Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G Camera test: Excellent wide and ultra-wide

Hot on the heels of their S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra standard smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G is the South Korean manufacturer’s latest business/consumer-oriented “phablet.” Equipped with a stylus for slicker note-taking, doodling, or photo editing, the Note20 Ultra 5G offers a sizable 6.9-inch dynamic AMOLED display with a 1440 x 3088-pixel resolution, HDR10+, and a 120 Hz refresh rate. Powered by an octa-core CPU and 12 GB of RAM internal memory, there’s plenty of processing oomph for the multi-tasking professional.

For photography, Samsung has dropped the time-of-flight (ToF) sensor found on the S20 Ultra and made some changes to the tele-camera setup on the Note20 Ultra. The primary camera looks essentially the same, featuring the same 1/1.33 MP, 108 MP-resolution sensor, with 3×3 pixel binning for outputting a 12 MP final image. This is coupled to a standard wide-angle 26 mm-equivalent lens that features an f/1.8 aperture, laser and PDAF autofocus, and optical image stabilization (OIS).

The tele-camera on the Note20 Ultra 5G now utilizes a standard-array 12 MP resolution with a 120 mm periscope-style lens for 5x optical zoom shots (or 4.6x if you’re being pedantic), compared to the 48 MP Quad-Bayer sensor with a 103 mm lens on the S20 Ultra. With a slightly underwhelming performance for zoom shots on the S20 Ultra in our tests, it will be interesting to see how this latest configuration compares. For ultra-wide shots, Samsung has unsurprisingly stuck with its tried-and-tested 12 MP 1/2.55-inch sensor and 13 mm-equivalent f/2.2 lens setup, which has performed admirably on many of their recent devices.

Finally, if you’re interested in moving images, the Note20 Ultra 5G captures 8K video at 24 fps, 4K at up to 60 fps, FHD up to 240 fps or HD up to 960 fps. There’s also HDR10+ live image processing on video, stereo sound recording, as well as both gyroscope-enabled electronic image stabilization (gyro-EIS) and OIS.

That’s a lot of technology. Let’s find out how it performed in our DXOMARK Camera tests.

Key camera specifications:

• Primary: 108 MP 1/1.33-inch sensor, 26 mm-equivalent f/1.8-aperture lens with laser & PDAF and OIS
• Telephoto: 12 MP sensor with 1.0µm pixels, 120 mm-equivalent periscope-style (5x optical) f/3-aperture lens with PDAF and OIS
• Ultra-wide: 12 MP sensor, 13 mm-equivalent f/2.2-aperture lens
• LED flash
• Video: 8K 4320p/24fps, 4K 2160p/60 fps (2160p/30 fps tested)
• Exynos 990 chipset (Snapdragon 865+ in USA)

About DXOMARK Camera tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone camera reviews, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 1600 test images and more than 2 hours of video both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. This article is designed to highlight the most important results of our testing. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera test protocol, click here. More details on how we score smartphone cameras are available here.

Test summary

With 121 points, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G is a very capable device for smartphone photography and makes it into the upper regions of our DXOMARK Camera rankings alongside the Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium and the Huawei Mate 30 Pro. Just a point behind its sister model S20 Ultra at 122, the two Samsung devices display very similar image quality in many respects. With a very good Photo score of 130, it’s a solid performer in most of our test categories; key strengths include vivid color rendering, fast autofocusing, and generally accurate exposure.

The primary camera delivers excellent exposure in most conditions, and although dynamic range isn’t quite as extended as we’ve seen with some devices, and low-light images can be slightly underexposed, it does a very good job overall. Exceptional color rendering ensures high levels of saturation for very vibrant images, and aside from some very minor color casts, white balance is accurate. Fast and accurate autofocus means images are almost always in sharp focus and the level of detail is acceptable in all conditions, although we did observe slightly more noise on the Note20 Ultra than we’re used to on Samsung devices.

The triple camera setup provides lots of shooting options for smartphone photographers, although the implementation of a 120 mm-equivalent tele-lens has some implications for the quality of its zoom shots. At long range it’s excellent, recording good detail in outdoor and indoor images. Exposure and color are generally very nice in all zoom shots, too, but significant problems are evident in medium-range zoom shots (approximately 4x magnification), where numerous artifacts are visible and a strong loss of texture and detail occurs in the outer field.

