Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G - a business class phone

In the past, Nokia 6310i was called a business phone. It deserved, above all, a great battery and reliability. Currently, these two features are an absolute basis, and the closer a smartphone is to the capabilities of a computer, the easier it is to work with. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, accompanied by a new smartwatch and headphones, is an equipment that is unmatched for office use.

This article is from the archived iMagazine 9/2020

The design of smartphones has become very schematic and repetitive, and few manufacturers are trying to distinguish their designs from their competitors. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Note20 Ultra, although it is a huge smartphone, is also one of the slimmest I have used recently. The huge 6.9-inch display is slightly curved at the edges, and its bezels are so narrow that they are completely oblivious to each other. I am impressed with how neatly the loudspeaker for calls is integrated into the upper one, the single eye of the front camera, placed symmetrically in the screen, is equally discreet. In the black color version that I used, the phone looks monolithic, although the back is slightly mirror-like. On the back panel, also rounded, we have a large island with lenses and a discreet manufacturer's logo, the fingerprint scanner is placed in the screen, so it does not take up space on the housing. The shape of the smartphone makes it fit perfectly in the hand, I also noticed that the glass of the back panel is a bit different and less slippery than the one on the front, so even without the case, the phone is firmly in the hand (despite 208 grams of weight). The quality of the materials is of course the top shelf, just like their fitting. This applies not only to the smartphone, but also to the S-Pen stylus, which gives a satisfying click every time you take it out and insert it into the slot.

While the Galaxy Note20 Ultra is a versatile piece of hardware, it shines especially in business applications. I deliberately do not use the term "office" here, because we have the comfort of using it everywhere. A large battery (4500 mAh), which is sufficient for two days of intensive or even three days of quiet work, helps in this. In addition to wireless charging, we also have fast wired charging using chargers with a power of up to 45 W, which translates into fully charging an almost discharged battery in an hour. A useful accessory is to estimate the time it takes to fully charge. You can use the Wireless PowerShare function to charge accessories as well as compatible smartphones. I haven't used it too often, but it can save us especially in a situation where the headphones are discharged. As well as working time on a single charge, the quality of calls is important. This one leaves nothing to be desired, including the hands-free mode. The Galaxy Note20 Ultra is equipped with a hybrid dual SIM port, where you can put a microSD memory card instead of the second SIM. Regardless of this, we can also add an eSIM (however, you can only run two plans at a time, associated with physical cards or with one physical and one electronic card). During the talks, I also often used Galaxy Buds Live, i.e. new, unusual Samsung headphones. Despite the shape of the beans, they fit the ear really well, and thanks to their design they are suitable for conversations. These are not intrathecal tubes that isolate from the environment, so we hear our own voice quite naturally. However, the lack of tightness makes the ANC not too strong in them. It is perfect for reducing the sounds of an office while working, but it will not reduce the noise of the street anymore. The headphones have a great, small charging case that extends the standard working time of 8 hours by another 20 hours. Of course, they last for a shorter time during calls, but they were good enough for me even for a very intensive working day, when I talked through them for a total of about 3 hours without recharging. A quite useful function is announcing calls - when someone calls us and we have him in our contacts, his name is read out.

In the Galaxy Note20 Ultra, after adding a company profile, a separate, protected area for work software is created. Applications such as Office are duplicated and the work version has a lock icon. Their data is in a separate space protected by Samsung Knox, moreover, information from private and work accounts is not linked in any way. The created working profile is additionally protected with a pin, it can also be turned off so that you do not receive notifications or have access to protected applications (of course, they are not removed from the device, but only blocked until the password is entered). This is a great way to reconcile private and business use of the same device - not only do we carry only one smartphone, but we can cut ourselves off from professional matters at any time. In addition, you can configure individual notifications and security for it (including adding other fingerprints). Samsung took care of good cooperation with the Microsoft Office suite, and not only on the smartphone. In DeX mode, which allows the phone to be used as a desktop PC, selected suite applications, such as Outlook, have a scalable, dynamic interface suitable for use on the big screen. DeX mode is not new, I used it for the first time on the Galaxy Note8, but it has evolved and matured over the years. Currently, the phone can be connected directly to the monitor, no docking station is needed. I connected it to the monitor via USB-C, paired the mouse and keyboard via Bluetooth, it all took a minute. The phone even detected the network card connected to the monitor and used this connection instead of the Wi-Fi network. What's more, it also correctly detected additional mouse buttons (unfortunately, it is not possible to assign other actions to them). DeX opens all applications without the slightest problem (or at least I have not found any that would not work), those that have not been adapted to it display in the same layout as on the smartphone. Office and system applications work great, for example, Strava, Netflix or Microsoft Teams open in the smartphone layout. DeX mode can be a nice replacement for working on a classic PC, especially since the experience of using it is very similar, it works quickly, and the available software allows you to work comfortably with e-mail and simple documents. A novelty is the ability to run DeX remotely on a compatible screen - in the case of the Samsung MU7002T TV from 2017, it was enough to select the wireless option on the smartphone and confirm the connection on the TV, configuration is not required. The smoothness of operation is good (and depends on the quality of the network in which we operate), the delay is obviously noticeable, but you can successfully conduct a presentation or view documents in this way. Samsung has always been good at compatibility with external accessories. Thanks to the fact that the Galaxy Note20 Ultra has a USB-C port, we can easily attach both disks or monitors, as well as adapters to it. I have not found a device that is malfunctioning.

