Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U)
Side by side comparison between Sony Ericsson Xperia Active vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G phones, differences, pros, cons and full specifications. What's the better?
,
vs
6.7"
AMOLED
AMOLED
1080x2400
12.2
MP
MP
10mp
8GB
RAM
RAM
Octa-core
4300
mAh
mAh
(Non removable)
What's the better phone? Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U)
The phonemore's choice is much more technical than personal. Therefore, you shouldn't only consider this. Our goal is to help you, but what's important to us may not be important to you. You decide which one is the best! Comment!
4 Advantages 
31 Advantages | 17 Common items in both devices |
| 16 million |
| LED flash |
| Autofocus / PDAF: phase detection autofocus on both cameras |
| Capacitive |
| Multitouch |
| Accelerometer |
| Ambient light sensor |
| +10 specs and more in the table below |
Check the comparison table below for more items that are not evaluated in comparison score above.
Highlight differences Clear highlight📱 Model features | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| Model | Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) |
| Other model names | Sony Ericsson Xperia active ST17, ST17a | Galaxy Note20 SM-N981U (Snapdragon) - US Carriers |
| Country or region available |     (Latin America), Brazil, Canada, USA | USA |
| Brand | Sony Ericsson | Samsung |
| Release date | 10/1/2011 | 8/21/2020, Announced: 8/5/2020 |
| Depth | 16.5 millimeters (0.65 inches) | 8.3 millimeters (0.33 inches) |
| Size (width x height) | 55 x 92 millimeters (2.17 x 3.62 in) | 75.2 x 161.6 millimeters (2.96 x 6.36 in) |
| Weight | 111 grams (3.89 ounces) | 194 grams (6.79 ounces) |
| Build, materials | feature not registered | Plastic body, glass front |
| Protection against water and others | IP67 certified: dust proof and waterproof over 1 meter and 30min | IP68 certified: water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for 30min and dust-resistant |
📲 Display | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| Display type | TFT LED-Backlit LCD | Super AMOLED Plus |
| Screen size | 3" inches | 6.7" inches |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~53% (screen-to-body ratio) | ~89.2% (screen-to-body ratio) |
| Display resolution | 320x480 pixels | 1080x2400 pixels (20:9) |
| Touchscreen | Capacitive Multitouch | Capacitive Multitouch 10-points |
| Pixel density (dot pitch) | 192 PPI | 393 PPI |
| Colors | 16 million | 16 million |
| Scratch-resistant glass | Dragontrail Glass | Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Refresh rate | feature not registered | 60Hz |
| Display features | feature not registered | HDR10+ Always-On Display |
🤖 Operating System | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| System version | Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread | Android 10 |
| Firmware update | Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich ICS | Android 13 |
| User Interface | feature not registered | One UI 2.5 / 3.1 / 4.1 / 5.0 |
⚙️ Processor | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| Chipset | 32bit: Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 MSM8255 (45nm) | 64bit: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ (SM8250-AB) (7nm) |
| CPU | Single-core, 1 processor: 1x 1GHz Scorpion (Single-core) | Octa-core, 3 processors: 1x 3.09GHz Kryo 585 (Single-core) 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 585 (Triple-core) 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 585 (Quad-core) |
| GPU graphical controller | Qualcomm Adreno 205 | Qualcomm Adreno 650 (250-646MHz) |
| Performance (benchmark) | feature not registered | feature not registered |
💽 Memory and storage | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| RAM memory | 512MB LPDDR2 | 8GB LPDDR5 |
| Internal storage | 1GB (320MB available) | 128GB (103GB available) UFS 3.0 |
| External storage | Until 32GB microSD, microSDHC (dedicated slot) | Not supported |
📶 Mobile networks | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| Dual-SIM | Not supported | Not supported |
| SIM card | 1 slot (Single-SIM) Standard mini-SIM (2FF) | 1 slot (Single-SIM) nano-SIM (4FF) |
| Maximum Download / Upload | 7.2/5.76 Mbps | 5000/1024 Mbps |
| Network technology | 2G, 3G | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Frequency, bands | Expand band details Collapse details | |
| GSM MHz band | Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900 | Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Primary 2G network | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Primary 3G network | UMTS 850/1900/2100 | UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 |
| Primary 4G network | Not supported | LTE Cat20 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66, 71) TD-LTE (38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48) VoLTE |
| Primary 5G network | Not supported | SA/NSA/Sub6 (2, 5, 41, 66, 71) mmWave (260, 261) |
| Primary data network | GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA | GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE, LTE-A, SA/NSA, Sub6 |