The ultra-wide camera is much more successful. While the field of view isn’t quite as wide as our new top-ranked wide device (the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra), the Note20 Ultra’s module still squeezes lots of image into the frame. Globally, ultra-wide image quality is very good, with the same excellent exposure and color from the main camera filtering down to the wide. Noise is often visible, detail is a little lower, and common wide-angle artifacts are slightly visible, but there’s nothing too problematic and overall it does an admirable job.

Portrait mode is another strength on the Note20 Ultra. When successfully activated, bokeh quality is very good, with a strong depth-of-field effect, well-contrasted bokeh spotlights, and a natural-looking blur gradient effect. It can be a little unreliable, though, and depth estimation isn’t quite as good as we saw on the S20 Ultra, with edge artifacts occasionally visible and faces lacking a little detail, too. Those issues aside, the overall effect is often pleasant, and continued excellent color and exposure ensures that portrait mode often yields nice results.

For nocturnal photography enthusiasts, the Note20 Ultra also delivers some nice results with the flash turned off, thanks to accurate exposure, color, and white balance. It’s slightly less successful in flash-auto mode, however, where low-light cityscapes aren’t quite as well exposed. Noise is generally a little more prevalent and detail is slightly lower in the Note20 Ultra’s nighttime images compared to the best performers in our rankings, but it is nevertheless more than capable, and the dedicated night mode often improves image quality in very dark scenes.

Tested and scored at its 4K/30fps setting (which offers the best results), the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G achieved an overall Video score of 101 points. This ranks slightly behind such flagships as the S20 Ultra and the iPhone 11 Pro Max at 102 points, as well as our top-performing Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra at 106. Performance is very close to the S20 Ultra’s, particularly for exposure, color, texture and autofocus, where there is very little between them. The Note20 Ultra’s stabilization system has been slightly improved, however, with particularly stable results for static handheld videos.

Photo scores explained

The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G achieves a very good Photo score of 130, but doesn’t quite reach the heights of our top performers for stills, which are now breaking the 140 barrier. The camera delivered good results in most tested categories, with just a few minor niggles that affected its overall Photo score. In this section, we take a closer look at how each sub-score was determined and compare image quality against some key competitors.

The Note20 Ultra 5G is close to the top score for exposure and contrast, with accurate target exposure in most tested conditions and fairly wide dynamic range. In lab tests, target exposure measurements were a little high in bright light, but fell just within our acceptable range and remained good in indoor conditions. In our perceptual analysis, dynamic range isn’t quite as good as the best devices for very high-contrast scenes, with slightly more highlight clipping evident on the Note20 Ultra 5G. You can see in this example that the Mi 10 Ultra recovers highlights better:

Our experts also observed slightly low target exposures under very low-light conditions. Below, the S20 Ultra provides a brighter target exposure with a little more detail in the shadows, and preserves more highlight detail in the lamp compared to both the Note20 Ultra 5G and Mi 10 Ultra.

Color rendering is a strength for the Note20 Ultra 5G, where it achieves another excellent score. Colors are vivid and pleasant in most tested conditions, with high levels of saturation. In outdoor sunny conditions, color on the Note20 Ultra 5G is more vibrant compared to the iPhone 11 Pro Max, and although similar to the Mi 10 Ultra, greens and blues are slightly richer on the Samsung device.   

Color shading is fairly well controlled on the Note20 Ultra 5G, so tones are consistent across the frame. The only exception is in extreme low light, where a slight difference between the center and edges of the frame is evident, but it isn’t overly problematic. Minor white balance casts are evident in most conditions. Orange casts are sometime visible under low light and indoor lighting, and there’s a noticeable pink cast in outdoor shots. In the example below, white balance is more neutral on both the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the Mi 10 Ultra comparison shots, with that pink cast visible in both the highlight and mid-tone regions in the Note20 Ultra 5G shot.

Autofocus performance is excellent on the Note20 Ultra 5G, although it doesn’t quite achieve a perfect score. In our benchmark lab analysis, reaction times were lightning quick in all conditions, with a noticeable improvement over the S20 Ultra in low light. Shots were consistently in sharp focus, too, with only slight oversharpening in low light (20 lux).

We noticed some focus breathing instabilities during our lab analysis, but this behavior wasn’t visible when shooting natural test scenes. We applied a small point deduction in our perceptual analysis, however, due to a focusing problem on backlit indoor portraits, where the device tended to lock onto the background instead of the subject.

