Samsung Galaxy Note 20 vs Samsung Galaxy S21
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and the Samsung Galaxy S21, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $212 | $145 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 4,300 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 25W | 25W |
| Storage (max) | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 6.7 in | 6.2 in |
| Refresh rate | — | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 64 MP | 64 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 192 g | 169 g |
| Released | Aug 2020 | Jan 2021 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is ahead on battery, screen size. Samsung Galaxy S21 is ahead on our rating, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so Samsung Galaxy S21 is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED Plus, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.7 inches | 6.2 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~393 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz | — |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - Global, Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ (7 nm+) - USA/Korea | — |
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2x2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - Global; Octa-core (1x3.09 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 585) - USA/Korea | — |
| GPU | Mali-G77 MP11 - Global; Adreno 650 - USA/Korea | — |
| OS | — | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 (with One UI 6.1) |
| Chipset (International) | — | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) |
| Chipset (USA/China/Korea) | — | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) |
| CPU (Exynos) | — | Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| CPU (Snapdragon) | — | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680) |
| GPU (Exynos) | — | Mali-G78 MP14 |
| GPU (Snapdragon) | — | Adreno 660 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB |
| Internal Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB |
| Card slot | No | — |
| Card Slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; 64 MP, f/2.0, 27mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x hybrid optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide) | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; 64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm (telephoto), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x optical zoom, 3x hybrid zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, OIS, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+ |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Features | Dual video call, Auto-HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 4300 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 25W wired (50% in 30 min - advertised), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0; 15W wireless (Qi/PMA); 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 192 g | 169 g (Sub6), 171 g (mmWave) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| SIM | Single SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | Dual Nano-SIM; eSIM |
| IP Rating | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | — |
| Water Resistance | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/dependent) | FM radio (Snapdragon model only) |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 | Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, August 5 | 2021, January 14 |
| Released | 2020, August 21 | — |
| OS | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5 | — |
| Status | — | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 or Samsung Galaxy S21?
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 — 4,300 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 versus 4,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 or Samsung Galaxy S21?
Samsung Galaxy S21 — 192 g for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 versus 169 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 or Samsung Galaxy S21?
Samsung Galaxy S21 — Aug 2020 for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 versus Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 or the Samsung Galaxy S21 rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 7/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 8/10.