The phone is powered by Snapdragon 865/Exynos 990 chipset with 12/16GB RAM and up to 512GB storage.
Specifications | Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra
By clicking ACCEPT or continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Samsung Galaxy S20 vs. Galaxy S20+ vs. Galaxy S20 Ultra: Here’s How to Choose
Samsung has long been at the forefront of 5G technology, and its Galaxy S20 lineup shows just what the Korean tech giant is capable of. If you’re looking to save money and don’t care about Verizon or AT&T’s mmWave 5G, you may want to check out the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE instead.
Carriers and retailers frequently offer discounts, and Samsung introduced a buyback program that will pay back 50 percent for any of the Galaxy S20 phones (excluding the special edition S20 FE) returned to Samsung in satisfactory condition within 24 months. Each Galaxy S20 model features a Super AMOLED display with 3,200-by-1,440-pixel resolution and a variable refresh rate of 120MHz.
Pixel density varies a bit between models, but you almost certainly won’t be able to spot the difference with the naked eye. The 64MP sensor leverages tech called pixel binning for a sharper 16MP image. Samsung recently issued a software update, but it failed to make a meaningful difference in testing. In addition to improving the S20 Ultra’s software issues, there’s laser autofocus to quickly grab shots.
In our battery drain test, it lasted for 11 hours and 11 minutes of video streaming over Wi-Fi at 120Hz.
The Ultra comes with a 25W fast charger in the box and supports 45W USB-C PD charging with an external adapter.
Sub-6GHz 5G offers better coverage and can penetrate through buildings better than mmWave, but it’s slower and has higher latency. Finally, unless you’re in a metropolitan area with solid mmWave coverage (we’re looking at you, Chicago), the Galaxy S20 FE is going to offer the best bang for your buck overall.
It features solid sub-6GHz connectivity and great battery life, and costs $400 less than the the least expensive traditional Galaxy S20 model.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra goes big in every way imaginable, with 108MP photos, a 100x camera zoom, 40MP selfies, and a 6.9-inch 120Hz display. The Ultra is designed for early adopters, and three things stand out: it has a massive 6.9-inch display with next-gen fluid-scrolling tech that will stretch your hand; five cameras to capture 108MP photos, 40MP selfies and 8K video, and 5G antennas with peak speeds 66 times as fast as 4G LTE. This actually has a marginally smaller 6.8-inch screen, but it has even more power, better camera performance, and support for Samsung’s S Pen stylus. Rumors are already growing about the Samsung Galaxy S22 as well meaning this phone could feel even older soon, although there’s no confirmation of a release date just yet.
The 48MP telephoto lens allowed us to get up close and personal thanks to an impressive variety of zoom lenses. It’s impossible to justify the Galaxy S20 Ultra price for everyone – even those who bought the S9 Plus or S10 Plus, and intended to get the next ‘big one’ from Samsung. The S20 Ultra launched at a staggering $1,399 / £1,199 / AU$1,999, which is more than any non-foldable smartphone we’ve tested in the past – and that price is just for the version with 128GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM. If you feel like you may need 512GB of onboard storage and a mind-boggling 16GB of RAM, the S20 Ultra price jumps to $1,599 / £1,399 / AU$2,249. Some good news, though: you’re not going to need to max-out the storage, given our ever-accelerating move to the cloud and the fact that 5G connectivity will allow you to easily pull down remotely stored data. The new Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra offers a slight spec upgrade and better camera performance, but has a lower launch price of $1,199 / £1,149 / AU$1849. Of course, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra can now often be picked up for less than it cost at launch, however it’s also trickier to find now that it’s an older phone. Samsung’s 6.9-inch display will push the boundaries of your fingers’ reach and your thumb’s dexterity, yet it won’t feel much bigger than the S10 Plus – its width is actually a tad smaller than the 6.8-inch Note 10 Plus and 6.7-inch Galaxy S10 5G.
We were consistently wowed by the Ultra’s screen-to-body ratio, brightness levels and support of display standards such as HDR10+, offsetting our often cumbersome handling of this massive phone. But again, to us, this is a completely favorable trade-off given the fast 5G mmWave technology, 108MP camera, and 5,000mAh battery that are packed into this cutting-edge smartphone.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra, thankfully, doesn’t sacrifice camera quality in order to look extra chic. It makes sense for the same reason recording 8K video is often a good idea even if you don’t own anything more than a 4K TV: you can crop and edit without sacrificing detail.
The 100x digital zoom range of the 48MP telephoto camera is a neat party trick, but never gave us a usable photo. It’s the 10x hybrid optical zoom that appeared most impressive in side-by-side photo comparisons with the iPhone and Pixel.
We’ve seen the ability to expand the frame on the Google Pixel 3, iPhone 11, and S10 series, but here it happens automatically when the camera detects two or more faces; when you’re alone, it says tight for a more intimate view. Portrait mode, which Samsung calls Live Focus, does better than most camera phones in daylight, but struggled at night.
We’ve seen that on plenty of cheap Android phones that tout 48MP and 64MP cameras with deceptive marketing, only to perform poorly in low light.
We’ve seen less noise from nighttime photos thanks to these physically bigger sensors that can absorb more light, although as mentioned Samsung tends to go overboard with the exposure, making some shots look artificial and smoothed. But autofocus and overexposure issues leave us wondering why you should pay so much for big camera spec numbers that result in photos that look pretty good, but not any better than what you can get on an iPhone, a Pixel or last year’s Note 10 Plus. 8K video recording option, like the 108MP camera, allows you to crop in after the fact, but suffers from the same autofocusing issues
We also love the fact that you can double-press the lock button to launch the camera app without having to look at the screen; sometimes it’s the little things that make snapping a photo easier. The S20 Ultra introduces 8K-resolution video recording, and Samsung’s Super Steady stabilization now incorporates anti-rolling correction (up to 60 degrees).
