Does the Samsung Note 20 Ultra still make sense at this point?

[GotNoRice]

My existing Samsung S8+ is showing it's age at 4.5 years or so. I've always loved the Note series and the phone I had before my S8+ was a Note 2 (which I also had for about 5 years). Although the S8+ has worked well for me, I've always missed the Note 2. Since the Note series is basically discontinued now in favor of their new foldable phone, the Note 20 Ultra is still the latest and perhaps the last one that they will make. This phone seems to check a lot of boxes for me, while the downsides are fairly minor and stuff I think I can probably live without. Is there anything I'm overlooking, or any reason why this phone would be a bad choice in late 2021 / early 2022?

Pros:
Big Screen. The 6.9" screen is even larger than the screen on the new iPhone 13 Max.
Good Camera. Supposedly anyway. It might not be as good as the camera in the new iPhone but it still sounds like a big step up from the Camera in my S8+
S-Pen. I really miss the S-Pen from my old Note 2, especially the way it made it easy and practical to browse websites in desktop mode.
5G. My S8+ only does 4G LTE.

Cons:
Non-replaceable battery. Sucks, but seems that this is the way it is now.
No headphone jack. This bugs me a little, but in practice I very rarely ever use my phone to listen to headphones, and if I really needed to, I could just use my tablet instead which does have a headphone jack.
Camera hole in the screen. I'm a purest in this respect, but at least it's better than a full-on notch.....
Last year's model. This doesn't bother me aside from the fact that Samsung is known to only support their phones for a couple years, which is made worse by starting with a phone that is already a year old. I'm hoping this at least brings the price down a bit.

 

[NIZMOZ]

Not at new prices, I'd get a second hand one from swappa. You will only have about 2 years left on OS updates / security patches (3 years total). If you want a Note. I'd recommend the Google Pixel 6 Pro now over it if you don't need the pen.

 

[jyi786]

I have it. I love it. It has everything I could have ever wanted in a phone. Enough customization that custom ROMs are a thing of the past. Will never own another phone if it's not a Note (or whatever ends up being the Note's successor).

I would highly advise against getting a Pixel, unless you want a phone that is in constant beta mode.

 

[xDiVolatilX]

My existing Samsung S8+ is showing it's age at 4.5 years or so. I've always loved the Note series and the phone I had before my S8+ was a Note 2 (which I also had for about 5 years). Although the S8+ has worked well for me, I've always missed the Note 2. Since the Note series is basically discontinued now in favor of their new foldable phone, the Note 20 Ultra is still the latest and perhaps the last one that they will make. This phone seems to check a lot of boxes for me, while the downsides are fairly minor and stuff I think I can probably live without. Is there anything I'm overlooking, or any reason why this phone would be a bad choice in late 2021 / early 2022?

Pros:
Big Screen. The 6.9" screen is even larger than the screen on the new iPhone 13 Max.
Good Camera. Supposedly anyway. It might not be as good as the camera in the new iPhone but it still sounds like a big step up from the Camera in my S8+
S-Pen. I really miss the S-Pen from my old Note 2, especially the way it made it easy and practical to browse websites in desktop mode.
5G. My S8+ only does 4G LTE.

Cons:
Non-replaceable battery. Sucks, but seems that this is the way it is now.
No headphone jack. This bugs me a little, but in practice I very rarely ever use my phone to listen to headphones, and if I really needed to, I could just use my tablet instead which does have a headphone jack.
Camera hole in the screen. I'm a purest in this respect, but at least it's better than a full-on notch.....
Last year's model. This doesn't bother me aside from the fact that Samsung is known to only support their phones for a couple years, which is made worse by starting with a phone that is already a year old. I'm hoping this at least brings the price down a bit.

I am in the same position as you. Although I won't buy another oled screen phone like a note. My S8+ has disgusting burn in. Plus I can't see the screen in daylight because oled screens are so dim in any type of daylight. I'm going for a Motorola phone next, Samsung is out of the running for me forever.

 

[GotNoRice]

I would highly advise against getting a Pixel, unless you want a phone that is in constant beta mode.

