Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 may have a significantly upgraded camera over the Galaxy S20 Ultra and possibly the iPhone 12.

Reliable tech leaker Ice Universe tweeted that the Galaxy Note 20 Plus will feature the 108 megapixel HM1 camera found on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. Equally important, Ice Universe believes that Samsung will add a new sensor that "completely solves" the autofocus issues experienced in the Galaxy S20 Ultra review.

This means that the Galaxy Note 20 Plus' rear camera array could completely blow away the trio of cameras that the previous model had; the Galaxy Note 10 Plus used a 16MP ultrawide camera for its main photography, so if Ice Universe is correct - and this leaker has been correct many times - the Galaxy Note 20 Plus' 108MP lens could be a dramatic step up.

So far, all rumors suggest that the Galaxy Note 20 Plus will feature a quad camera array similar to the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Ice Universe has previously noted that the Galaxy Note 20's hardware will not be significantly improved over the Galaxy S20 handset, and that includes the camera.

However, better autofocus could make all the difference when it comes to snapping a quick photo at the right moment, and so could a lot more with the new sensor; on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, locking onto a subject and maintaining focus, especially when shooting video We found it difficult to lock onto a subject and keep it in focus, especially when shooting video.

Samsung then released an update in late March to address the focusing issue. And overall reaction seemed positive to the fix. However, having a dedicated sensor to assist with focusing is better than a software band-aid.

The Galaxy Note 20 Plus may be an improvement over the Galaxy S20 Ultra, but its real challenger will be the upcoming iPhone 12, especially the iPhone 12 Pro Max. iPhone 12 Pro series will feature a new 64MP main wide camera, 3 x telephoto lens, an ultra-wide camera, and a unique quad camera array that is expected to include a new LiDAR depth sensor.

So on paper, the Galaxy Note 20 will outperform the iPhone 12 in resolution (108MP vs. 64MP), but we know from experience that megapixels do not necessarily equal high image quality. However, a better focusing-specific sensor may give the Note 20 an advantage over the iPhone 12 when shooting dark or fast-moving subjects.

In terms of zooming, the Note 20 could also have an advantage over the iPhone 12 Pro. Assuming the Note 20 adopts the Space Zoom of the Galaxy S20 Ultra, it would have 4x optical zoom, 10x lossless zoom, and up to 120x digital Space Zoom would be offered. According to our tests, the S20 Ultra's zoom worked quite well up to 30x before becoming shaky.

It is unclear what camera features Apple has in store for iPhone 12, but the Night Mode introduced in iPhone 11 is a game changer for the company's phones, and Smart HDR (which improves detail in shadows) and Deep Fusion (which bringing out detail) pushed the iPhone 11 above the Galaxy Note 10.

Therefore, a camera upgrade is essential for the Galaxy Note 20 Plus to beat the iPhone 12 Pro Max.