A Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra face-off will help you decide between two premium flagship phones that are quite stellar and somewhat similar. In fact, as you’ll see in our Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review, it’s the most Note-like Galaxy S series phone ever, as it’s the first in that family to support the S Pen.
But if you look deeper, there are lots of key differences between the S21 Ultra and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, from the cameras and the design to the processor and price. Our Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review shows it’s still a formidable handset, but it’s been surpassed in some ways by the newer Samsung. We compared these two phones side by side to help you decide which one is right for you.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Specs
Galaxy S21 Ultra
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Starting price
$1,199
$1,299
Screen size
6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED (3200 x 1440; 10Hz – 120Hz)
6.9 inches Dynamic AMOLED (3088 x 1440; 10Hz -120Hz)
CPU
Snapdragon 888
Snapdragon 865 Plus
RAM
12GB, 16GB
12GB
Storage
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
128GB, 512GB
microSD
No
Yes
Rear cameras
108MP (f/1.8) wide; 12MP (f/2.2) ultrawide; 10MP (f/2.4) telephoto with 3x zoom; 10MP (f/4.9) telephoto with 10x zoom
Phantom Silver, Phantom Black, Phantom Navy, Phantom Titanium, Phantom Brown
Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Price
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is priced at $1,199, which is $200 less than its predecessor. On paper, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the pricier of these two phones with a retail price of $1,299.
However, with discounts you can find the Note 20 Ultra for as low as $1,049, which is $250 off. We would check out our best Galaxy S21 deals and best Galaxy Note 20 deals pages for the latest sales.
Note that the Galaxy S21 Ultra has three storage options with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. The 256GB model costs $1,249 and the 512GB version $1,379.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has just two storage options. The 512GB version jumps up to $1,449, but it appears to be out of stock at most retailers and carriers.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Design
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
Newer doesn’t always mean better. I prefer the design the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra over the Galaxy S21 Ultra. That’s because the Note 20 Ultra is thinner, lighter and smaller. The camera bump on the S21 Ultra does integrate better into the back of the phone with Samsung’s contour design, but I’d rather hold and use the Note 20 Ultra.
The S21 Ultra also comes in more colors, including Phantom Silver and Phantom Black, plus Phantom Navy, Phantom Titanium and Phantom Brown through Samsung.com. The Note 20 Ultra comes in just Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White.
If you want to use an S Pen, the Note 20 Ultra is the obvious choice, because there’s nowhere to put the S Pen on the S21 Ultra unless you spring for a case. And that adds even more bulk to a hefty device.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Display
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
The displays on the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra are fairly similar, with both phones featuring Dynamic AMOLED displays that can scale from 10Hz up to 120Hz for smoother performance. The Note 20 Ultra’s screen is only slightly larger at 6.9 inches, compared to 6.8 inches for the S21 Ultra.
(Image credit: Future)
Both of these screens are sharp and amazingly colorful with ultra-wide viewing angles, but the S21 Ultra pulls ahead with its higher average brightness of 821 nits. The Note 20 Ultra hit 662 nits in our lab.
(Image credit: Future)
However, the Note 20 Ultra’s screen was slightly more colorful, registering 86.1% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, compared to 81.4% for the S21 Ultra. The Note 21 Ultra’s panel also proved a bit more accurate, as it achieved a Delta-E score of 0.24 (0 is perfect); the S21 Ultra scored 0.35.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Cameras
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the camera you want if you’re looking for the most powerful zoom. It packs two telephoto zoom lenses, which can achieve 3x hybrid zoom and 10x optical and up to 100x digital Space Zoom.
Now, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is no slouch in this department, as it features a 5x optical zoom and 30x Space Zoom, but it simply doesn’t go as far. In addition, the S21 Ultra has a zoom lock feature that can help capture steadier shots.
Both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra feature a super sharp main 108MP camera, as well as a 12MP ultrawide camera. However, the S21 Ultra is designed to offer better performance in low light, and it also delivers improvements with its portrait mode.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra also sports a sharper front camera at 40MP, compared to 10MP for the Note 20 Ultra. When it comes to image quality, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is better in almost every way.
With this bowl a fruit, the S21 Ultra produces a brighter image, so the oranges in particular look more vibrant. The apple in the S21 Ultra shot is almost too bright, as you lose some definition in the skin compared to the Note 20 Ultra, but overall the S21 Ultra produces a more pleasing photo.
