Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra — 6 Points before Burning your Cash!
I have been an avid Android user since 2011. Have been awestruck by several brands like HTC, Sony Ericsson, OnePlus and Samsung (only Note!). But Samsung stopped creating that mind-blowing experience after their Galaxy Note 5 days (Explosives rarely belong to that category for me 😏)!
This will be my detailed perspective based on my prior knowledge, so request you to bear with me.
1. Samsung Devices Slow Down Faster
They might come up with OneUIs, but that is just a cosmetic change. I have been into flashing firmware, and Note 10 Plus’s firmware (OS) size is 5GB, whereas Pixel 4 XL’s is just 2GB! Pixel gives us vanilla android experience, which translates to smooth functioning of the device even after several months. Manufacturers like Samsung add features and bloatware (≈3GB) over this unadulterated experience. With long-term use, I had to factory reset every 25–30 days, for getting fluid experience.
Samsung OS = 5 GB (bloated)
Pixel 4 XL = 2 GB (vanilla smooth)
2. Galaxies Have Poor Value in 2nd-hand Market
Let’s have a side by side comparison of Apple vs Samsung flagships over the years. We cannot get proper value because Samsung devices get obsolete quick. Can you find people buying Note 4 to Note 8 or 9!? But you’ll get loads of people wanting older series iPhones (reason in pt. 3). From pure demand and supply perspective, you don’t get people wanting older Notes. This negates chances of you getting good resale value!
Below, I’ve compared price increment per year for both the brands.
3. Samsung’s Pricing is Unjustified
Samsung has become obnoxiously overpriced. They are forcibly driving the price up! They want to be more premium brand, but their products are not significantly better. Primarily, the positives boil down to Android’s open nature. Samsung’s initial Notes, till ‘14 and ‘15, were reasonably well-priced.
Apple did jump 30% with their iPhone X. But they overpriced the model to commemorate their 10th anniversary special launch. After which there has been a major shift in design language(notch) and features (no fingerprint reader). Galaxies usually upgrade incrementally every year.
Note 20 Ultra jumps 18% over Note 10 Plus’s price. But the update is merely incremental. Display cannot max-up at full resolution and full FPS — OnePlus does this at a much lower price! Other features apart from decreasing S-Pen’s latency are also incremental, but price-hike is not!
2011 Flagships cost around $600
Taking average inflation as 4.5%,
2020 should have Flagships at $900Anything extra you’re paying is going primarily towards excessive marketing and profiteering mindset of these brands
Here’s another analysis showing why the prices are unjustified.
Apple has more focus on R&D towards its flagships. It’s older devices create lower tiered iPhones for people who don’t want to spend much money. In essence, if I purchased an iPhone 8 in 2017, it’s still there in the current market. So, parts are readily available and price has not gone down a lot!
Samsung flagships from the next half of the year, has new ads, and forgets the older flagships. The older flagships without ads (now with their tier lowered) has to compete with fresh mid-ranger smartphones backed by heavy commercials. So, people are obviously drawn towards new mid-tier than older flagships.
Samsung products are cannibalizing each other with flagship device soon becoming obsolete. If I bought Note 8 in 2017, what would be its worth today?
Would you want to spend $1,300 over a device which wouldn’t be relevant 12–18 months later!?
4. S-Pen vs Apple Pencil
My first Note was Note 2. And I love S-Pen! But, now in my current job, I feel iPad Pro 2020 paired with Apple Pencil 2 would be a much better and long-lasting investment than Note 20 Ultra. The canvas in Note 20 Ultra is much smaller. Sure, there are artists who can utilize Notes as well, but I have never been able to draw in three Notes that I have owned till date, and I’ve received similar feedback from other users. I used them from occasional note taking, and the frequency keeps on reducing as your phone ages. So, even if S-Pen is more ‘feature-rich’, Apple Pencil is more ‘future proof’!
5. Exynos vs Snapdragon Profiteering
Pitting Exynos 990 against Snapdragon 865+ is futile. Snapdragon has always been winning this bout.
But what concerns me is people globally are more influenced by US based tech reviewers. And they usually review Snapdragon variants. People globally keep purchasing Exynos variant paying a huge premium for lower performance.
Samsung manufactures world class displays and Exynos in-house. Surpassing Apple (who uses Samsung displays and a much better fusion chipset) in pricing is absurd. Samsung is just keeping higher profits from users not calculating these factors!
6. Uncertainties due to COVID-19
These are challenging times. I would highly recommend people to give it a proper thought before burning $1,300 during this pandemic.
The purpose of my article is to help people take a more informed decision while buying a flagship phone and consider alternatives which are presenting better spec-sheets and performance at a much lower price. The lowered sale of Galaxy Note 4 after Note 3, made Samsung revise their pricing. I just want us all to have a great Samsung device at a reasonable price.