The level of detail is very acceptable under all tested conditions on the Note20 Ultra 5G, with the device implementing a good texture-versus-noise tradeoff. In our lab measurements, texture scores for static scenes are consistent with the S20 Ultra and Mi 10 Ultra between low light (20 lux) to bright light (1000 lux), with a slight improvement over the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The Apple and Xiaomi devices were capable of squeezing out a little extra detail in very low-light conditions (below 20 lux), however, achieving texture scores of around 70% acutance compared to around 60% on the Note20 Ultra at 1 lux.

In our analysis of test scene images, overall detail preservation is good. At very close inspection, edge crispness is marginally better on the S20 Ultra and notably better on the Mi 10 Ultra, but users won’t have too many complaints viewing images at small scale on the Note20 Ultra 5G.

Noise is fairly well controlled in natural test scene images, but the Note20 Ultra 5G doesn’t handle the texture-versus-noise tradeoff quite as effectively as our top-performing devices. In the outdoor example below, you can see that the Mi 10 Ultra and the S20 Ultra are both capable of delivering noise-free images with greater fine detail preservation compared to the Note20 Ultra 5G.

The Note 20 Ultra 5G achieved another good score for artifacts, which it controls reasonably well overall, but there are a couple of key issues to look out for. Fairly heavy ringing is prominent along contrasted edges when viewing images at large scale, and a cyan shift near saturation renders skies a little unnatural in some examples. We applied other artifact penalties for a loss of acutance in the outer field, geometric distortions and moiré patterns in high-frequency areas, and some color quantization. Probably the most problematic issue, however, is a strong fusion artifact that results in alignment issues in some images. In the DXOMARK chart example below, the device was on a tripod and the test chart was affixed, but some significant ghosting is evident around the text.

 

Zoom performance is a major area of improvement for the Note20 Ultra 5G, which earned a fairly disappointing overall score in this category. It’s best at long range, with the 120 mm-equivalent lens delivering good detail in both indoor and outdoor conditions, although you can expect a significant drop in resolution in low light. Noise is slightly more prevalent at long range compared to the best devices, but it’s not a major issue; and exposure, color, as well as artifacts, are well controlled.

More serious artifacts are visible in close- and medium-range zoom shots, however, where the Note20 Ultra 5G can’t solely use its dedicated tele-lens. Numerous issues, including fusion errors and texture inconsistencies, as well as maze and moiré patterns, are prevalent, particularly at medium range. Details are fairly well preserved in the center of the frame at medium range, but a strong loss of texture in the outer field in many examples seriously undermines the effectiveness of the Note20 Ultra 5G’s zoom capabilities.

In our comparison below, the S20 Ultra displays lower detail in the center, but with fewer artifacts, and none of the texture rendering instabilities in the outer field that we see on the Note20 Ultra 5G. Despite featuring a focal length tele-lens similar to the Note20 Ultra 5G’s, the Mi 10 Ultra excels at medium range, with exceptional detail across the whole image and no fusion or texture artifacts. 

The Note20 Ultra 5G delivers very effective bokeh shots and achieves close to a top score in this category. Bokeh image quality is good in both indoor and outdoor conditions, as well as across the numerous factors we evaluate, when the effect is successfully applied. Unfortunately, activation is not as reliable as many other top-tier devices, however, and our testers observed failures in a range of lighting conditions when shooting consecutive images using portrait mode.

When applied, though, the depth-of-field effect is excellent, with strong blur intensity, well-contrasted circular spotlights, uniform noise across the blurred and sharp areas, as well as a realistic blur gradient effect on elements at different distances from the portrait. Depth estimation isn’t perfect, with more obvious edge artifacts compared to the best bokeh devices, but the most problematic issue we observed were occasional focus failures and low detail on faces.

In line with the other Samsung “20” series devices, the ultra-wide camera is a very good performer on the Note20 Ultra 5G. Samsung has been knocked off the top of our ultra-wide rankings recently by the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (which offers the most all-encompassing field of view we’ve tested to date, along with excellent overall image quality), but the Note20 Ultra pushes it close. At the default setting — an effective focal length closer to a 14 mm-equivalent, its field of view isn’t as wide as either the iPhone 11 Pro Max or the Mi 10 Ultra, but it’s still pretty wide, and the Note20 Ultra displays the same vibrant color, accurate white balance, and good target exposures with reasonably wide dynamic range as the main camera.

