Samsung Galaxy Note 20 design will make you want to skip the Galaxy S20

Samsung Galaxy Note 20
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10. (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

We heard recently that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series will look very similar to the Galaxy S20 series that launched last month. These unofficial fan designs represent that strong similarity, but also show how Samsung could still make the Note 20 stand out.

These renders of the Galaxy Note 20 Plus come from LetsGoDigital, working with frequent collaborator Concept Creator aka Jermaine Smit. Smit has produced both static images and a video to show off the design, which you can see below.

On the front, we again see a central punch-hole selfie camera, a trend started by Samsung's Note 10, released last year. Looking at a side angle shows that Smit has given the Note 20 curved edges, rather than the flat panel of the S20 series. Samsung has been giving its phones "Edge" displays for some years, so it would be strange to see it completely ditch the idea for 2020. 

(Image credit: LetsGoDigital/Concept Creator)

The display itself will hopefully be at least as large as the 6.7-inch S20 Plus and 6.9-inch S20 Ultra if not larger, and with the same 120Hz refresh rate for smooth performance. The Note 20 is apparently codenamed "Canvas", which suggests Samsung will be focussing on the creative potential of the phone.

The S-Pen stylus in these renders looks a lot like the one that came with the Galaxy Note 10. However we're hoping for some more new tricks for the Note 20. With air gestures, remote camera shutter controls and more already built in, we look forward to seeing how Samsung innovates this year.

(Image credit: LetsGoDigital/Concept Creator)

The cameras are one of the features that are meant to be very similar to the S20 series. That means at least a 12MP front camera, with the potential for the S20 Ultra's 40MP selfie camera, perhaps an option on whatever range-topping option Samsung offers. On the back, Smit has taken the cameras present on the S20 Ultra as a basis. So the four rear lenses you can see here are for a 108MP main sensor, a 12MP ultra wide camera, a 48MP telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom, and a 3D depth camera to help with photo effects and AR applications.

(Image credit: LetsGoDigital/Concept Creator)

Features that we also expect to see on the Note 20, but can't be seen in these renders, include a large battery, hopefully the 4,500 mAh or 5,000 mAh models from the S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, a Snapdragon 865 SoC (or Exynos 990 SoC if you're outside of the US), and at least 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, if not more.

If the world situation was normal, we'd expect to see a new Galaxy Note series phone in August. However, because of coronavirus disrupting business globally, this date may end up being delayed.

Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.