Samsung Galaxy Note 20 display leak is a big letdown

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The Note 20 will be able to manage QHD resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, but not both at once.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus render
(Image credit: OnLeaks/Pigtou)

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 phablet lineup will not support a WQHD+ 120Hz refresh rate as previously rumored, according to a top Galaxy smartphone leaker.

Twitter user Ice Universe said this morning that they're "not optimistic" about the Galaxy Note 20 offering simultaneous high resolution and high refresh rate despite suggesting otherwise earlier this month. Like the Samsung Galaxy S20, it seems the Note 20 will be able to manage QHD resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, but not both at once. 

Leakers double back on their intel all the time, but this correction comes as a slight letdown and calls into question the roles Samsung's rumored LTPO display on the top shelf models will play. Because LTPO display technology allows better power efficiency, we believed it could support a WQHD+ 120Hz refresh rate. 

If this isn't the case and Ice Universe's latest tip is correct, Note 20 users will have to pick between a great resolution or killer refresh rate at any given time. 

Ice Universe has also said that the LTPO display and 120Hz refresh rate could come at a premium. It might be exclusive to the higher-end Galaxy Note 20 Plus or Ultra variant, while the entry-level Note 20 will be limited to 60Hz animations.

On the bright side, Ice Universe said Samsung has fixed the camera focusing issues that riddled S20 reviewers before the phone hit shelves back in February. The company quickly patched the problem with a software update, but it's still reassuring to hear that users shouldn't experience similar woes this time around.

For the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, we're expecting a 108MP main sensor, a 13MP telephoto lens with 50x zoom and a 12MP ultra wide angle camera. The standard Note 20 will feature a 12MP main, 64MP telephoto and 12MP ultra wide lens.

All the Galaxy Note 20 models could launch at a Samsung event on August 5. The same Unpacked keynote could see the release of the Galaxy Fold 2 along with several other Samsung products, including the Galaxy Tab S7 tablet and a 5G version of the Galaxy Z Flip.

Kate Kozuch
Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.