ZTE Axon 20 5G Extreme vs Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G: The Ultimate Comparison
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G is the clear winner overall, offering superior performance, a more refined camera system, and a premium experience. However, the ZTE Axon 20 5G Extreme provides impressive value with its innovative under-display camera and competitive specs, making it a compelling choice for budget-conscious buyers.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | ZTE Axon 20 5G Extreme | Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 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, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 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, 3, 28, 41, 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 / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA 800 | 41, 66, 71 Sub6 - SM-N986W | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, December 03. Released 2020, December 22 | 2020, August 05 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2020, August 21 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, eco leather back, plastic frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 172.1 x 77.9 x 8 mm (6.78 x 3.07 x 0.31 in) | 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm (6.49 x 3.04 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 198 g (6.98 oz) | 208 g (7.34 oz) |
| - | 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 | 1080 x 2460 pixels (~388 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~496 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.92 inches, 113.7 cm2 (~84.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.9 inches, 116.7 cm2 (~91.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | OLED, 1B colors, 90Hz | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| Always-on display | Always-on display 120Hz@FHD/60Hz@QHD refresh rate | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver) | 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 SM7250 Snapdragon 765G 5G (7 nm) | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G+ (7 nm+) - USA |
| GPU | Adreno 620 | Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA |
| OS | Android 10, MiFavor 10.5 | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM |
| - | UFS 3.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | 64 MP, f/1.8, 25mm (wide), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 16mm (ultrawide) 2 MP (macro) Auxiliary lens | - |
| Single | - | 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 | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS, HDR, 10‑bit video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.0, (wide), under display | 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 | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 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 | 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 | 30W wired, QC4, 60% in 30 min | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 4220 mAh | Li-Ion 4500 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Sunrise Yellow | Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White |
| Models | A2121 | SM-N986B, SM-N986B/DS, SM-N986U, SM-N986U1, SM-N986W, SM-N9860, SM-N986N, SC-53A |
| Price | About 440 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) |
ZTE Axon 20 5G Extreme
- Innovative under-display camera
- Competitive 5G performance
- Faster 30W charging
- More affordable price
- Lower performance than Note20 Ultra
- Less impressive camera quality
- Shorter battery life
- Less premium build quality
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
- Superior performance (Snapdragon 865)
- Excellent camera system with versatile zoom
- Long battery life
- Premium design and build quality
- S Pen functionality
- Higher price
- Slower 25W wired charging
- No reverse wireless charging compared to some competitors
Display Comparison
The Note20 Ultra boasts a stunning Dynamic AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 1024 nits and an infinite contrast ratio, delivering vibrant colors and exceptional clarity. The Axon 20 5G Extreme's display is good, but lacks the same level of brightness and color accuracy. The Note20 Ultra's larger size and higher resolution also contribute to a more immersive viewing experience.
Camera Comparison
While the Axon 20 5G Extreme's under-display camera is a novelty, the Note20 Ultra's camera system is more versatile and delivers consistently better image quality. The Note20 Ultra excels in zoom capabilities and low-light performance, offering a more professional-grade photography experience. Both phones offer good video recording capabilities.
Performance
The Note20 Ultra, especially the Snapdragon 865 variant, offers significantly better performance than the Axon 20 5G Extreme's Snapdragon 765G. The Note20 Ultra handles demanding games and multitasking with ease, while the Axon 20 5G Extreme may show some lag under heavy load. The Note20 Ultra's CPU architecture is also more advanced.
Battery Life
The Note20 Ultra boasts an impressive endurance rating of 88 hours, significantly outperforming the Axon 20 5G Extreme. While the Axon 20 5G Extreme's 30W charging is relatively fast, the Note20 Ultra's 25W wired and 15W wireless charging options provide more flexibility.
Buying Guide
The ZTE Axon 20 5G Extreme is ideal for users prioritizing an under-display camera, a good 5G experience, and a more affordable price point. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G is perfect for power users, creatives, and those who value a premium build, top-tier performance, and the versatility of the S Pen.