Note 20 Review: A Good Phone With a Bad Reputation

[@carlosalba7790]

You gave the phone a chance instead of joining the hate train, refreshing content right here

[@Ziadgamer3218]

I know right?

[@caidencaudill6708]

Yeah I have one it is a good phone

[@jeyprocketeer]

why hate?

[@jmboyd78]

This is what I've been wanting for years. Plastic back so its light and I can't crack it. Get rid of the stupid curves. I'm pumped about this phone.

[@OKtheChannel]

I just got my Note 20. It feels so refreshing to go back to plastic after having a few glass phones. I have no idea why people are so hyped about glass, since it does literally nothing apart from being heavy, leaving fingerprints and shattering on the first drop xD To me, right now, a plastic back is an advantage over a glass back.

[@TheTektronik]

You're going to put a case over it anyway.

[@arisaardi7576]

More like a good phone with a bad pricing i say..

[@MarkSpurrell]

Pretty much!

[@cakraparindra4659]

@@MarkSpurrell What if I say to you, because the promo in my country, I can get this phone around 650-700 USD? For me personally it's quite a steal Edit: It's the Exynos version btw so it still quite a loss on one perspective

[@justinw7323]

Should have been about 750

[@twirlyst.]

@@cakraparindra4659 still would get the s20 fe tho, because it has a 120hz display

[@cakraparindra4659]

@@twirlyst. not a bad choice either since 60 and 120fps doesn't really affect battery life that much from what I see this past 2 months

[@maecalle]

FINALLY, someone who talks about why I chose the Note 20! Thank you!!! (and yes, I'm getting it at a cheaper price with my carrier)

[@ChipMatthews]

I just bought this phone to replace my seven year old Note 3. Do I wish it was cheaper? Sure, but I paid $700 for the Note 3 and this is a much, much better phone. I think the plastic back thing is ridiculous. Unless you're buying it as a status symbol, who cares? Frankly I'd rather have a back that's less likely to shatter. Until there's a true S-pen competitor this is the most affordable way to get one, and it's all about the S-pen. I have no regrets and I'll be happy to use it for the next seven years.

[@markromo7754]

Should've waited for black friday prices

[@Sora5024]

I agree with you. Plus I have a Galaxy S8 Plus. I cracked the edge screen. I paid tones of money. Flat screen is what I wanted.

[@skyefio]

I chose this phone over the ultra because it fits my budget (got it for $600 when I renewed my plan + I was given free buds+), it's just the right size for me and the flat screen made writing notes a joy. I don't care about refresh rates or the plastic back. Overall, it's still an outstanding phone for the work that i do.

[@sbleb761]

I'm watching this video 6 months later, and I bought it for 650$ 🤣. It's an amazing phone, from the battery to the camera to the resolution, overall for 650$ it's a great phone, but i still don't get why people a reviewing it badly just because of its plastic cover and other useless specs that 99% of people would not notice when comparing to the ultra. I highly advise buying it

[@anthonybrazzle]

I personally don't care about price, as long as the longevity is there 🤷🏾‍♂️ and to be honest, any phone priced at or above $1,000 will bring DROVES of people complaining about the price, no matter how good or bad it is. It's just funny watching people tear the standard Note 20 to shreds over price, when most people are going to either skip the lineup altogether, or buy the standard one because it's simply costs less & is almost indistinguishable from the ultra in the eyes of most.

[@Young_Dab]

You must work at a FACTory the way shipping out these facts.

[@anthonybrazzle]

@@Young_Dab Good one 🤣💯

[@neemad]

Also many are likely trading in previous Samsung phone for it, almost no one is actually paying $1000.

[@markstutzman6681]

All very good points! Not gonna lie you have me questioning again why I bought the Ultra -- Note 20 is cheaper, lighter (I appreciate that), flat screen, better battery...nice review!

[@TechWithBrett]

You have 256GB of storage!!!

[@MarkSpurrell]

Yeah!

