Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a camera problem, according to more than 100 reports on its community forums. In fact, it has at least two. The issues appear to be a matter of quality control and reportedly stretch across two primary categories. But both seem to stem from how the devices were put together.
The first issue is condensation and dust — or some other particulate. That’s material that’s somehow found its way under the camera’s protective covering. The reports suggest that the condensation and dust are there out-of-the-box. And the implication is that the material was under the glass when the device shipped. But it’s not immediately clear how condensation is finding its way beneath the glass.
The second, and potentially more telling issue, is a gap between the camera housing and the lens. That could also potentially be a bigger issue since the gap could result in light bleeding through. If it does, that will or could eventually impact how the cameras perform.
What is Samsung saying about its apparent Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera problems?
Ultimately, the readily-apparent camera problem with Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra doesn’t appear to be widespread. Or, at the very least, it doesn’t appear to be happening outside of South Korea. But Samsung isn’t exactly facing the matter head-on either.
Instead, it has released a local statement for its home region, indicating that the condensation shouldn’t impact performance. It went further still to say that issue, in particular, doesn’t point to a manufacturing problem. It also apparently avoided the reports of a gap in the build itself.
The handset hasn’t officially launched globally yet and only pre-orders for South Korea have been shipped. So it’s impossible to say how widespread the problem is. What Samsung will want to avoid, especially in light of diminished sales, is a problem that comes down to manufacturing across the board.
There could also be an issue with the new S Pen
Another issue — reportedly far less widely and therefore likely a fluke in the manufacturing — stems from the S Pen. Namely, at least a couple of users have reported hearing a “crackling” sound from Samsung’s Note series-defining accessory.