I can handle some software quirks, especially if it means always having the newest version of Android. It does bother me to some extent the way Samsung always seems to be a version or two behind when it comes to Android, and of course after 2 years or so you stop getting updates altogether. Like the Samsung S8+ and Samsung S9+ for example, are almost exactly the same. The S9+ has a slightly faster processor and a relocated finger-print reader but otherwise the specs are identical. That means anything that can run on the S9+ should be able to run on the S8+ also with nearly zero effort on the part of Samsung. But, my Samsung S8+ has now been abandoned on Android 9 whereas the S9+ already got the Android 10 update. Same thing with my old Note 2 where I was stuck on Android 4.4.2 or 4.4.4 (can't recall exactly) for years.

But what I like about Samsung is that the hardware has been very reliable for me and other members of my family. My father is still using a Samsung S5. I've upgraded his phone twice, once to a LG K30 and then again to a Motorola G6. In the case of the LG, his screen broke 3 times in the span of 6 months from dropping the phone a tiny distance (I replaced the screen/digitizer each time) before he finally gave up on the phone. With the Motorola G6 it just stopped working one day after about 5 months, for no reason. Each time he goes back to his old phone, and that ancient S5 just keeps on trucking. My Note 2 lasted me 5 years and my S8+ is almost there also.

I am in the same position as you. Although I won't buy another oled screen phone like a note. My S8+ has disgusting burn in. Plus I can't see the screen in daylight because oled screens are so dim in any type of daylight. I'm going for a Motorola phone next, Samsung is out of the running for me forever.

Interesting. I don't doubt your experience, but I've had my S8+ since March 2017 and I use it a fair amount, yet it does not have any burn-in whatsoever. My main computer monitor isn't even that old and already has more burn-in than my phone. I'm curious what type of burn-in your phone has? Maybe we use our phones for very different things and in very different ways? Again, I don't doubt your experience, but it sounds like if the S8+ screen has worked well for me and my usage patterns then the Note 20 screen would be okay also.

 

[Aurelius]

I am in the same position as you. Although I won't buy another oled screen phone like a note. My S8+ has disgusting burn in. Plus I can't see the screen in daylight because oled screens are so dim in any type of daylight. I'm going for a Motorola phone next, Samsung is out of the running for me forever.

It sounds more like the issue is your S8+ rather than OLED in general. I've owned OLED phones for several years and haven't had burn-in. And newer OLED screens are fine in daylight; some newer flagships put out 1,000 nits even without HDR. A lot has changed in four years.

 

[Ashton]

But what I like about Samsung is that the hardware has been very reliable for me and other members of my family.

This. So much this. I still use my Note 4 as a mini-tablet on my bedside, outside of the mic dieing hard (did a full replacement of the mic board and it still didnt work) and it being a little slow just due to its old specs, its still chugging along!

It sounds more like the issue is your S8+ rather than OLED in general. I've owned OLED phones for several years and haven't had burn-in. And newer OLED screens are fine in daylight; some newer flagships put out 1,000 nits even without HDR. A lot has changed in four years.

LikeDivialitil I have a oled (note 4) with bad burn in where you permanently see the verizon logo and quick-settings at the top of the screen (not the one mentioned above, a second one I bought used to replace mine when the mic died) so I think its more of a use-case scenario issue rather than the tech itself

It does bother me to some extent the way Samsung always seems to be a version or two behind when it comes to Android, and of course after 2 years or so you stop getting updates altogether. Like the Samsung S8+ and Samsung S9+ for example, are almost exactly the same. The S9+ has a slightly faster processor and a relocated finger-print reader but otherwise the specs are identical. That means anything that can run on the S9+ should be able to run on the S8+ also with nearly zero effort on the part of Samsung. But, my Samsung S8+ has now been abandoned on Android 9 whereas the S9+ already got the Android 10 update. Same thing with my old Note 2 where I was stuck on Android 4.4.2 or 4.4.4 (can't recall exactly) for years.

Have you tried installing an alternative ROM? I dont think its still supported directly, but Cyanogen Mod was amazing (and I think there's still an active fork as "Lineage")

 

[GotNoRice]

Have you tried installing an alternative ROM? I dont think its still supported directly, but Cyanogen Mod was amazing (and I think there's still an active fork as "Lineage")

My S8+ is a locked Verizon model so I don't think I have many options in that respect. It seems like phone cameras have finally made some nice advances in the last few years also.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Last year's model. This doesn't bother me aside from the fact that Samsung is known to only support their phones for a couple years, which is made worse by starting with a phone that is already a year old. I'm hoping this at least brings the price down a bit

This may surprise you but since the S10 generation, Samsung was the best at updates, bettering even Google until the Pixel 6 came out.