Highlights in very bright conditions are often slightly clipped, like we saw with the main camera, but exposures are very nice overall from the ultra-wide module. Artifacts commonly associated with ultra-wide cameras, such as color fringing, ringing, a loss of sharpness, and anamorphosis of faces in the outer field are slightly visible but not too concerning. Noise is usually visible in low light, however, and the level of detail in all tested conditions is a little behind the Mi 10 Ultra.

There’s a little room for improvement in the night photography capabilities of the Note20 Ultra 5G, but overall it does a pretty good job. Exposure and color are nice in night scenes captured using flash-auto mode, and although detail is a little low with some noise visible, the results are pleasant overall. In very low-light scenes, however, the flash often triggers in flash-auto mode resulting in underexposed backgrounds, slightly inaccurate color, and more noise. Using the Note20 Ultra 5G’s dedicated night mode is a good option for night scenes, and particularly in very low-light conditions, where it provides nicer exposure and color, with less noise compared to flash-auto mode.

Capturing night portraits in flash-auto mode, the performance of the flash is good, recording accurate exposure of the subject, nice color with pleasant skin tones, and a high level of detail. Dynamic range is quite limited using flash, though, so backgrounds tend to be noticeably underexposed. This means flash-off or night mode generally captures a more atmospheric night portrait, with nicer overall exposure and good color, but detail on faces is lower and more noise is visible. So if the subject is important, flash-auto delivers better detail and noise on the face, but flash-off or night mode will deliver nicer exposure and color overall.

Video scores explained

A device’s overall Video score is derived from its performance and results across a range of attributes in the same way as the Photo score. Tested in its 4K/30fps mode, the Note20 Ultra 5G achieved the following scores: Exposure (88), Color (88), Autofocus (95), Texture (78), Noise (77), Artifacts (84), and Stabilization (94). In this section, we take a closer look at the device’s strengths and weakness for video, with some comparisons against its key competitors.

Under benchmark testing in the lab, video target exposures on the Note20 Ultra 5G were very accurate, capturing bright and well-contrasted videos in simulated lighting conditions between low light (20 lux) and bright light (1000 lux). Video target exposures are broadly on par with those of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, except in very low light, where the Apple device is a tad brighter. The Note20 Ultra’s videos are noticeably darker in simulated low-light conditions (between 5 and 20 lux) compared to the S20 Ultra and the Mi 10 Ultra in our measurements.

The device scored well for indoor and outdoor exposure in our perceptual analysis, with generally pleasant brightness and fairly wide dynamic range. Videos are particularly successful in bright sunny conditions, thanks to rich and pleasant color, accurate white balance, and good detail. Samsung has achieved an excellent texture-versus-noise tradeoff in the implementation of 4K/30fps video on the Note20 Ultra 5G and the S20 Ultra. Exceptional levels of detail, measured at over 90% acutance between 20 lux and 1000 lux in our lab analysis, put the Samsung devices on par with the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra for detail.

The texture-versus-noise tradeoff isn’t quite as good in low light, however. Noise is slightly more prevalent on the Note20 Ultra 5G in all lighting conditions compared to the S20 Ultra and the Mi 10 Ultra, with a noticeable uplift in visual noise in low light. So although texture remains good, expect to see some noise in the Note20 Ultra’s videos when the light levels drop.

Video autofocus is excellent, with fast reaction times and good tracking capabilities, although the same focus breathing issues we observed when shooting stills on location were again evident with video. We applied small penalties for frame rate instabilities, as well as for ringing and judder artifacts, but on the whole, video performance is stable and avoids any serious problems. The stabilization system is also very effective for static handheld videos in both indoor and outdoor lighting conditions, where unwanted residual motion is well controlled, frame sharpness is consistent, and videos remain stable during scene changes.

Conclusion

After big marketing fanfare around the new photographic capabilities of the S20 Ultra, the end results were slightly disappointing. For the Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, Samsung engineers have tweaked the camera setup again, opting for a different sensor and lens configuration for the tele-camera and dropping the ToF sensor for bokeh shots.

For the most part, the Note20 Ultra 5G’s image quality is excellent. Samsung has consistently delivered pleasant exposure, vibrant color, and good detail in its high-end devices, and the Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G is no exception. As such, its position in the upper ranks of our database is well deserved and most smartphone photographers will be delighted with the results. The main disappointment, however, is the Note20 Ultra 5G’s zoom capabilities at close and medium range, which undermine an otherwise excellent performance and prevent the device from ranking higher in the DXOMARK Camera database.

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