Hey.
Traditionally and in a separate article, we analyze the reasons why the Galaxy Note20 Ultra, the flagship from Samsung, may not suit you. In a separate article, the arguments in favor of purchasing this device will be presented. For those looking to take a closer look at the Note20 Ultra, I recommend reading our review.
Content
- The cost of the flagship is 100 or 120 thousand rubles
- Availability of Galaxy Note10 + on store shelves
- Fast charging at 45W is not as fast
- Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensor
- Back panel ergonomics, the need to use a case
- The best AMOLED screen on the planet, but it has PWM
- Another photography experience
- My device does not live until lunchtime!
- Long-term Bixby – why do you need a dead assistant?
- Samsung’s scary Exynos processor
Reason # 1. The cost of the flagship is 100 or 120 thousand rubles
Year by year, the cost of flagships is growing, this process is inevitable and is explained by the increase in the number of cameras, changes in processors, the need for new cooling systems and other “little things”. Despite objective explanations of why flagships add in value, this does not rid us of the thought that such devices were more affordable before. And this is not only a question of the presence or absence of money, the question of the rationality of the purchase often arises. Without all sorts of additional programs, such as a trade-in discount, installment plan, buying a device head-on becomes quite difficult, any smartphone costing from 100 thousand rubles looks like a damn expensive purchase for most people. Moreover, very few people calculate the cost of ownership for two or three years, usually the price is estimated here and now. And it is high. Whether we like it or not, this is the main argument against, and regardless of the wealth of the buyer. Emotional people will simply say that it is expensive. Rational people will begin to figure out what is in the apparatus for this money. And not always a struggle with oneself will lead to the purchase of a Note20 Ultra or any other device of a comparable price. Oddly enough, the main disadvantage of the Note20 Ultra is the cost. And here it is not so important that there are no competitors, and those who are tipped into them are much worse in terms of a set of characteristics and often have not even entered the market yet. The important thing is that you need to pay at least 100 thousand rubles, and this is a tangible amount for 99% of buyers.
Reason # 2. Availability of Galaxy Note10 + on store shelves
The amazing thing is that the flagship of the previous year is still on sale, although Samsung tried to give the maximum discounts and clean the warehouses before the release of the new item. The reason is trivial, the difference between the models, although there is, but it is not so overwhelming to choose the Note20 Ultra, many could pay attention to the Note10 +. Moreover, the model wins in the amount of RAM – 12 GB versus 8 GB in the basic version of the Note20 Ultra. Of course, the block of cameras is very different, here the novelty wins, as well as the device in bronze color is more interesting. But the same S Pen, plus or minus, is comparable and allows you to get exactly the same features. The update to OneUI 2.5 has already arrived on the old model, and most of the new chips have appeared on it.
In official retail this model has disappeared almost everywhere, but on the gray market you can easily find a device for 55-60 thousand rubles. For some, the difference in cost will be more than justified, but the lack of new features can be overcome. The margin of safety in terms of computing power, cameras and other characteristics in last year’s model is at least a couple of years, so it will be impossible to feel any problems. Watch a video comparing these models.
Reason number 3. Fast charging at 45W is not as fast
Chinese manufacturers are competing in who will present the fastest charging for a smartphone, their power is growing before our eyes and already reaches 100 watts. The charging speed of large batteries is often 30-35 minutes, which looks curious. And this is important from the point of view of the development of technology, what you get in the flagship is the very best technology, which distinguishes such devices. Moreover, chargers of this type are included in the kit with a smartphone; they do not need to be purchased separately.
Samsung is stuck in this direction quite strongly, does not want to develop fast chargers as rapidly as other companies do. Last year, 45W fast charging appeared, but in fact it works with a couple of models, in the same Note20 Ultra it is useless – you can charge, but you cannot get an advantage, the charge speed will be exactly the same as with the bundled 25W fast charging Tue (65 minutes). In everyday life, this does not cause any problems, since 15-20 minutes of charging provides enough energy for the device to work for at least a third of a day, almost no one leaves their smartphones on charging overnight, this is not necessary.
But everything should be fine in the flagship, and if there are any technologies that are at the forefront, then I would like to see them in such a device. Moreover, the Chinese flagships are devices of a completely different price group, and there are no excuses here, and there cannot be any.
Reason number 4. Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensor
Samsung has an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor built into the screen, exactly the same sensor we saw in the Galaxy S10 a couple of years ago. It is clear that the company is focusing on the security of such a solution, modifying the software, and this requires that the hardware itself remains unchanged. But the evolution of third-party sensors of this kind cannot be ignored, they are faster, take up more of the screen and can be clicked on just about anything. There is no evolution here, no development is visible.
My complaints about the sensor are as follows: it is not as fast as on the Chinese flagships (perhaps better protected, but this is a matter of faith and only, the consumer cannot see this). As well as with fast charging, I would like to see a solution of a different level, something that is at the forefront. And this follows from the cost of a smartphone: if you pay that amount, you should get the very best technologies, there should be no compromises in the device. And the name Ultra hints at this. Another thing is that Samsung understands that, having released changes in several areas at once, they will leave their future smartphones with minimal updates, there will simply be nothing to add to the new items. That is why the arrival of new technologies is so greatly extended in time.
Reason number 5. Back panel ergonomics, the need to use a case
In order to implement a set of several cameras in a compact body, including the one responsible for optical zoom, it is necessary to make a thickening. And the camera block protrudes strongly from the body, this is an undoubted compromise.
Unfortunately, on the table, when the phone is lying and you are writing with the S Pen, the body becomes unstable. In a pocket, the camera unit may touch the edge when you take out the unit. In short, the protruding block is not very convenient in most situations. But this is an understandable trade-off. To some, this may seem too annoying, but then the decision is yours.
