The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is essentially a taller Note 10 Plus with the S20

Ultra’s beefy camera module. In other words, we’ve seen it before — and
that’s a shame.

The Galaxy Note has always been a refined piece of hardware. The series
typically eschews splashy design in favor of muted elegance. The Note 8, 9,
and 10 all had their own design cues that were simple and delicate at the
same time. Toss in appealing color mixes and the Note was the best-dressed
phone out there.

Samsung’s Note 20 Ultra carries over the basic shape of the Note 10 Plus in
that it has two curved pieces of glass sandwiching an aluminum frame. If you
compare the two, the similarities are obvious. The frame is nearly identical
between them, though the overall chassis of the Note 20 is slightly thicker to
accommodate the larger battery and taller to accommodate the larger display.
It’s a gigantic phone. With a nearly seven-inch screen, how could it not be?
It’s about the same dimensions as the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which was roundly
chastised as being too large. Moreover, where the S20 has rounded corners,
the Note 20 Ultra has pointy corners. It’s quite a package to put in your
pocket.

Credit: Eric Zeman / Android Authority

The quality of the manufacture is second to none. Samsung has always

known how to slap glass and metal together, and that’s clearly evident once
again in the Note 20 Ultra. The fit and finish is flawless. The tight seal
between components helps ensure the phone meets the requirements for
IP68 certification against water and dust. The Gorilla Glass Victus should
keep the phone from scratching and breaking when dropped gently.
The quality of the manufacturing is second to none. Samsung has always known how to
slap glass and metal together.

The mirror-like, reflective colorways of the Note 10 are gone, having been
replaced with Mystic Black, Mystic White, and Mystic Bronze, the latter of
which looks strikingly like rose gold if you ask me. I really like the satin look
and feel of the white and bronze models. The high-quality finish wards off
fingerprints and other markings with ease.

There are two major changes to minor parts of the design: the power and
volume buttons have been restored to the proper side of the phone, and the S
Pen has been relocated. In a design misstep last year, Samsung put the
power/screen lock button on the left edge of the phone. For anyone coming
from a Note 8 or Note 9, the button was suddenly on the opposite side of the
phone. Now both the volume toggle and power button are on the right edge,
where most people can find them easily. The feedback of these keys is
flawless. Oddly, Samsung moved the S Pen from its traditional location on the
bottom-right corner to the bottom-left corner. We can only surmise that
Samsung made this change to accommodate the camera module. Speaking
of which…

Samsung debuted the giganto-module with the S20 series back in February. It

is large in order to make room for the periscoping zoom camera. That module
has now found its way to the Note series. It’s a large, obtrusive thing that I
don’t particularly like the look of. It is big enough to get caught on your
pockets when storing the phone, and it can get in the way of wireless charging
on some charging mats.