The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is packed with features, including a dynamic 120Hz display, a more responsive S Pen, and a 50x space zoom camera But is this phone really worth $1,299? And what is wrong with Samsung for releasing such an ultra-luxury phone in the midst of a global pandemic and economic recession?

There is no doubt that the Galaxy Note 20 offers high-end features that help justify the premium However, Samsung has already run into problems this year with the Galaxy S20 series, which starts at $999 for the regular S20 and goes up to $1,399 for the Galaxy S20 Ultra

According to M Science data provided to PC Mag, Galaxy S20 sales were about 50% lower than the Galaxy S10 series when comparing the first seven weeks Shoppers now seem to have less appetite for higher-priced flagships

I spoke with three analysts about whether the pricing of the Galaxy Note 20 lineup is reasonable, and about Samsung's own value proposition

But the analysts believe there is a market for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra despite its high price That's because it offers more than less expensive devices such as the $349 Google Pixel 4a and moderately priced flagship models like the $899 OnePlus 8 Pro

"The Galaxy Note20 Ultra is undeniably expensive, but you get what you pay for," says Avi Greengart, principal analyst at Techsponential This includes "features rarely or never seen on other flagships," such as a 5x optical zoom, a 108MP camera with a laser focus system, a 120Hz variable refresh rate display, and an S Pen with a fast 9ms response time

In our review of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, we found the Space Zoom camera to be the most impressive feature The regular Note 20 is limited to 3x hybrid optical zoom and 30x digital zoom In addition, the Note 20 has a plastic design, and some have questioned its $999 price

In the interview, Samsung supported the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra's price and emphasized that it offers a wide range of options at different prices for those who do not want to spend more than $1,000 for a phone [Caleb Slavin, senior manager of product management for Samsung Electronics America, said, "The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is really the right value proposition in terms of staying connected, video chat and productivity On the value side, we just launched the $499 A51 5G device" We are trying to offer products across the value spectrum for different consumers"

The Galaxy A51 5G has a large 65-inch OLED display, 5G capabilities, a quad camera system with a main 48MP lens, and a large 4,500mAh battery, among other price-appropriate specifications However, the device's Exynos 980 chip is slower than the A13 Bionic processor in the lower-priced iPhone SE, and some early A51 5G reviews complained about its performance

So is the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra really worth $300 more than the regular Galaxy Note 20? It certainly has some advantages, but only the most demanding power users will probably appreciate them

"The Ultra has a mix of advantages, from the premium materials (Ultra's new Gorilla Glass back) to the specs advantages that may not be apparent to many," says Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research Inc said Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research, Inc This includes a higher-resolution 108MP camera, microSD, faster refresh rates, and support for ultra-wideband communications for file sharing

For Samsung, it makes more sense to compare the Galaxy Note 20 to the 2018 Galaxy Note 9

"The most widely available Note right now is the Note 9," Slavin said 'If you're a Note 9 owner, you've spent $999 on that device For the same price, you get a larger screen, the latest processor, full 5G capabilities, and the latency of the S Pen is half of that device So devices in the same price range have a lot of improvements over what they were two years ago"

Samsung is taking a risk by selling the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra for $1,299 and the Galaxy Note 20 for $999 Rumor has it that the iPhone 12 Pro will start at $999 and the iPhone 12 Pro Max will be $1099 with the addition of 5G In other words, Samsung is not reading enough room in terms of what people are willing to pay in the current environment

"I really don't think the price has anything to do with the pandemic," says Carolina Milanesi, principal analyst at Creative Strategies 'I really don't think Samsung is making more money than normal' [Considering the Note 20 Ultra has 5G, S Pen support, a huge 69-inch screen, DeX support, and UWB, Milanesi says, "the price is right" For her, deciding whether the premium is worth it depends on your income, your current phone, whether you are in a 5G coverage area, and whether you like to take a lot of pictures

Selling a $1,300 phone in this environment may seem a bit tone deaf, but shoppers will ultimately decide if the fees Samsung charges for the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are right