[@gabrielcruz4539]

@@MarkSpurrell thats sad, you got exynos

[@gabrielcruz4539]

thats worse than having the snap dragon version of the phone, its a better deal to get the note 10 plus from last year. The U.S. version tho

[@justinw7323]

Not complaining. I have had a s10 plus then it was dying i traded it to att and got the note 20 free but i miss the 4k resolution.

[@bandrew8040]

No 5g tho

[@kenbee1957]

If I had a penny for every, "Don't buy this phone" review I could afford the Note 20 outright

[@AQ-101]

;-)

[@AarushOnAir]

Don't buy this phone honestly for not the reasons like plastic back and all but poor battery life. Despite being on charging for so long while using Android auto it dropped to 40% for just 2 hours 42 min screen on time.

[@AQ-101]

@@AarushOnAir oh that's horrible...

[@alyssamoosekat]

@@AarushOnAir I have the note 20, the battery life is amazing for me. This is the first time I've been able to get through a full day without having to charge my phone by noon (I had an s9 before). It lasts over 12 hours and I use it regularly. The charging time is on the slow side however, unless you use the super-fast charging feature, which isn't very good for the battery. I think it takes about 2.5 hours to charge fully (maybe a bit more) with just cable charging.

[@kenbee1957]

I finally bought this phone Lol A nice lady in Stuttgart was getting rid of hers to pick up an S20 and I was scrolling through the classifieds at just the right time

[@christopherrodier866]

For the $312 I paid after trade in, its a amazing phone!

[@nomore617]

Good shit bro I paid 600 so I feel like I won

[@phillip_bennington7011]

I paid 300 cash for the note 20 brand new

[@javieraravena3972]

@@phillip_bennington7011 wait what it was that cheap

[@richardstaples75]

The plastic back also makes the phone 20g's lighter than the glass-backed "Ultra". That's why I'm buying it as my 4th NOTE phone!

[@billynunns]

I'd rather have the plastic back than glass. More durable and not easily broken

[@ChaoSTrophicS]

but easily gets scratches

[@lujemujemuje]

@@ChaoSTrophicS scratches are better than cracks. 😌😌

[@CaedenV]

Agreed! Glass is thick, heavy, expensive, and breaks. I am going to put a case on my investment anyways, so I absolutely prefer a plastic backing and spend that money on other parts of the phone. Granted, at $1k and other cuts made they obviously didn't do that... But if they had cut the glass back and kept the more premium display, or additional storage, then that would be a different story. Plus, as mentioned in the video, these things go on sale all the time. Purchased mine for $500 through my carrier today; not about to complain at that price.

[@avnish_rana]

Unfortunately I get the Exynos variant in my country and it sucks.

[@rho992]

That too 20% more expensive. Plus in India price doesn't drop that much even after months.

[@akj2387]

Is it so slow to the point the phone can't do daily tasks like browsing social media? That must be horrible if so.

[@JRBowling1997]

Ujw Plays i agree what is so bad about Exynos besides battery and apps? Do apps run that much worse? Tell me more!!!

[@JeremyJeikaHunt]

Mine Exynos works fine. Could get an average of 5 hours of SOT and the battery drops from 100% to 45%.

[@akj2387]

@@JeremyJeikaHunt I acutally have an Exynos S20 now... It's really good, like I have no complaints coming from an S8. It lasts me through the day too.

[@DanielKrennonline]

I just ordered this phone. Plastic was fine for years. Ever since they started using glass backs, I have had consistent cracking issues even while using cases.. I welcome the return the flat glass and plastic backs. Thank you Samsung for listening. With google photos you really don't need more than 128gb memory. 120Mz screen only sucks battery life. No need for it. People have been complaining about prices going up, glad to see manufacturers reacting to these concerns. Well, accept for the over priced and over hyped iPhone. Screen repairs are also considerably less .... $210 vs $300. Paid 699 through Samsung trading in my s9+ with shattered back glass and cracked front glass! Not a bad deal.

