Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra: Specs, Differences, and Exciting features

Last Update 2020-02-12

Finally, Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S20 lineup in the Unpacked Event on February 11, 2020. The shining stars of the stage are Samsung S20 and S20 Plus. There is another new member of the Galaxy S series, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and gone is the economy version as of previous Galaxy S10e.

Samsung S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra are the best smartphones of 2020, and they are bringing lots of advanced and high-end features such as 120Hz Display, Android 10 OS along OneUI 2, Snapdragon 865 or Exynos 990 chipset, and 8K video recording for the first time in a Samsung smartphone.

The accessories of Samsung S20 family carried out at the Unpacked Event are new Galaxy Buds+, Protective Film or Case, Fast and Wireless Charges, and Samsung Desk Pad. Like the Galaxy S10 family, Samsung S20 trio allows Reverse Wireless Charging or Power Bank too.

All-New Design with a Camera Bump, 120Hz Display, and Ultra-Sonic Fingerprint

Look at these three gorgeous devices; Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra are very similar to each other despite dimensions, while they look entirely different from predecessors' S10 series. The punch-hole selfie lens is centered on top of an edge-to-edge screen, which is fully bezel-less. It is an in-display Ultra-Sonic Fingerprint Sensor present on S20 trio, more reliable and similar fast as of optical FR on the S10 lineup. Along with science-fiction movies' display, there is a Power Key and two-volume rockers on the right, a dedicated Bixby button on the left, and dual SIM tray on the upper side.

Unluckily, the Galaxy S20 smartphones are the first in S lineup to remove 3.5mm jack, and now users have to buy the AKG USB Type-C set of earphones.

Coming to the back, Samsung S20 and S20+ adopt a camera bump never before in any Galaxy smartphone. The bump comprises three photo sensors for S20 while four rear cameras for S20+. The new member S20 Ultra has a similarly enlarged camera hump, but the fourth lens placed separately onto the hump bottom, a total of four photography snappers.

S20 and S20 Plus used to equip aluminum 7000-series (metal unibody), whereas the S20 Ultra gets a stainless steel body. All the S20 siblings rated at IP68 to ensure dust and water resistance up to 1.5 meters for 30minutes. Corning Gorilla Glass 6 glued on top of both front and back for every S20 smartphone. Thus it would be best if you did not worry about scuffs.

Talking about the display, Galaxy S20 measures 6.2inches in diagonal, whereas the S20 Plus stretches the screen up to 6.7inches. Aside from them, S20 Ultra exceeds the limits with a 6.9inches display. Congratulate, all of them have Dynamic AMOLED panels and QHD+ resolution along with HDR10+ support. Rumors come true, and we are happy to welcome a 120Hz display refresh rate on the whole S20 lineup for the smoother watching experience.

Latest OS and Clean Interface, Android 10 with One UI 2

With the S20 and S20+, we received an Android 10 operating system skinned with Samsung OneUI 2 out of the box. The interface is beautiful, one-hand user-friendly, and has a sidebar accessing favorite user apps such as Messenger, WhatsApp, and Google Trio, etc. There is a Google navigation bar that asks you to select either navigation buttons or full-screen gestures. Welcome to the Dark mode and adjust color temperature for eyes comfort. When running the Always-On mode, you can choose different clock styles and font colors. OneU1 2 brings three power modes - Optimized, medium-power saving, and Maximum power saving. There is an app drawer so that the users can put to sleep those apps not in use, either for a short or an extended period. 

 

108MP wide, 64MP telephoto, and 48MP periscope camera for the first time on Valued S20 devices; 8k video recording too

(Optics configurations Back/Front: S20= 3/1, S20+ and Ultra= 4/1)

The whole camera setup gets changed and says bye, bye to the S10 cameras. Samsung Galaxy S20 brings three while S20 Plus and Ultra have four back cameras. The S20's first 12 MP wide-angle lens has lost a wider f/1.5 aperture on the S10, and now it triggered at f/1.8 aperture, 78-degree view, Dual Pixel PDAF, and OIS support. We are lucky to receive a 64MP telephoto sensor on a valued flagship smartphone. The secondary lens has f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, OIS, and 3x hybrid optical zoom – much better than the older S10's 13MP telephoto (f/2.4). The S20's third camera is a 12 MP ultrawide sensor with f/2.2 aperture. It gives an extra field of view at 120 degrees and super steady video support. All of those S20 triple cameras are available on the S20 Plus model, but there is an extra 3D Time of Flight sensor.

