Why I pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G

Yes, I pre-ordered the Galaxy Note 20 5G in Mystic Green.

I’ve been reading a lot of hate for the smaller sibling of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G Ultra – the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G, which I’ll just be calling the Note 20 for the rest of this article.

I’ll be writing a separate article on all of the differences between the Note 20 and the Note 20 Ultra, but some of the differences will be covered in this article.

There are three main reasons why I decided to go with the Note 20: size, Note experience and the price.

Size

After using the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra this year, I realized I no longer needed a giant phablet. The S20 Ultra was too big and too heavy. I realized this after laying down on the couch and using one hand to prop the device at my viewing angle and my wrist started to hurt. Yup – officially getting old!

I preferred both the S20 and the S20+ over the S20 Ultra. The S20 Ultra didn’t offer anything that was a must have over its smaller siblings to justify its size.

Back to the Note… Maybe I should include the dimensions…
Note 20: 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3mm Weight: 192g
Note 20 Ultra: 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mm Weight: 208g
Note 10+: 162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9 mm Weight: 196g

I decided to include the Note 10+ because I decided that is the maximum size of a phone I’d ever want (well foldable not included). The Note 10+ is the perfect sized phablet, large, yet easy to hold.

In this case, yes – the Note 20 Ultra has a lot of advantages over the Note 20 (quite a long list actually), but for me, it just exceeded the maximum size for a phone. This is already a beast of a phone and we haven’t even put a case on it yet.

Note experience

Galaxy unpacked this year highlighted the improved S-Pen experience that is included with the Note 20 Ultra. The decreased latency is said to mimic writing on paper.

That sounds awesome – if you use the S-Pen for apps and skills that required that much precision. I mainly use the S-Pen for doodling on screenshots, basic Samsung Notes and Live Message. If you plan on using this for drawing and other skill based apps – you might want to skip the Note 20.

T-Mobile Promotion

The Note 20 retails for $999.99, but there are many deals going on right now. T-Mobile is offering two deals, a BOGO (buy one, get one) free, but that requires a new line. The deal I signed up for is the trade-in and got 50% off with select trade-in phones, yup – they’ll give you $500 towards the Note 20. Part of the $500 you will get a lump sum bill credit (in my case $100), and the rest ($400), you get over the course of 24 months to offset the cost of the device.

Here is the list of phones that qualify for this promo: Apple: iPhone 11, X, XR, XS, XS Max (any variant) Samsung: Galaxy S9 series, Galaxy Note9, Galaxy S10 series, Galaxy Note10 series Google: Pixel 4, Pixel 4XL OnePlus: 7T Pro McLaren, 7T, 8, 8 Pro LG: V60 ThinQ

To be honest, I didn’t have a trade-in. I purchased one online before I pre-ordered online, the only information you need are the phone type, storage, color, carrier and IMEI. To maximize my trade-in value, I decided to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S9 online, I found one for $200.

I verified that the S9 had no water damage and no major scratches before purchasing the device.

Now, the $999 device is now $699 (plus sales tax for the Note 20 and the sales tax for the Galaxy S9). For $700, I feel more at ease with my pre-order of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G.

How much would you pay for this device?