[@eduardovazquez6617]

Flat screen, spen, good battery, good enough screen, good cameras, it is just what I was looking for. Except for the price but I just got mine, here in mexico, I got a great deal with my carrier ($615 american dollars). Great purchase, great review!!

[@jetsflytoday]

Watching from my note 20. Switched from iPhone and got it unlocked for $600 with an Otterbox. Im impressed.

[@mokong4427]

Great review Mark. You are right, not everyone will purchase the phone with it's full price. I'M in the market for a note and planned to trade in my 2 year old S9 that has cracked screen and a battery that drains so fast that it won't last me half a day. I just want a regular note 10 and I figured that the price will drop with the release of the note 20 series. To my surprise. Samsung offered $300 off if I purchase the regular Note 20 compared to just $200 for the regular note 10. Plus they took off $100 when I purchased the buds live. Saved a total of $400. So all those negative reviews helped a lot in dropping the price🤣🤣 Samsung accepted my trade in. Not bad for a $700 phone. But definitely not worth $1000.

[@sophia9012]

Yup me too, I didn't buy the phone at the retail price.

[@Young_Dab]

My S9 is still holding up pretty well, but that might be because awhile ago I cracked my screen and got it fixed and they put in a new battery, but I'm waiting for the S21 with the snapdragon 875

[@psymonologyle7936]

I got this phone for 300 bucks. Absolutely loved it

[@jprescottirl]

got the phone two days ago, traded my galaxy s9+ and got half off !! I love this phone!

[@vrbinho9]

64mpx not telephoto, it is 3x hibrid croping zoom, and it is great, much more light and bigger senzor then optical senzors on mid range phones.

[@FigWidIt]

True,Android phones tend to drop to nearly half the price of MSRP after several months or a year later. I personally like the look of this model,reminds me of a flat chocolate bar which is different than all the back glassed/aluminum body phones we get today.

[@Retrad_]

fun fact, the 3x optical telephoto actually has a 1.1x zoom and a lot of megapixels to make up for it, i bought this phone for the 3x camera and it doesn't have a 3x camera

[@xB1Mx007]

I'm looking at this at almost 3 years later n got it for like 300 💀

[@mrivan6]

the only thing that phone lacks is the expandable memory

[@exe_]

I bought the phone at a very steep discount recently, the phone is amazing and I certainly didn't pay 1,000 usd.

[@sumanneupane5283]

You are truly a great reviewer ❤ Underrated!

[@jonamarizramos]

Nice review. I have the note 20 just a few days ago. I was doubting at first if i got the right model. But whenever i think that the ultra variant costs an additional 12.41 USD monthly, it actually clears my doubts. The size of the unit is good for a woman's hand, the glasstic makes me remove the case from time to time. And I'm not worried about the camera bunch because it's really manageable for the note 20. I don't care about the refresh rate tho, I'm not a heavy user at the first place. It's quiet pricey but the ultra is way way too much pricey.

[@GauravKumar-me2xc]

Bought it at $400 by exchanging my Note 9, in India. Only thing I don’t like here is huge camera bump and pinhole camera which note 9, didn’t had. But these days all phone comes with camera bump and pinhole camera. Otherwise a great phone for me and I don’t care if its back is plastic. Also from a long time I wanted a flat screen on my NOTES, finally I have it with note 20. Owned note 3 neo, note 4, note 5, note 9 and now note 20.

[@piggyyyyy]

What app are you using for your Home Screen, it looks beautiful!

[@calvee1100]

I love my Note 20! I returned my N20 Ultra and do not regret it! N20 is cheaper , (got 500 trade in credit for old s9+), it is lighter and easier to hold, flat screen, and the color calibration and gamma is WAY better on the N20 than the N20 Ultra.

