46 PCWorld OCTOBER 2020REVIEWS SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 20 ULTRA
PCMark
Work 2.0: 12,298So you’re getting a phone
that’ll run everything at tip-top
speed, including Microsoft’s
new xCloud Xbox gaming
service. I’m no gamer (my
Candy Crush obsession
notwithstanding), and my
Minecraft Dungeons-loving
son was too young to try out
the preview with his account,
but Xbox fans will surely be
happy with the performance.
You’ll also be able to download Fortnite
without side-loading, an unexpected benefit
of Epic’s recent war with Google and Apple.
Because Samsung runs its own App Store and
doesn’t have terms as strict as Apple’s for
developers, the new Epic Store with
discounted V-Bucks is available at a tap. My
son reports that while the on-screen controls
were a little confusing at first, gameplay on
the Note 20 Ultra is “OP” (that means good),
and he was able to snipe some sweats.
The Snapdragon 865+ chip gets a little
hot, however. In Fortnite and other graphically
intensive apps, the back of the phone
became noticeably warm to the touch, often
topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the
heaviest loads (per an infrared thermometer).
It might become an issue on hot days. That’s
probably why the Asus ROG Phone 3 andLenovo Legion Duel have specialized cooling
systems.
One thing gamers will need to bring to
the Note 20 is a pair of earbuds. Samsung has
quietly decided to nix them as freebies from
versions of the Note 20 sold in the United
States. That probably won’t matter to most
users who have long dumped the in-box buds
for something better, but on a $1,300 phone,
it feels a little stingy. As does the 128GB of
storage, which is half of what the Note 10+
starts at.
Also a little on the skimpy side is the Note
20 Ultra’s 4,500mAh battery. While that’s
bigger than what you’ll find on most phones,
it’s smaller than the 5,000mAh battery in the
S20 Ultra. But don’t worry: Your Note Ultra is
still going to make it through the day, even
with heavy users who want to keep 120HzThe bezels are thin, the camera is centered, and the screen is
gorgeous on the Note 20 Ultra.