About 870 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) |
vivo X Note
- Blazing-fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- 80W wired charging & 50W wireless
- Unique design and build quality
- Likely improved camera sensors
- Software support may be less extensive than Samsung
- Availability may be limited
- Potential for Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 throttling
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
- Integrated S Pen stylus
- Mature Android software and updates
- Versatile camera system with excellent zoom
- Established ecosystem and support
- Slower charging speeds
- Older chipset (Snapdragon 865/Exynos 990)
- Design feels dated compared to newer phones
Display Comparison
The Note20 Ultra’s 1024 nits brightness gives it an edge in outdoor visibility. Both phones feature excellent AMOLED displays with vibrant colors and deep blacks. The X Note likely has a slightly more modern panel, but the Note20 Ultra’s infinite contrast ratio is impressive. The Note20 Ultra's larger size might be a pro or con depending on preference.
Camera Comparison
Both phones have capable camera systems. The Note20 Ultra is known for its versatile zoom capabilities and generally reliable image processing. The X Note likely has improved sensor technology and computational photography, potentially resulting in better low-light performance and more detailed images. Real-world camera performance will depend on individual shooting styles.
Performance
The vivo X Note’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 offers a significant performance advantage over the Note20 Ultra’s Snapdragon 865/Exynos 990. Expect smoother multitasking, faster app loading, and better gaming performance on the X Note. However, the Note20 Ultra's software optimization is well-established.
Battery Life
The Note20 Ultra boasts an impressive endurance rating of 88h, suggesting excellent battery life. The X Note's 80W wired charging is a game-changer, allowing for incredibly fast top-ups. Wireless charging is also faster on the X Note. While the X Note might have a slightly smaller battery capacity, its charging speed compensates.
Buying Guide
The vivo X Note is ideal for power users who prioritize performance, fast charging, and a unique design. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is best for those who value the S Pen, a mature Android experience, and a more established camera system with broader features.