[@Jorge27Carrasco]

Excellent review, great video! Keep up the good work! I think it's a great phone with a bad price. Here where I live, it is 35-50% more expensive than in the US, which makes this not worth it at all. If it dropped low enough I think it would be a good deal. Other than that, there are several options out there you can get for 1k

[@glencollins2374]

5:15 AAAAA THATS MONDAY POND WTF THIS IS SO WIRED USEALLY THESE TECH REVIWER PEOPLE LIVE IN THE US IM SO CONFUSED YET HAPPY

[@jtvercetti4076]

I bought mine today for $750 on prime day! I would have never paid the launch price, I would have went for the ultra. But prime day sales I got Samsung galaxy buds galaxy active and note 20 for $1100 id say that's a win. (Switching from iphone)

[@lmmedia35]

Hahaha I picked it up today also and best part I'm overseas so it was tax free so I thought 750 was a good deal

[@toysupra09]

This is definitely a 2 year phone for me. No complaints at all. Excellent battery, great software and solid in hand feel.

[@sesebon]

where did you get the Naruto and Sasuke wallpapers though? :D

[@calibyrnes3935]

Can someone explain the appeal of glass backs to me? Everyone uses cases anyways and those who don't now have two expensive fragile sides to shattere when dropped. Seriously why did this become the norm? Plastic was fine, metal was fine, hell even those pleather backs were fine

[@MarkSpurrell]

I actually really like those pleather backed phones.

[@arturm1070]

Some people explained that plastic have worse thermal properties thus the processor does't cool down enough.

[@attiyt]

I know it's been a couple vids, but I'm loving this new set!!

[@lizasoberano6612]

I have note 20 standard also. Its flat screen yeah. Amd more battery efficient. But why not same size punch hole?

[@Thotanthillaya]

i have just ordered the phone TODAY! and its definitely not a BAD Phone :-) like many have said it... i really liked the way of presentation and it was refreshing! i have ordered a 8GB RAM 256GB Note 20 Mystic Bronze

[@andi_9960]

How about the stand by performance? Is it drain faster?

[@DharmenderKumar-sy6gi]

I buy this phone in less than 200$. US version, used phone with some rough body.

[@troywright1539]

Top of the line Review as always Sir I just picked one up exynos model cause I got it for 398.00 couldn't pass it up just was brushing up on its capabilities. You hit it right on the mark always a pleasure watching your material

[@simonjohnhinton1938]

the last time I had a phone on contract was with Vodafone back at a time when you had the old Nokia bricks! I've mostly had note phones but decided to wait a couple of months after the release of the note 20 ultra for the price to drop. I picked up a Hong Kong version (n9860) with the 865+ chipset 256gb rom for £889. brilliant phone.

[@Lena-cd4ty]

Thank you for saying this! I never really considered buying this phone because of the many negative reviews. It's november now and i just bought the note for 600 bucks. I don't care about the plastic back at all because i always have a case on. The edges are at this point absolutely annoying the hell out of me because I can't really put a screen protector on it (it bothers me so much that it won't cover the whole screen) and my old S10+ has got a lot of scratches because of the edge display.

[@sebasstianninop]

off topic you are so handsome, eloquent and well spoken your reviews are such a pleasure to watch

[@lawrenceho5439]

Really great review. Nice and in-depth yet still engaging and interesting. Keep up the amazing work man.

[@shehansaverimuttu2049]

Mark, How's the haptic like on the note 20 ?

[@glencollins2374]

oh yeah actually sence u live in newfoundland do u get the exonos chip or the snapdragon chip here?

[@tonypspokertable2728]

I don't think anyone is denying that it's a good phone, but for the price you can't get much more, even buying last year's model. Samsung just priced it wrong. For maybe 700 it would have been flying off the shelf.

[@marcozk5]

Got note 20 for 545 at bestbuy a steal pre black Friday deal

[@lucee2261]

No such thing as free - you'll just pay a premium monthly charge - there's no free lunch. I couldn't agree more though re flat screens - curved screens suck - you don't find curved TV screens now, for a very good reason - they're crap.

