The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is more expensive than the Pixel 5, but it also has better specs.
It features better performance (+55%), a better display, a glass back, more internal storage (256GB vs. 128GB), and external storage.
With the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, you'll also get a higher refresh rate, larger (+0.9") display, better peak brightness, a telephoto lens (+103 mm), and more RAM (12GB vs. 8GB). But the Pixel 5 will give you a cleaner user interface and a lightweight body (57 g./2.01 oz less).
If you're going off-contract, it should be about $313 more expensive.
You shouldn't ignore the Google Pixel 5 at all, even in 2021. Sure there are other devices like the Apple iPhone 12, but this one does hold a good cameras, good battery life, and excellent glass protection.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra wasn't released that long ago, so it's obviously, a top recommended device for 2021. That's mainly because of its good cameras, good battery life, tons of storage, excellent glass protection, and optical zoom. But if you've been dreaming about other phones, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro should also be one of them.
Keep reading for answers to all your questions about their differences, how they stack up against their rivals, and you'll know how the tech experts evaluate their specs.
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Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
CONTENTS
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While Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 Ultra hit stores in August 2020, Google's Pixel 5 went on sale in October 2020.
In this article, we see how the Pixel 5 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra compare to each other to help you decide and see which one of these is the right one for you.
For additional information regarding our smartphone comparisons, check this FAQ.
to check who their rivals are.
| Price* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Device |  Pixel 5 |
 Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|
| Release Date | 2020, October | 2020, August | 0y. |
| OS Updates | 3 years | 3 years | 0y. |
| Security Updates | 3 years | 4 years | 1y. |
*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
As for performance, Geekbench 5 scores the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 55% ahead of its competitor in the multi-core ranking. This should be noticeable when opening apps or games.
When it comes to performance, the Pixel 5 is way under the average against similarly priced phones. The average score is 2726, but it got 1647.
By the way, you can define the Pixel 5 as mid-range and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra as a lower high-end.
PS: The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ (with the Adreno 650 GPU) and the Exynos 990 (with the Mali-G77) are market-dependent.
There's a considerable performance increase of about 20% on the 865+ for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
| Performance* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|
| SoC | Snapdragon 765 | Exynos 990 | |
| Graphics | Adreno 620 | Mali-G77 MP11 | |
| Geekbench 5 Score | 1647 | 2561 | 914 |
| OS | Android 11 | Android 10 and OneUI | |
| Tek-Score | 1.5 |
*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 12.
 |
 |
|---|
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a better display, and you'd be able to tell the difference.
Are you looking for small screens? Then, the Pixel 5 is the one. Other similarly priced smartphones just aren't that short.
Given the Pixel 5, just know that 88% of its rivals can play HDR content and have an Always-On display, and 96% have an AMOLED screen.
For the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, as a reference, all of its rivals can play HDR content and have an AMOLED screen, 83% offer you more than 60hz of refresh rate, and 89% have an Always-On display.
| Display Density (DPIs)* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|
| Size | 6.0 | 6.9 | 0.9 |
| Screen Type | AMOLED | AMOLED | |
| Resolution (px) | 1080x2340 | 1440x3088 | 1919520 |
| Refresh Rate | 90hz | 120hz | 30 |
| Dots per Inch | 429.53 | 493.80 | 64.27 |
| Always-On-Display | Yes | Yes | |
| Notch | Hole | Hole | |
| Peak Brightness | 699 nits | 1024 nits | 325 |
| HDR | HDR10+ | HDR10+ | |
| Sub Tek-Score | 1.0 | ||
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | |
| Tek-Score | 2.0 |
*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.
 |
 |
|---|
You should note that the Pixel 5 is in the neighborhood of 48% above other competitors in its class. That's why I'd willingly pick this over the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
About the Pixel 5: DXOMARK tested this camera and gave it a score of 129. If you add its wide-angle lens, it'll get 138 points. For a thorough review, click here.
To put things in perspective: keep in mind that all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more and have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and 92% feature Optical Image Stabilization. Yet, only 19% of them feature a macro lens.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is also known for its impressive 50x hybrid Space Zoom. In theory, that's a step down from the S20 Ultra 100x, but since it's an "AI-powered" zoom, it shouldn't matter much.
About the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: The guys over at the DXOMARK labs scored this camera with 122 points. And by adding the telephoto and wide-angle lenses, we end up with a score of 136 points. If you want to know more about it, check it here.
Winding it up, just so you know, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization, and 89% feature a telephoto lens. Moreover, none of them feature a macro lens.
