Now that Samsung has officially announced that Unpacked 2020 will take place Aug. 5, the rumor mill can officially go into overdrive. Samsung is expected to launch a slew of new hardware, including an extra-large version of the Note 20, called the Note 20 Ultra, the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 2, a 5G version of the Galaxy Z Flip (in bronze!) and the Galaxy Watch 3. 

Following in the footsteps of Huawei, OnePlus and Apple, the unveiling will take place completely online. 

It’s been a strange year for Samsung and other phone-makers, whose plans to go big into 5G and foldable phones have been largely torpedoed by the coronavirus pandemic. Despite Samsung warning that phone sales would suffer as a result of COVID-19 and the global recession, Samsung reported on July 6 that its profits are up as a whole — just likely not due to phone sales.

Read on for the top Galaxy Note 20 rumors, including all the specs we’ve heard of or think we know. This story updates frequently, so check back for the latest rumors.

Confirmed: Samsung will unveil new products Aug. 5 

Samsung Unpacked 2020 will take place Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET, 3 p.m. BST) during a completely virtual event. It will stream on Samsung.com — CNET will also host a live show and cover the event with live analysis and news.

The official invitation depicts a liquid “splash” in the same copper color as the leaked Note (more on that below). 

New video hands-on leak: Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

A short YouTube video posted by user Jimmy Is Promo shows a device purported to be the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. We see a large-screen device, in black, with squared corners and a large camera module consistent with previous leaks. There’s also an S-Pen stylus to indicate this is part of the Note series.

The video demonstrates a few things:

• S-Pen software includes using the stylus as a pointer (tweet below).
• Android 10 operating system (which is expected, since Android 11 may not launch until Sept. 8).
• The S-Pen and speaker grille may move to the left side.
• Large, raised camera module on the left with the appearance of substantially larger sensors compared to the Galaxy Note 10.

Samsung’s own website leaks show the Note 20 in sultry copper

On July 1, photos of a phone said to be the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra appeared online, captured from a Samsung website in Russia. Samsung seems to have accidentally leaked the image itself, and not just on one site. 

On Twitter, journalists and phone fans also chimed in that it appeared on Samsung Ukraine and Samsung China as well. Engadget’s Richard Lai suggested it might have been an error affecting multiple Samsung websites in the Asia Pacific region.

Is it copper? Is it bronze? A July 10 tweet from frequent Twitter leaker Evan Blass suggests that the color, Mystic Bronze, will come to the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, too. Either way, the renders look beautiful so far. Seeing the play of light on the actual finish, in person, will make all the difference. 

Aug. 20 sale date for the Note 20?

Now that one rumor has been confirmed — that the new phone will launch on Aug. 5 — there’s more credence now than ever that the Note 20 phones will go on sale Aug. 20. The rumored dates came early in June.

An Aug. 20 sale date also makes sense according to Samsung’s historical pattern. The annual August unveiling of nearly every Note phone is strategic, timed to predate Apple’s fall iPhone launch and set Samsung up for the holiday rush. It’s rumored that Apple may postpone its iPhone 12 sales release to as late as October as a result of the coronavirus.

What we know about the Note 20 specs

Twitter leaker Ice Universe dropped some spec details June 18 for the variant that could be known as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. While the image is of the Note 10 Plus and not the suspected Ultra as some outlets (including this one) originally reported, it’s expected that the variant will have two curved screens, whisper-thin bezels to free up maximum screen space, and a slightly thinner body overall compared to the Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

Confirmed: Yes, we know the ‘Galaxy Note 20’ exists

Without revealing the device name, Samsung announced in April that the company is making another Note phone. What we don’t officially know… is everything else. The company hasn’t announced the name — we’re going with Galaxy Note 20 in this article — price, announcement date, camera configuration or any new stylus tricks.

Two new Note 20 phones or three?

Last year, Samsung unleashed the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus. It would be unusual not to see two new Notes this year. Numerous rumors support the expectation of a Note 20, Note 20 Plus and Note 20 Ultra, though the latest chatter is that there may just be the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. 

Rumors suggested that the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra would be a whopper, with a screen over 7 inches at the diagonal. 

Here are some possible Note 20 gob led screen sizes promoted over the weeks, with details from Pigtou, Phone Arena and Ice Universe, citing additional tweets from Young that are no longer available (SamMobile posted the text here):

• Galaxy Note 20: 6.4 to 6.7 inches (From Young: 6.42 inches tall, 2,345×1,084-pixel resolution)
• Galaxy Note 20 Plus: 6.9 inches (From Pigtou: 165 millimeters tall, 77.2mm wide and 7.6mm thick)
• Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Over 7 inches (QHD Plus screen and 120Hz option can be on at the same time.)

Ultrafast 120Hz screen could save more battery than the S20 Ultra

If the high-end Galaxy S20 phones got a 120Hz screen, it’s a smart bet that the Note 20 phones will have it, too. Phones with high screen refresh rates are a trend in the premium market. Any screen with an option to refresh each pixel more often than the standard 60Hz (i.e., 60 times a second) promises liquid-smooth scrolling and gameplay.

Frequent phone leaker Ice Universe suggests a more “fine-tuned” version of the feature. Danish blog Galaxy Club goes a little deeper, suggesting that the update will use 15% to 20% less energy than the Galaxy S20 Ultra, a phone whose review unit guzzled battery in 120Hz mode rather than sipped it. Here’s more information about the battery-saving 120Hz display technology, called LTPO.

5G is practically a given 

We scarcely need a rumor to feel certain that the Galaxy Note 20 line will support 5G speeds. The Galaxy S20 phones do, with a caveat. There are some variants of the standard S20 that are 4G LTE-only in certain regions, such as Australia. 

It may be that some carriers in some regions will also sell a 4G LTE version of the standard Galaxy Note 20, such as if the region is still building out its 5G networks, or if the carrier prefers a cheaper 4G version for its portfolio. Globally, we strongly suspect these will be known and marketed as 5G devices.

Here’s where US 5G plans stand now, and pointers on how to pick the best 5G carrier for you.