The Samsung Galaxy S20 series consists of three smartphones: the exaggerated Galaxy S20 Ultra, the Galaxy S20+ and the regular Samsung Galaxy S20, which is discussed in this review. Of the three versions in this series, the Galaxy S20 is the most modest in appearance, features and price. But is the smartphone still worth this relatively high price?
Samsung Galaxy S20
Price € 700,-Colour Grey, Blue, Purple
OS Android 10 (OneUI)
Screen 6.2 inches amoled (3200 x 1440, 120 hertz)
Processor 2.7GHz octa-core (Exynos 990)
RAM 12GB
Storage 128GB (expandable with memory card)
Battery 4,000mAh
Camera 64, 12, 12 megapixel (rear), 10 megapixel (front)
Connectivity 5G, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC
Format 15.2 x 6.9 x 0.8 cm
Weight 163 grams
Other dualsim or memory card, fingerprint scanner under screen
Website www.samsung.com/en 8 Score 80
- Pros
- Screen
- Camera
- Performance
- Negatives
- Energy consumption a bit high
- No 3.5mm jack
- bloatware
- Price
So far, the Galaxy S20 series has not been an unqualified success. Of course it is easy to point to the Corona crisis as the culprit. But maybe there's more to it? Is it too early to invest in a 5G smartphone? Does the smartphone series have too little innovation to offer? Is the price simply too high? Or is it an accumulation of factors? This regular Galaxy S20 also seems to tick all these boxes, despite the fact that it is the most accessible of the three devices from the series in terms of price. A shame, because the smartphone is very pleasant to use.
Nice size
You notice that the device is modest, especially when you put the three Galaxy S20 smartphones next to each other. The Galaxy S20 Ultra is the largest of the three (16.7 x 7.6 centimeters), but perhaps just a bit too much due to its size. The Galaxy S20+ (16.2 x 7.4 centimeters) is also quite a bit larger than the regular Galaxy S20 (15.2 x 7 centimeters). That does not make the regular Galaxy S20 very small, but it is still a pleasant, handy device. In addition, almost the entire length and width has been used for the screen panel, with even more subtle sloping screen edges on the sides.
The difference with the other S20 versions is not only in the size. The battery is also a bit smaller, there is no depth camera at the back and the price is of course a bit lower. At the time of writing about 700 euros. Furthermore, the device is almost the same as its larger counterparts. So you also have a smartphone that looks and feels luxurious, thanks to the glass housing with metal edges. The device does feel vulnerable, so a case does not seem an unnecessary luxury.
120 hertz screen panel
This means that the Galaxy S20 is also equipped with a phenomenally beautiful display, which leads the way in terms of color reproduction, clarity and sharpness. The display has a maximum refresh rate of 120 hertz, which makes the image run a lot smoother and a 1440p resolution. It contributes to an even more impressive experience, but in practice I preferred to lower both the resolution and the refresh rate to save the battery a bit. Because that battery, with its 4,000 mAh, has a decent capacity. The screen and the chipset can put a lot of strain on this battery. With slightly more subtle screen settings, you can quickly get a few extra hours from your battery and save it to about a day and a half instead of more than a day. Although of course this depends on your usage.
At the top of the screen is a hole for the selfie camera. It doesn't look very nice, especially because the display quality of the screen is so impressive. Nevertheless, you get used to it and it soon no longer bothers you, for example, when you watch videos fullscreen. You get in return that the screen edge at the top can remain wafer-thin. The fingerprint scanner is also placed under the screen, which works smoothly. But still not up to the speed and precision of a physical fingerprint scanner.
Specs
In addition to the beautiful screen panel, Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S20 with powerful specifications. Samsung's own Exynos 990 chipset is available with no less than 12GB of RAM. The version we tested can also make a 5G connection with this, but you do pay an extra price for this. Whether this can be justified is difficult to say and also depends on how long you hope to do with your Galaxy S20. It will be several years before 5G really makes a difference, especially when the 3.5 Ghz band can be used. Samsung, however, wants to continue to provide more and more of its smartphones with updates for longer, so that you seem to be able to continue with the Galaxy S20 for a few years. Samsung recently announced that it wants to provide the S20 series with three Android version updates.
The chipset that Samsung has used always achieves excellent performance in our test, but the energy consumption is high. The mobile network connection in particular requires a lot of energy, so you will notice that the battery deteriorates faster when you are on the road. Fortunately, you have a usb-c to usb-c fast charger in the box.
The only thing that is missing is a 3.5mm jack, it is disappointing that Samsung has also chosen to remove the universal audio connection without any sensible arguments.
OneUI
The Galaxy S20 runs on Android 10, with its own recognizable OneUI shell. The device runs smoothly and everything looks neat. Fortunately, Samsung's own assistant Bixby has been given a less prominent place on the device, since it offers little added value. It is a pity that Samsung on the one hand asks the top prize for this smartphone, but on the other hand saddles the user with a lot of pre-installed apps. That there are many services from Samsung itself, such as a completely unnecessary own app store, can be explained. But bloatware from Facebook and Microsoft doesn't come with this price tag. The fact that Samsung hides an unnecessary and irremovable virus scanner from McAfee in the phone settings in order to give the appearance that this is a system component, remains something that cannot be justified.
Cameras
One of the main reasons to dig deep into your pocket for a top device from Samsung is because you know that you have one of the best smartphone cameras at home. The Galaxy S20 is more limited in functionality than the S20 Plus and S20 Ultra. The former has an extra depth camera, in order to better capture photos with a depth of field effect. In addition to this depth camera, the S20 Ultra also has a periscopic lens, which offers deeper zoom options.
So functionally you give up something. Quality too, if you like to use portrait mode. Although the lack of the depth camera does not appear to be a major loss. Blurred foregrounds or backgrounds came out fine. The Galaxy S20 is equipped with three cameras on the back: a primary 64 megapixel camera, flanked by a zoom lens and a wide-angle lens of both 12 megapixels. Many smartphones are equipped with a zoom and wide-angle lens in addition to the regular camera. But switching results in a visible loss of quality. That is not the case with the Galaxy S20. Just like the regular cameras, the zoom and wide-angle cameras provide photos of comparable quality in almost all circumstances. That's nice, so you can freely choose the lens that best suits the photo moment.
This Galaxy S generation is again equipped with one of the best cameras. Even in difficult lighting conditions, there is a lot to see in the photos. Colors are sometimes a bit saturated, which makes photos more vibrant. But a little less natural than, for example, an iPhone captures.
The three zoom levels of the Samsung Galaxy S20.
Alternatives to the Galaxy S20
If the handy size and the slightly lower price appeal to you, then you actually sacrifice little with the Galaxy S20 compared to the Plus and Ultra variant of the series. The additional cost does not add any indispensable functions. The same goes for the 5G version. That only seems of added value if you really want to use your S20 for a long time.
If you don't mind sacrificing camera quality, you can also consider the PocoPhone F2 Pro. This device is cheaper, and does have an audio connection. However, don't be fooled by the 5G stamp of this device, because 5G is not supported.
The OneUI skin from Samsung leaves something to be desired with all the bloatware and the support could still be a bit better. If this is important to you, you can consider the iPhone 11, which falls in roughly the same price range. Only you make huge sacrifices with the iPhone in terms of screen quality.
Conclusion: Buy Samsung Galaxy S20?
Of the three Galaxy S20 flavors available, the Galaxy S20 is the most modest in price and appearance. The added value of the other two is small, making the S20 perhaps the smartest choice. However, you know that you have lost a lot of money with a top device from Samsung, but that you are making a safe choice. That is also the case now.