[@smileyfaceHi545]

i dont like using phone cases, changing from glass back s9+ to plastic note 20 is a nice feel and change.

[@oli077]

What about the camera quality between note 10 (+) and regular note 20? Which one takes better pictures? Less saturated

[@blaauwbroekb]

Hey Mark, what icon pack are you using in this video on the Note 20

[@rkp2941992]

Could you please provide the link to the Maru to wallpapers you have in your phone.?

[@tahiyatrafi8026]

I like your videos man! excellent overall review.

[@robertgdking]

Great weather leading to some great outdoor filming opportunities

[@emhleonor]

I think 120hz changing the transition in developer option helps was that really big deal?

[@LifehackerAsh]

Great review. Good point about the phone going on sale and being worth at that price. Keep the great videos coming.

[@MarkSpurrell]

Thanks!

[@andi_9960]

Where did you get that sasuke's wallpaper?

[@FannyPackMan100]

Well then. I feel pretty good about buying the phone for literally half-off on Google Fi's Cyber Monday sale, then.

[@vedkorla300]

Awesome content.

[@peteT269]

If anyone is wondering if there's a country where you can buy both the exynos AND snapdragon versions, yes there actually is. Switzerland.

[@kdikun]

The issue isn't the phone. It's the pricing. A sale price of $700 is somewhat reasonable, but $1000 is insulting. I prefer the plastic back and flat screen and I don't care about the 60hz refresh rate. But even at the sales prices I saw before Christmas, I couldn't justify paying $700 for a phone with only 128gb of storage with no SD card slot. I picked up a Note 10 instead for $600. I hate the curved screen but for $100 less and double the memory, it was the better choice.

[@x88yunkw]

5 hours SOT with 50% battery left. I seriously doubted. Either your phone is empty, data and WiFi off all the way and so on. Just my personal opinion as a note20 snapdragon user.

[@plexyx8399]

I am honestly really excited to get this phone. I really like all it’s features and everything, and right now because of Black Friday it’s only $750 USD.

[@ad2309]

Thanks for mentioning the price you quote is US$, it makes it easier for us Canadians know how much it costs in maple leafs. Cheers

[@MarkSpurrell]

I am also from 🇨🇦 Most of my viewers are from the US though, so USD is the currency I use to talk about phones.

[@ad2309]

@@MarkSpurrellCool, I knew you are Canadian (I try to get at least some home grown content), and I suppected the reason for using US$. Not all Canadian reviewers mention which dollars are used (I assume US$ to avoid sticker shock) and appreciated your clarification. Tks

[@JamesBrown-vt9kr]

why am i the only one that seems to not get accidental touches on my curved screen?

[@distoricass]

Looking for a flat screen. Watching in november 2023. Just bought 2 news ones on amazon for my wife and i. She likes stylus and i like big screen

[@robbykidman]

people always talk about the refresh rate. well, if you use it for work, who would notice that anyway?

[@DahiruAliyu]

Hey what theme and launcher are you using

[@ravynsahale968]

Just picked it up BNIB for $500. A good deal at that, but I never would have bought it for $1,000.

[@tntfragz1945]

I got the note 20 with 256 gb as the base :)

[@andrewthach1989]

It's only been $799 unlocked at best buy. Open box excellent for $680. Great phone for that price

[@abdulqadiraamir7991]

Please tell me about both the sasuke and naruto wallpaper!!

[@AarushOnAir]

Despite being on charging for so long while using Android auto it dropped to 40% for just 2 hours 42 min screen on time.

[@timothyleee27204]

Do you think this phone is better than the galaxy s10e?

[@cosmin-constantinmanole6439]

Nice video, giving the phone a chance. Keep up the good work.

[@jjuviw17]

With my S10E trade in, they gave me the Note 20 for $275. A steal at that price!