They guaranteed three years of major updates like Google did but also an additional year of security updates beyond that for four years total.

 

[jyi786]

I can handle some software quirks, especially if it means always having the newest version of Android.

Not trying to turn this into a Pixel vs. Samsung thread.

That being said, I would tend to agree with you, but with the Pixels, the bugs (quirks, if you want to call it that) are random and serious enough to be showstoppers to me. I rely heavily on my phone. I absolutely cannot have:

1. Random butt/shadow dialing.
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-6-calling-bug-3052590/
2. Popping noise on videos.
https://www.phonearena.com/news/Pix...s-on-videos-and-white-balance-issues_id120035
3. Random wrong OTAs (sometimes enough to brick the phone)
https://www.androidpolice.com/googl...nly-android-12-build-to-some-users-worldwide/
4. Battery discharge breaks fingerprint scanner
https://www.androidpolice.com/compl...le-pixel-6-can-break-its-fingerprint-scanner/
5. Super brightness for no reason
https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/...th-insomnia-when-paired-with-the-pixel-stand/
6. Update bug that breaks all sensors, or screen, or take your pick
https://www.express.co.uk/life-styl...g-that-breaks-phones-is-back-are-you-affected
https://9to5google.com/2021/02/01/pixel-4a-5g-touch-issues/

I just legit cherry picked these, I don't even want to go into details. By comparison, I have had ZERO issues with Samsung phones, and they've gotten VERY good with updates. Sometimes they even beat Google to the punch and roll out the monthly updates to their phones faster. They have great QC of their software, and One UI is awesome. They've also committed to longer support for their flagship phones in general, ESPECIALLY if you have an unlocked Samsung, where you're not at the whim of a carrier (unless you have Verizon; you still get the unlocked updates fast, but they usually only come when Verizon ships their OTA updates to their devices).

 

[Ashton]

Not trying to turn this into a Pixel vs. Samsung thread.

(...)

Also, as a personal note (dont know if this matters to the OP) Samsung's DEX is a godsend for manipulating data on the phone (and just general useability if you have a keyboard and monitor handy) and if the Pixel has a similar feature, I'm unaware of it

 

[xDiVolatilX]

I can handle some software quirks, especially if it means always having the newest version of Android. It does bother me to some extent the way Samsung always seems to be a version or two behind when it comes to Android, and of course after 2 years or so you stop getting updates altogether. Like the Samsung S8+ and Samsung S9+ for example, are almost exactly the same. The S9+ has a slightly faster processor and a relocated finger-print reader but otherwise the specs are identical. That means anything that can run on the S9+ should be able to run on the S8+ also with nearly zero effort on the part of Samsung. But, my Samsung S8+ has now been abandoned on Android 9 whereas the S9+ already got the Android 10 update. Same thing with my old Note 2 where I was stuck on Android 4.4.2 or 4.4.4 (can't recall exactly) for years.

But what I like about Samsung is that the hardware has been very reliable for me and other members of my family. My father is still using a Samsung S5. I've upgraded his phone twice, once to a LG K30 and then again to a Motorola G6. In the case of the LG, his screen broke 3 times in the span of 6 months from dropping the phone a tiny distance (I replaced the screen/digitizer each time) before he finally gave up on the phone. With the Motorola G6 it just stopped working one day after about 5 months, for no reason. Each time he goes back to his old phone, and that ancient S5 just keeps on trucking. My Note 2 lasted me 5 years and my S8+ is almost there also.



Interesting. I don't doubt your experience, but I've had my S8+ since March 2017 and I use it a fair amount, yet it does not have any burn-in whatsoever. My main computer monitor isn't even that old and already has more burn-in than my phone. I'm curious what type of burn-in your phone has? Maybe we use our phones for very different things and in very different ways? Again, I don't doubt your experience, but it sounds like if the S8+ screen has worked well for me and my usage patterns then the Note 20 screen would be okay also.

If you don't use your phone in daylight or on full brightness you may never burn in.

But if you are like me & spend all day outside for work on the phone, also use the phone for navigation on full bright, use it for entertainment also. This combination nukes the phone. Burns the hell outta the screen. Ruined.