I used the Night mode on both phones for this photo, which illuminated only by a nearby street lamp. It’s not a dramatic difference, but I do appreciate that the sky appears brighter and the tree to the right looks a bit sharper and has more contrast in the foreground. Both phones do a fairly good job overall, though, especially with the footsteps in the snow.
In this photo of a small lucky bamboo plant, I actually prefer the Note 20 Ultra’s photo because of the way it deals with the light streaming through the window. The bright points at the top of the leaves make the shot look more compelling. The S21 Ultra’s pic is too uniform throughout.
This is where the Note 20 Ultra really starts to fall behind. This portrait looks completely blown out compared to the S21 Ultra. It looks like there’s a white haze or film over the whole scene. Whereas the S21 Ultra does a better job capturing a more accurate dark blue in my jacket; my face also has a warmer tone than in the Note’s shot.
At 10x zoom, the Galaxy S21 Ultra delivers more detail and more accurate hues in this shot of a tree with some bird and squirrel feeders. The Note 20 Ultra struggles with the bark and the feeder in the top left of the frame gets almost completely lost along the edges.
Once we get to 50x zoom, it’s no contest. The Note 20 Ultra’s photo is so blurry and hazy it looks like an impressionist painting. The bark and feeder both look a lot clearer in the S21 Ultra photo.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra packs a newer Snapdragon 888 processor, while the Note 20 Ultra is powered by a Snapdragon 865 chip, so it’s not a big surprise that the S21 Ultra offers better performance. But it’s not a huge gap.
For example, on our video editing test, which involves transcoding a 4K video clip to 1080p using the Adobe Premiere Rush app, the Galaxy S21 Ultra took 1 minute and 2 seconds to complete the task. The Note 20 Ultra needed a little bit longer at 1:16.
On Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, the S21 Ultra scored 3,400 on the multi-core portion of the test, compared to 3,294 for the Note 20 Ultra.
However, the Galaxy S21 Ultra may be the better option for gamers, as it scored considerably higher on the 3DMark Wild Life graphics test. It notched an average of 33 frames per second, while the Note 20 Ultra mustered only 24.9 fps.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Battery life
(Image credit: Future)
Both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will get you through a full day on a charge, especially if you use the 60Hz display mode on each phone. But the S21 Ultra has longer endurance overall.
On the Tom’s Guide battery test, which consists of continuous web surfing over 5G on 150 nits of screen brightness, the Galaxy S21 Ultra lasted an impressive 11 hours and 25 minutes in 60Hz screen mode. That’s good enough to land this device on our best phone battery life list. With the display’s adaptive mode on, which goes up to 120Hz, the runtime dropped to a still-good 10:07.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra didn’t fare as well in our testing, as it lasted 10:26 in 60Hz screen mode and 7:59 with the adaptive mode turned on. That’s a pretty big drop.
The S21 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra both offer fast 25W charging, but only the Note comes with a charger in the box.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Special features
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
The most special thing about the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is its S Pen, but now that the Galaxy S21 Ultra supports S Pen input, what’s the difference?
For one, you have to buy the S Pen separately with the S21 Ultra. A combo case and S Pen costs $69.99. Plus, this case adds bulk to an already hefty phone, and the S Pen doesn’t support Bluetooth. A separate S Pen Pro will be coming later.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the phone to get if you want to expand storage, as it offers a microSD card slot. Samsung got rid of this perk on the S21 Ultra along with a bundled charger.
The S21 Ultra does have some welcome special features, such as its more powerful Space Zoom and zoom lock feature. In addition, there’s a handy object eraser feature in the camera software and a Director’s View feature on the S21 Ultra when recording video, which allows you to record using the front and back cameras at the same time.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Verdict
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
If I were paying with my own money, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the clear winner. It offers a brighter display, longer battery life and especially better cameras. The image quality difference is pretty stark, especially when taking portraits and zooming in outdoors.
If you want to use an S Pen with your next phone, I would recommend the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra instead. Yes, the Galaxy S21 Ultra supports the S Pen, but I would rather have it built in to the phone without needing a bulky case.
Overall, though, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the better value.
Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.
The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.
Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.
The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.
Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.
On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.
The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.
More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.
Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:
You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!
Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.
Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.
There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.
Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.
Successful people tend to be secretive.
Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.
Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.
Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.
TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.
Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.
The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.
The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.
The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.
Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.
“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.
The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.
“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”
The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.
However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.
That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.
“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.
“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”
The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.
About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.
“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.
Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.
In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.
The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”
“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.
“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”
Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.
Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.
In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.
The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.
Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.
“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.
“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.
Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.
Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.
“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.
“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”
Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.
As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.
But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.
Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.
The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