I mentioned that the Galaxy Note20 Ultra is not so much office equipment as business equipment. My job often requires me to travel in which the phone becomes the primary tool. In addition to the convenient handling of e-mail and viewing documents, the most important thing for me is the camera. The one in the Galaxy Note20 Ultra is phenomenal, even for technical applications. The use of a telephoto lens with a fivefold optical zoom allows me to take a more detailed picture from the site vision (due to the fact that I am mainly interested in industrial ceilings, zooming is often necessary). Hybrid zoom is also useful if I want to quickly zoom in on a detail and not bother with selecting it. The detail of the pictures is quite high even at the highest magnification (although only after pressing the shutter button the "recalculated" picture, supplemented with details, is shown). The wide-angle lens also applies to me, especially as it does not distort the image much. The 108MP shooting mode is useful for scanning documents, especially technical drawings. I like how the Galaxy Note20 Ultra deals with light, and more specifically the lack of it. Thanks to high computing power combined with laser autofocus and optical image stabilization, photos in low light are not only sharp, but also have well-reproduced colors. Even the hand-held ones do not look moved, and the noise level is also very low.

I have been wearing different smartwatches all the time for several years. Along with the Galaxy Note20 Ultra, the new Galaxy Watch3 was also presented, which is a successful evolution of its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch. The operating system and its interface have not changed - Tizen works efficiently, and navigating the menu using the physical, rotating bezel is not only fast, but also satisfying. Galaxy Watch3 is noticeably smaller, and above all lighter and flatter than the previous model, although the size of the case has changed mainly, the screen is 1.4 "in the larger model (45 mm) and 1.2" in the smaller (41 mm). The design has become much more subdued than in the Galaxy Watch, now the bezel is in the same color as the case, in addition, the watch is offered with an elegant leather strap, also in a color matching the rest. Keeping the standard, telescopic strap attachment allows you to replace it with another one, nothing prevents you from changing it to something less formal at the weekend. Galaxy Watch3, like other accessories, can be charged wirelessly not only with the included charger, but also from a smartphone via Wireless PowerShare. On a daily basis, the smartwatch serves as a notification center, because it's more convenient to look at your wrist than to take the phone out of your pocket. I also check appointments and reminders on it - both of these applications have very convenient widgets. In addition, the Galaxy Watch3 watches over my activity (or rather the lack of it) and when I sit at the desk for too long, it proposes a short series of stretching.

The phone is my main tool for taking notes. The name Galaxy Note20 Ultra obliges, and the smartphone is equipped with a stylus from the first model, presented in 2011. The one in the latest model recognizes 4096 levels of pressure, and connects to the phone via Bluetooth, which allows for many new applications. These are primarily gestures performed in the air with holding the button on the S Pen housing. They can be assigned individually to selected applications, for example, to switch between photos or presentation slides, take screenshots or switch the camera mode (and of course take a photo). Immediately after removing it from the housing, a menu with shortcuts of functions such as a note directly on the screenshot, in the calendar or in the Samsung Notes application can be displayed. It is especially useful to select a part of the screen, which is then pinned to the top. Sometimes I also used a translator, which worked on the same principle: I pointed the stylus at the word, so that after a while the translation would appear. The function works not only on the text, but also on photos of text, and not necessarily clearly photographed. My favorite application on this smartphone is Samsung Notes. It allows you to quickly create very readable notes, as well as conveniently note down on photos added to it. Although I prefer to use the on-screen keyboard, having a stylus in my hand, I prefer to write something by hand. I was very surprised when the app converted my scribbles to text correctly. In addition, we have a separate drawing editor, it is also possible to import attachments and create voice notes directly in the application. All data is synced with the Samsung Cloud and available instantly on your other devices. I also used OneNote for notes, which has a slightly different functionality and is extensive in terms of the diversity of the content created. It is a widely used application, compatible with the Microsoft ecosystem and available on virtually any platform. In OneNote, the stylus support is also great - it works automatically when you remove it from the phone, in addition, the offered set of tools allows you to conveniently note, draw and circle text. The S Pen is fully operated with the recognition of pressure force and the use of the stylus button.

The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is currently the most powerful smartphone in the manufacturer's portfolio, and at the same time one of those devices that can be described as a niche. Features such as a stylus, DeX or a huge display make it unique, in the hands of people who can use these functions, it will be a great tool. It is difficult to find an equally versatile smartphone for business applications, with such well-thought-out software for separating and securing the work space. And at the same time, it is simply elegant and so well-made that it's a pity to put it in your pocket.