Samsung’s Quick Share feature apes Apple’s AirDrop so you can easily transfer files, but it’s limited to S20 phones for the moment Exactly 66 times faster than the 4G LTE iPhone 11 Pro Max we tested right next to Samsung’s phone, at least in New York City. We got 1.9Gbps on Verizon’s mmWave network in Bryant Park, which broke our previous record of 1.6Gbps on the Galaxy S10 Plus in the same spot. The fact is that 5G is still very much in its infancy in some regions, but, by combining the two 5G technologies, the S20 Ultra and S20 Plus futureproof your access to super-fast connectivity. Samsung’s One UI 2.0 software reskins Android 10 with a one-hand-friendly layout, with a lot of the menus items you need to touch appearing on the bottom half of the screen. Another perk is that Google Duo is now integrated directly in the dialer app – we were able to make Full HD video calls, and you can chat with up to eight people.
It allows you to share files with multiple people, not just one person at a time, without having to connect to Bluetooth or sign into anything. We found that the Ultra lasted longer than 24 hours on days we weren’t testing 5G speeds non-stop.
The Ultra lasted 12 hours and 13 minutes in our battery drain test that ran through web pages on the T-Mobile LTE network. This 6.9-inch display will stretch you grip and require juggling to get to all corners of the screen, but you end up with an amazing-looking picture that’s more fluid when the 120Hz refresh rate is turned on.
5G is still in its infancy in some regions, but it proves to be 66 times as fast as 4G LTE in the right locations with mmWave technology – although of course your milage may vary. The S20 Ultra cameras boast big numbers and cutting-edge specs, and although the 108MP photos aren’t perfect, and the 100x zoom looks blurry, both offer neat party tricks, and everyone we showed this phone to was eager to try them out. But the experience isn’t always consistent, with exposure and autofocus issues, and while the Ultra’s 108MP photos have their perks, it’s hard to call them ‘the best’ we’ve taken on a phone.
You shouldn’t buy the Galaxy S20 Ultra if it’s too big for your hand, and that may be true for most average phone buyers.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
The device comes with a big display screen of 6.9 inches that consists of a Dynamic AMOLED 2X capacitive touchscreen that provides a resolution of 1440 x 3200 pixels. The smartphone’s sensors include Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer along with ANT+, Bixby natural language commands and dictation, Samsung DeX (desktop experience support).
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G Specs
Some of the key camera features include Space Zoom, Single Take, Night Mode, and Live Focus.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G review: 2020’s most capable smartphone is good for business
The phone launches in the US next week and in addition to this review, we will have more articles exploring other features and functions in depth. Thankfully, Samsung provided a phone that is forward-looking and can almost guarantee its relevancy for this two to three year period. It is packed full of the latest mobile technology and is going to take a bit of time to fully explore by various contributors here at ZDNet. : Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Main display : 6.9 inches, 3200 x 1400 pixels resolution (511 ppi), Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O with 120Hz refresh rate : 6.9 inches, 3200 x 1400 pixels resolution (511 ppi), Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O with 120Hz refresh rate Operating system : Android 10 These networks are still in their infancy so it is great to see Samsung providing a phone that is prepared to serve you well into the future. Also: Galaxy S20 Ultra vs. iPhone 11 Pro Max vs. Pixel 4 XL: We compare specs, prices, and features Larry mentioned after his briefing that the phone was a beast, but since I’ve been carrying around a Note 10 Plus for the last month or so I didn’t think it felt that big when I first saw it.
It supports an amazing full-screen work and play experience with sides that are not as curved as previous S-series devices so you can hold onto the phone comfortably.
I have enjoyed working with Excel spreadsheets, watching video content, and reading long documents on the massive display with minimal bezels. Reports from others testing the phones indicate battery life is impacted when set at 120 Hz, up to three hours for a full charge, but since I’m getting through more than a full day of heavy use with the high refresh rate turned on all the time I don’t plan to toggle on 60 Hz. The software has been improved and I find it is faster to unlock the phone, but you still have to press a bit harder than you do with the optical fingerprint scanners.
The stereo speakers sound better than the Note 10 Plus, but I still find the iPhone 11 Pro to have better audio output. The camera module is huge and protrudes quite a bit, causing the phone to rest on the back at a tipped angle.
I included just a couple of photos in this review, but plan to have a more detailed article on the cameras and their performance next week. Some folks who are further along in testing the cameras state there are some focus issues that I understand Samsung has acknowledged with plans for a software update soon. I ran into some issues with the camera today where it refused to autofocus on a subject and kept hunting around, leading to some serious frustration on my part. I was able to put T-Mobile SIM cards in this phone and the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren and saw just about the same download and upload Speedtest results.
RF reception was also equal between these two phones, which is great since Samsung and OnePlus have proven to be the two best in my testing over the past couple of years. Thankfully, Samsung still includes its own apps, such as calendar, contacts, image gallery, music player, and web browser software.
If you want to enable the full nona binning functionality you can tap in the top row of the viewfinder and then select 3:4 108MP to get a 12MP shot with more details. The software then uses AI to provide you with time-lapse, forward-backward videos, edited photos (such as black and white), bokeh effects, and more all created from your 10-second clip.
Google and Samsung worked together to get Duo embedded in the phone and I look forward to trying out this seamless experience. I recently purchased the NexDock 2 and it has been a wonderful DeX companion to the S20 Ultra 5G during my train commute.
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 has also served as a decent accessory for this new phone and its clear the Samsung ecosystem has a lot of value, just as Apple has shown appeals to 14 to 16 percent of the smartphone world.
Be First to Comment