The remaining third S20 Ultra has a common 3D ToF and 12MP ultrawide lens, while the other two rear cameras are different from regular S20 and Plus. Samsung S20 Ultra is the brand's first device with a 108MP (f/1.8) wide-angle camera and 48MP (f/3.6) periscope lens, allowing 10x hybrid optical zoom. It is also eligible for 100x space zoom, which made us interesting in closer shots.

8k and 4k shots: Luckily, Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra are the first in Samsung S lineup to have 8K video recording capability, 3240p@30fps. Also, it is capable of capturing awesome 4k shots at 60fps plus 1080p Slow-mo videos at 240fps. Samsung appreciates shooting while walking as it brings support for Dual Optical Image Stabilization, OIS. Also, it supports Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS).

What happened with Super Slow-mo?

Unfortunately, all the S20 smartphones lack Super Slow-mo video recording at 960fps. Don't cry over spilled milk. We are getting 8k video support to migrate to standard.

Selfie: Galaxy S20 and S20+ arrive with a 10 MP f/2.2 Front Camera, whereas the S20 Ultra brings a 40MP (f/2.2) selfie shooter. Each S20 sibling supports Dual Pixel PDAF, Auto HDR, and 2160p plus 1080p Dual Video calling. One again, you might disappoint to know S20 Plus does not feature a secondary selfie camera just like its predecessor S10 Plus.

Samsung S20 family supports 3D Facial Recognition to facilitate users with secure Face Unlock.

Performance that beats iPhone 11

All three of Galaxy S20 mobiles arrive in the US and EMEA models. The US version packs inside Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset and Adreno 650 GPU while the EMEA model armed with Exynos 990 SoC and Mali-G77 MP11 GPU. They all have an Octa-core processor with up to 2.73GHz clock rate of faster execution. It isn't easy to say which model is better in performance, either the USA or EMEA. AnTuTu awarded 568,919 scores to the SD865, whereas Exynos 990 is yet to go through the AnTuTu benchmark. Based on SD865 results, we can say Galaxy S20 beats the iPhone 11 powered by Apple A13, which scored 521,300.

Satisfying Battery Life and Advanced Charge Options

Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20+ come powered by 4000mAh and 4500mAh non-removable Li-Po batteries. Being Ultra, the S20 Ultra houses a large 5000mAh battery by Li-Po. The given capacities make it feel suitable for longer-lasting performance. They all support 25W Fast Weird and 15W Wireless Charges support.

The entire Samsung S20 family is available in following beautiful colors, Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, and Cloud Pink.

 

Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra Availability and Pricing Details

The pre-orders for Samsung S20 and S20 Plus are starting on February 21, whereas the shipment will begin on March 8, 2020. The Galaxy S20 trio will ship in two waves. The first wave consists of the western world, including the US and Europe, while the second wave comprises Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

Coming to the next, Galaxy S20 and S20+ Prices start from $899 and $999 respectively. Aside it, Galaxy S20 Ultra Starting Price is $1,399 as it is a 5G smartphone with no LTE variant. Whereas, the regular S20 models have separate 5G versions named as S20 5G and S20+ 5G - which cost hundred dollars over the standard. The countries where 5G available, S20 5G models will ship there (like US and Europe) and the S20 LTE models will hit the countries where 5G not available (like some Asian and Gulf regions). Memory wise, the S20 prices are as follows;

S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra Specs Differences

Here are main dissimilarities among the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra;

Size: Aside from design, the apparent difference between S20 smartphones is screen size. The regular Galaxy S20 has 6.2inches and the S20 Plus sports 6.7inches, while the S20 Ultra is the most prominent phone measuring 6.9inches.

Memory: The Samsung S20 and S20+ arrived in 8GB RAM and 128GB Storage, whereas the Galaxy S20 Ultra came in 12GB RAM and 128GB ROM. S20 and Plus have no other memory variant, while the Ultra offered in two more storage options, 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB.

Camera: S20 get three lenses while S20+ and S20 Ultra obtained four optics sensors. S20 and Plus have 12MP main and 64MP telephoto cameras; however, S20 Ultra carries 108MP primary and 48MP telephoto (periscope) camera. S20 Ultra supports 100x space zoom while the other S20 models not.

On the front, S20 and S20+ equipped 10MP selfie camera. On the other hand, S20 Ultra sports 40MP selfie snapper.

Battery: It is another main difference among the S20 siblings. The standard Samsung S20 grabs a 4000mAh, while S20 Plus powers a 4500mAh, and at last, the S20 Ultra fuels a 5000mAh battery.

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