One can place these two as high-end.
| Picture Quality* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Camera | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|
| Megapixels | 12 | 108 | 96 |
| Aperture | 1.7 | 1.8 | 0.1 |
| Lens | 27mm | 26mm | -1 |
| Lens Type | Wide-Angle | Wide-Angle | |
| Flash | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| HDR | Yes | Yes | |
| OIS | Yes | Yes | |
| Video | 2160 | 4320 | 2160 |
| Score | 138 | 136 | -2 |
*Reference: 100: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
| Extra Camera(s) | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
vs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megapixels | 16 | 12 | -4 |
| Aperture | 2.2 | 3.0 | 0.8 |
| Lens | 17mm | 120mm (5x zoom) | 103 |
| Lens Type | Wide-Angle | Telephoto lens | |
| Megapixels | - | 12 | |
| Aperture | - | 2.2 | |
| Lens | - | 13mm | |
| Lens Type | - | Ultra-wide-Angle | |
| Score | 9 | 14 | 5 |
| Selfie Camera | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
vs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megapixels | 8 | 10 | 2 |
| Aperture | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.2 |
| Lens | 24mm | 26mm | 2 |
| Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
vs. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tek-Score | -0.1 |
The Pixel 5 does have an advantage here, thanks to its weight.
In addition to that, the Pixel 5 is indeed small. About 12% smaller when compared to other phones at nearly the same price.The Pixel 5 weighs 151 g. (5.33 oz), while the other is 57 g. (2.25 oz) heavier. If you're looking for a lightweight device, I've created an adapted score for a "weight to display size" ratio. The Pixel 5 got 8.4, meaning it's one of the lightest phones for its display size. In the meantime, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has 4.4, so nothing to state here.
The Pixel 5 is resistant to water up to 1 to 3 meters, and the same goes for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. It should be for less than 30 minutes, and it's in standby mode only. So don't take photos underwater.
| Looks* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|
| Size | 144 x 70 x 8 mm (5.08 x 2.47 x 0.28 in) |
164 x 77 x 8 mm (5.78 x 2.72 x 0.28 in) |
20384 |
| Weight | 151 g. (5.33 oz) | 208 g. (7.34 oz) | 57 |
| Build | Front glass and aluminum back | Front and back glass | |
| Colors | Just Black and Sorta Sage | Mystic Bronze, Mystic White, and Mystic Black | |
| Screen To Body Ratio | 87.67% | 93.17% | 5.50 |
| Disp.Size To Weight Score | 8.4 | 4.4 | -4.0 |
| Looks | 9.1/10 | 9.1/10 | 0.0 |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 | |
| Biometrics | Fingerprint | Under Display Fingerprint | |
| Tek-Score | -2.3 |
*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.
The Pixel 5 does have a battery capacity of 4080 mAh versus the 4500 mAh of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. But by GSMArena's standards, you shouldn't expect any real contrast here.
Battery life on the Pixel 5 isn't anything to write home about, but Google did a great job here if you ask me. It got a rate of 7.9 for the "battery to device size" ratio.
The Snapdragon 865+ variant also has better battery efficiency, about 7% of additional screen-on-time.
| Battery* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|
| Capacity (mAh) | 4080 | 4500 | 420 |
| 1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video | 82% left | 83% left | 1 |
| 1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video | 66% left | 69% left | 3 |
| 1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video | 69% left | 72% left | 3 |
| Bat. To Phone Size Score | 7.9 | 2.6 | -5.3 |
| Sub Tek-Score | 0.2 | ||
| Fast Charging | 18w | 25w | 7 |
| Wireless Charging | 12w | 15w | 3 |
| Reverse Charging | 5w | 4.5w | -0.5 |
| Tek-Score | 0.3 |
*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A31.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, for sure.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra offers 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. Also, you'll get less RAM and less storage by picking any rival at that price range. 9Gb for RAM and 156Gb for storage, on average.
| Storage* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|
| RAM (GB) | 8GB | 12GB | 4 |
| Internal (GB) | 128GB | 256GB | 128 |
| Micro SD | No | microSDXC (shared SIM slot) | |
| Tek-Score | 4.0 |
*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).
They don't stand out on any of these features.
There isn't much to say about the 3.5mm headphone jack, except that it simply isn't here. Just skip adapters and get a decent pair of wireless earbuds. Luckily, you can still get it on other phones if you're not really leaning towards any of these. The Oppo Find X3 Lite can give you a headphone jack.