This flaw can be corrected with a case, for example, I like the dark green leather case, it goes well with the bronze color of the case.
But in this case, getting the S Pen out is not so easy, you have to use your index finger, since the hole is covered by the case frames. It is worth knowing about this before buying.
In other aspects, the ergonomics of the smartphone are good, but you need to know about these disadvantages even before buying a device.
Reason number 6. The best AMOLED screen on the planet, but it has PWM
The technology of OLED screens itself and its implementation presuppose the presence of PWM, this is what can be described as flicker that is not visible to the human eye. But as soon as you decrease the brightness of the backlight, the flicker frequency increases, it still remains invisible to the eye. There is a small percentage of those who are sure that PWM prevents them from using OLED screens, and it is not so important who the manufacturer of the smartphone is and whose matrix is in it (in most top smartphones, these are Samsung’s matrices). There is a rejection of such displays in a headache, eyes may water. It is important to emphasize that these signs should not appear after an hour of using the smartphone non-stop. Very often, problems that begin after 6-8 hours of using a smartphone are written off on PWM. And this is not true, since any smartphone used during such a time is capable of causing a headache, creates an increased burden on the eyes. Keep in mind that you need to measure the time spent with your smartphone and how much stress it puts on your body.
Reason number 7. Another photography experience
The Note20 Ultra uses a 108 megapixel main module, which is very different from all previous cameras in Samsung’s flagships (this is the second device after the S20 Ultra with such a module). For most people, the camera in the Note20 Ultra will become unusual, since in order to take pictures close, you need to use the zoom or cut out part of the picture taken with the main module. In short, you have a completely different experience of using the camera, I partially described this in the review of the S20 Ultra camera, focusing on this.
The photo capabilities of the Note20 Ultra are very interesting, but there are no ideal devices, so you need to clearly understand all the pros and cons of such a solution. The important thing is that the cameras and the way they shoot are different from previous models, and other manufacturers as well. Therefore, anyone who tries to use the Note20 Ultra in a familiar manner will most likely encounter unsatisfactory results. The problem is not with the camera, but how to shoot with it. And this requires a little getting used to, in a couple of weeks you can fully retrain and not experience problems.
Reason number 8. My device does not live until lunchtime!
A modern smartphone is a very powerful tool that targets a very wide and diverse range of consumers. This means that each person has different tasks, as well as how the device will be used. The manufacturer provides the broadest possibilities for setting many parameters, but this does not mean that you need to study everything in detail and devote your life to such settings. However, a basic understanding of what you are doing must be there.
Many people install many third-party programs and cloud services that constantly synchronize data, including using cellular networks. This results in high energy consumption. They do not turn off 5G networks, although they do not exist and the phone periodically tries to find them. Why do this? Includes maximum brightness for rooms where it is clearly excessive and harmful to vision. You can endlessly multiply examples of such settings, and people do it on their own and move away from the basic configurations that are designed for the average person. In the settings, there is optimized performance, but the person forcibly sets the maximum, since it seems to him that it is better (to squeeze the maximum for your money!). So why then do you have to be surprised that the smartphone is wasting energy before our eyes? I will try to make a separate material in which I will analyze the typical mistakes in which settings include and how they radically change the energy consumption of smartphones. In fact, such a problem does not exist, but people often do not want to study anything, they want to get everything at once – this does not happen, but why not believe in such tales.
Reason number 9. Long-term Bixby – why do you need a dead assistant?
Samsung enthusiastically rushed to create its own voice assistant, promised that there would be support for the Russian language, but things are still there, nothing happened. Well, at least they removed a separate key for Bixby, but smartphones have this assistant, some of the functions are very useful and have nothing to do with voice (for example, these are Bixby scripts). Nevertheless, from time to time you come across windows with Bixby, where it is stated that this assistant is not available in Russia. A strange idea is created, it seems like many functions outside of voice control are and work, but there is no voice. But both are called Bixby, which in an ordinary person causes the gray matter to boil. Somehow it was done inaccurately, and you need to get rid of this relic somehow. It is clear that I do not want to make separate firmware for countries without the Bixby voice assistant, but this affects the perception of the device. Such sloppiness in flagships should not be allowed.
Reason number 10. Samsung’s scary Exynos processor
For many years, a sect of witnesses to the brakes and lags of the Exynos processor has existed on the network, with different versions. In practice, nothing slows down, does not heat up and does not cause problems, but with feeling, plainly and with arrangement, they try to prove the opposite. When it smells like fried, they run into the bushes and come up with other explanations why Exynos as a whole is not so bad, and their previous maxims were not so important. In real life, there is no difference in performance between Exynos and Snapdragon smartphones, this is a myth. But the myth is persistent, since it is based on the flawed feeling of a number of buyers that they are always given not the best, but excellent solutions are given to “white” people. I don’t know what to do to see the difference in real life between Exynos and Snapdragon, but for a very small part of people it became an obsession. Unscrupulous people are trying to stir up interest in this topic, real users of Note20 Ultra, and many other smartphones, twist their fingers at their temples and continue to use their smartphones, not knowing that they are slowing down, heating up and using them is absolutely impossible.
But for some, Exynos is a verdict, although, probably, most of those who argue about this will never buy the same Note20 Ultra, regardless of the processor version.
PS Every year, some reasons against the flagships from Samsung remain the same, something changes. But in general, it is indicative that many of the reasons are indirect, secondary and do not affect the main functions of the smartphone, on what we see in everyday life. This is often “wishlist”, but not what is needed. It is possible that you have your reasons and you can share them in the comments.
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