| Secondary 2G network | Not supported | Not supported |
| Secondary 3G network | Not supported | Not supported |
| Secondary 4G network | Not supported | Not supported |
| Secondary data network | Not supported | Not supported |
📷 Camera | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| Back camera (main camera) | 5 megapixels | (triple camera) 12.2 megapixels 64MP telephoto f/2.027mm1/1.72"0.8µmPDAFOIS3x-hybrid-zoom 12MP ultrawide f/2.2120°13mm1/2.55"1.4µm |
| Main camera resolution | 2592x1944 pixels | 4032x3024 pixels |
| Video recording (primary) | HD (1280x720) 30 fps | 8K UHD (7680x4320) 24 fps |
| Flash | LED flash | LED flash |
| Focal aperture | feature not registered | f/1.8 (aperture) |
| Focal length | feature not registered | 26mm (lens) |
| Sensor size | feature not registered | 1/1.76" inches |
| Pixel size | feature not registered | 1.8µm pixel |
| Autofocus | Autofocus | PDAF: phase detection autofocus on both cameras |
| Touch focus | Supported | Supported |
| Image stabilization | EIS: Digital stabilization | OIS: Optical stabilization |
| Zoom | Only digital zoom | Digital and optical zoom |
| Face/smile detection | Face detection, Smile detection | Face detection, Smile detection |
| BSI sensor | Not supported | Supported |
| HDR | Not supported | HDR photo/video on both cameras |
| Camera extras | feature not registered | 4K@60fps 1080p@240fps 720p@960fps |
📸 Front camera | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| Front camera (secondary) | Not supported | 10 megapixels |
| Front camera resolution | Not supported | 3872x2592 pixels |
| Video recording (secondary) | Not supported | 4K UHD (3840x2160) |
| Front flash | Not supported | Not supported |
| Focal aperture | feature not registered | f/2.2 (aperture) |
| Focal length | feature not registered | 26mm (lens) |
| Sensor size | feature not registered | 1/3.2" inches |
| Pixel size | feature not registered | 1.22µm pixel |
🔉 Sound and multimedia | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| Loudspeaker | Supported | Stereo sound 32-bit/384kHz Dolby Atmos Tuned by AKG |
| Active noise cancellation | Not supported | 2 microphones or more |
| Radio | FM (RDS) | FM |
| TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| Video formats | MP4, H.263, H.264 | MP4, H.265, H.264, H.263, XviD, MKV |
| Audio formats | MP3, eAAC+, WAV | MP3, WAV, WMA, eAAC+, FLAC |
🔌 Connectivity | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| USB | MicroUSB 2.0 | USB 3.2 Type-C, USB OTG On-The-Go |
| Audio output | 3.5mm jack | Type-C reversible connector |
| TV output | Not supported | USB Type-C (reversible) |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 + A2DP | 5.0 + A2DP/LE |
| WiFi | 802.11 b/g/n [wifi4] (2.4GHz) | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax [wifi6] (2.4GHz, 5GHz) + MIMO WiFi Direct, hotspot |
| DLNA | Supported | Supported |
| GPS | A-GPS, GeoTagging, GLONASS | A-GPS, GeoTagging, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou |
| NFC | Not supported | Supported |
| Infrared port | Not supported | Not supported |
🧭 Sensors | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Ambient light sensor ANT+ Compass Proximity sensor | Accelerometer Ambient light sensor ANT+ Barometer Compass Face unlock 2D Fingerprint sensor (under display) Gyroscope Hall effect Proximity sensor |
| Vibrating alert | Supported | Supported |
🔋 Battery | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| Battery type | Li-Ion: lithium-ion (Removable) | Li-Ion: lithium-ion (Non removable) |
| Battery capacity | 1200 mAh | 4300 mAh |
| Charger, watts | Wired charging | 25W Wired fast charging USB Power Delivery 3.0 |
| Inductive / wireless charging | feature not registered | 15W Qi wireless charging (Qi/PMA) 4.5W Reverse wireless charging |
| Talk time autonomy | 5.5 hours | feature not registered |
| Standby | 335 hours (14 days) | feature not registered |
➕ Other features | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| Call control | Voice recorder | Voice dialing, Voice recorder, Voice commands |
| Messaging | SMS (T9), MMS, E-mail, Push mail | SMS (T9), MMS, E-mail, Push mail |
| Hands-free calling | Supported | Supported |
| Video calling | Not supported | Supported |
| Ringtones | Polyphonic and customized | Polyphonic and customized |
| Web browser | HTML, XHTML, Flash player | HTML, XHTML, HTML5 |
| Antenna | Internal antenna | Internal antenna |
| Qwerty physical keyboard | Not supported | Not supported |
| Miscellaneous | • Colors: Orange/black, White/black • 2GB microSD included • Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine • WiFi hotspot • Java framework | • Colors: Mystic Gray, Mystic Green, Mystic Bronze, Mystic Red, Mystic Blue • Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor • Bixby • Samsung Wireless DeX • Samsung Pay (MST, NFC) • Stylus pen (Bluetooth integration) |
☢️ Radiation rate | ||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Active (ST17a) | Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N981U) | |
| SAR 1.6W/kg (USA, Mexico, etc.) | 1.12W/kg (head), 1.07W/kg (body) | 0.78W/kg (head), 0.92W/kg (body) |
| SAR 2W/kg (Europe, UK, etc.) | feature not registered | feature not registered |