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra runs on LTE or (LTE and) 5G networks.
| Connectivity | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Features | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|
| Network | 5G | 5G (also available in LTE) | |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 | |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No | |
| Tek-Score | 0.0 |
Here are the prices that we've come across recently:
Reference: $682
Google Pixel 5
Reference: $995
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
I earn a small fee from qualifying purchases. It doesn't affect the price you pay nor my opinions, but it will mean a lot if you click on one of these buttons before purchasing your next phone (or whatever else you end up buying). You'll be helping to take this to the next level.
Prices on eBay are in $US but Europe-based. You can click to check the prices in your country.
Prices marked with ! are from renewed/refurbished/carrier-locked phones (except eBay prices that, as a last resort, can be from bids or used devices).
How much of a "phone" can your money buy?
That's how much "score" you can get with $100 based on the global score that you'll see in the next section (higher is better).
Have you found better prices elsewhere? The formula is simple: score/price*100.
| Value for money | Pixel 5 | Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | VS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | - | 0.90 | - |
| eBay | 1.17 | 0.85 | -0.32 |
| Best Buy | - | 0.67 | - |
| Walmart | - | - | - |
Also, don't forget to check the latest deals from these four stores, and the state of the art on mobile technology, if you don't want to overpay on your next smartphone.
Related articles:
The Best Unbiased Smartphones For All Budgets
Smartphone Specs Statistics: The State Of The Art (Q1 2021)
Are you ready for that final score? We're almost there. For reference purposes, I'll tell you where most of its rivals average. They're in the ballpark of 6.9 for the Pixel 5 and 7.3 for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
By now, you should've realized that the Pixel 5 isn't for you. Unless, of course, you can't get a Note 20 Ultra. A Pixel device can indeed give you a cleaner user experience in a lightweight body and perhaps an extra year of software updates but check out what you'll lose by skipping its rival.
You won't get a premium flagship performance, its display won't be as great on direct sunlight, nor will it have up to 120hz of refresh rates, and you'll also be ignoring a fantastic telephoto lens. The Note 20 Ultra can also give you double the internal storage, 12 GB of RAM, and the ability to insert a MicroSD card.
| Pros | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | AMOLED | Performance |
| #2 | Always-On-Display | AMOLED |
| #3 | Cameras | Always-On-Display |
| #4 | Fast Charging | Cameras |
| #5 | Wireless Charging | Battery Life |
| #6 | Glass Protection | Fast Charging |
| #7 | Wireless Charging | |
| #8 | MicroSD Slot | |
| #9 | Storage | |
| #10 | Glass Protection |
| Cons | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | MicroSD Slot | Weight |
| #2 | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack |
| #3 | Price | Price |
| Relative Score* | vs. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Score | Pixel 5 |
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra |
|
| Gaming Score | 1.8 | ||
| Tek-Score | 1.30 | ||
| Your Score |
Scroll the sliders down below to get your own personalized score. Let's suppose you value performance and battery life, and you don't really care about anything else. Then, just set the "Performance" and the "Battery" sliders up to 5 (5+5=10), and then the other sliders down to 0. You'll know what's the best phone for you.
| Performance | 1.9 | |
| Display | 1.7 | |
| Cameras | 1.4 | |
| Frame | 0.9 | |
| Battery | 1.9 | |
| Storage | 2.0 | |
| Connectivity | 0.4 | |
| Total | Should be 10 or as close as possible: | 9.6 |
*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
For suggestions and bug reports, click here. Your help is appreciated. Thank you.
About me
Hello!
My name is Luis Silva, and I have a degree in computer management. Ever since I was a teenager, I've loved everything to do with tech. Music, pictures, video editing, I've done it all! This site is a place for me to share some of the knowledge I have, as well as keep up-to-date with current trends. This is a wonderful place for tech-geeks and everyone else that just want to learn more about tech and smartphones in general.
Keep in touch
As of now, these are the rivals that were considered for each of them. They may change every time its prices are updated.
These are the lowest prices found on Amazon, eBay, BestBuy, and Walmart.
Luis Silva (December 2020 Updated: August 2021 - 6 min. reading time)
Introduction
Which One Has The Best Performance?
Which Phone Has The Best Display?
Which Phone Has The Best Cameras?
Which has the best battery?
Which has more storage?
Which is the most connectivity-friendly?
Which is more affordable?
Verdict: What Makes the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Stand Out?
Google Pixel 5 Related Comparisons
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