[@FactsToast]

You get it with a SD but in India it is Exynos 990

[@shawnmccuen6908]

Got it for $600 at Best Buy. Good phone. Great price.

[@AlxMurray]

I just bought mine, 9 months later of this video, and it cost me $630, exynos version, 256 GB tho, but I think it was a great deal!

[@ino6739]

is the battery reasonable?

[@AlxMurray]

@@ino6739 on a regular basis, you get a whole day of use, but if you are into games, or editing pics it will drain in 5 hours more or less

[@ino6739]

thats good enough for me! ive been scared of getting the exynos version which is the only one available in my region, but i guess it might be worth it, since its around 700 bucks rn thank you!

[@AlxMurray]

@@ino6739 don't be afraid! is a really good phone!

[@coney207]

If your not gonna offer expandable memory, then you need to offer more internal memory.

[@ucat4818]

I am looking at the note20 review on my note20 ultra phone, yad and can you give me the name of that wallpaper and theme, pls? 🥰🥰🥰

[@redwan2040]

Please post more often i love your videos so much

[@MarkSpurrell]

There's only one of me doing this, so I'm trying but I doubt I can make them any faster! Tech videos take a long time to shoot and edit, not to mention test the products!

[@alexwebster90]

This was the review i needed, cheers bro. That black back looks sexy and not shown much in other reviews. Respect on the Naruto wallpapers!

[@andi_9960]

Can you tell me which version of one UI do you have? 2.5?

[@shaiksajidpasha4297]

1:43 you said eight thousand bucks.

[@benjiboiiii2262]

Please i need to know about the screen wallpaper an how thw weekdays chang???

[@Ak-wz5wi]

Mark whats the launcher or icon pack

[@MarkSpurrell]

Nova Launcher, Saturate icon pack :)

[@Ak-wz5wi]

@@MarkSpurrell 👍

[@jyt6600]

Hey can you make a vid about which to buy, xs max or 11?? Thanks 😀

[@MarkSpurrell]

I have too many projects right now, but I will advise you to consider the following before making your decision: XS Max has the better display and overall design, while the 11 has better battery life and cameras. I personally prefer the XS Max, but that's just me!

[@angelmonae7140]

I have the 11 -__- I should’ve stuck with my 7 plus so please get the 10smax

[@DC-vl4ue]

@@angelmonae7140 what's the problem with ip11? Isn't it an upgrade of Xs max?

[@MrKrueger88]

INSTANT SUBSCRIBER 👍👍👍 A VERY THOROUGH REVIEW 😅👍🤗

[@valentinegrimmer]

Me literally watching six months later with my note 20 that I got today

[@arturm1070]

How much it cost for you? I am going to buy it for 715$ (snapdragon)

[@jeraldhuang2196]

Plastic is not durable at all. Putting it on the table and you get a scratch immediately. And by dropping it you risk breaking the screen. No benefit except being lightweight.

[@oxicleanlaundrystaneremove6516]

i have a dilema im due for a phone upgrade soon and i dont know if i want the note 20 or note 20 ultra the ultra doesnt have green but it has a bigger screen and better camera the regular one on the other hand has that smexy smexy green color but has a worse camera

[@christianbuczko1481]

Got the note 20 5g last week for £930 on contract paid over 2yrs. (£38pm) with 100gig pm data, calls and texts incl. The only downside to the ultra is mine doesnt have 120hz, but 60hz is good for most things.

[@arturm1070]

micro sd also lacks (not because 256 gb is few, just wanted to have options for information storage)

[@christianbuczko1481]

@@arturm1070 it does have access to cloud storage so data can be saved onto that and easily transferred.

[@stevepuga282]

I traded in my pixel 3 and samsung gave me 400 bucks for that phone!!! I got this phone for 599.00..oh and samsung gave me a 150 dollar gift card towards accessories, I got a deal!!

[@DJTFLO]

I'm picking a regular note 20 for 550 today hopefully it's worth it!