Galaxy S20 S20 Plus S20 Ultra

Samsung has long been at the forefront of 5G applied science, and its Galaxy S20 lineup shows just what the Korean tech giant is capable of. At the start of 2020, it released three Galaxy S20 smartphones, all with a few minor differences. If yous're wondering which one is right for you, you've come to the right place. Here we're going to outline what'southward different between each Galaxy S20 to assist you decide which one to purchase.

Price

All 3 Milky way S20 models have ane matter in common when it comes to pricing: They're all expensive. If you lot're looking to save money and don't intendance about Verizon or AT&T'due south mmWave 5G, you may desire to check out the Samsung Galaxy S20 Atomic number 26 instead.

The base Galaxy S20 model sells for $999.99 with 128GB of storage. The Galaxy S20+ goes for $one,199.99, and the S20 Ultra is $one,399.99 for 128GB. If you want to upgrade the Milky way S20+ to 512GB of storage, exist prepared to shell out $ane,349.99. And the S20 Ultra with 512GB comes in at a punishing $1,599.99.

That said, you're probably non going to pay full cost for any the phones in the Galaxy S20 lineup. Carriers and retailers frequently offer discounts, and Samsung introduced a buyback program that will pay back fifty percentage for any of the Milky way S20 phones (excluding the special edition S20 FE) returned to Samsung in satisfactory condition inside 24 months.

Display

Each Galaxy S20 model features a Super AMOLED display with 3,200-by-i,440-pixel resolution and a variable refresh charge per unit of 120MHz. The chief difference amidst the models is size. The Galaxy S20 has a half dozen.3-inch brandish, the Galaxy S20+ measures 6.vii inches, and the S20 Ultra is the biggest of the bunch at half dozen.9 inches. Pixel density varies a bit between models, only you nigh certainly won't exist able to spot the departure with the naked eye.

PCMag Logo Hands On With the Samsung Galaxy S20 Lineup

Cameras

The S20 and S20+ have nearly identical rear camera setups. The 12MP primary sensor has an f/one.9 aperture. It'due south joined by a 64MP telephoto lens with an f/2.0 aperture and a 12MP ultrawide lens with an f/2.2 aperture. The S20+ adds a time-of-flight sensor for improved depth mapping. The front-facing camera on each telephone is 10MP with an f/2.2 aperture.

Both the S20 and the S20+ have 3x Hybrid Optic Zoom and 30x super-resolution zoom. The 64MP sensor leverages tech called pixel binning for a sharper 16MP prototype. It as well comes in handy when using the camera's Space Zoom feature, which uses software to eternalize the sensors for an effective 30x zoom.

In theory, the Galaxy S20 Ultra should be the clear leader here. At that place's a 0.5x 12MP ultrawide sensor, as well every bit a 108MP lens that defaults to 12MP using nine-pixel binning. When zooming betwixt 4x and 10x, the Ultra combines the 4x lens with a cropped shot from the 108MP camera to create a create a lossless, zoomed 12MP prototype. For 30x and 100x zoom, the telephone uses digital zoom.

The problem, however, is that we found shots at 30x or college but aren't very good. It's simply likewise hard to lock focus by hand. A tripod may yield ameliorate results, but information technology's not the most practical solution. Samsung recently issued a software update, just it failed to make a meaningful divergence in testing.

If you're looking for an S20 Ultra–like camera experience without all the fuss, your all-time bet is actually the Galaxy Notation xx Ultra. In improver to improving the S20 Ultra's software problems, in that location'south light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation autofocus to rapidly grab shots. Optical zoom is remarkably better on the Note 20 Ultra, and you'll notice a significant improvement when digital zoom kicks in as well.

Battery

At 4,000mAh, the Galaxy S20's battery is the smallest of the agglomeration; it besides has the smallest screen and simply supports sub-6GHz 5G (more on that in the 5G section). In our tests, its battery life was significantly less than its bigger siblings', at ix hours and 54 minutes of streaming video over Wi-Fi at 120Hz, and eleven hours, l minutes at 60Hz. Granted, that should exist more than enough to get even heavy users through a full 24-hour interval between charges.

The Milky way S20+ has a 4,500mAh battery to back up its six.seven-inch display and multi-band 5G. In our bombardment drain exam, information technology lasted for 11 hours and 11 minutes of video streaming over Wi-Fi at 120Hz. In WQHD mode at 60Hz, the battery life increased to xiii hours and xiii minutes.

The S20 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery to ability its 6.9-inch display and multi-ring 5G. Unsurprisingly, it lasted the longest, at 12 hours, 4 minutes at 120Hz in 1,080p, and about the same at 60Hz in i,440p.

The Ultra comes with a 25W fast charger in the box and supports 45W USB-C PD charging with an external adapter. Don't worry nearly spending the actress $50 for the optional adapter, though. In our tests, differences in charging speeds betwixt the 25W and 45W adapters were indiscernible.

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Processor

Each Galaxy S20 is powered by a top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor and 12GB of RAM. With the S20 Ultra, you can cull a model that bumps the RAM up to 16GB. For in-depth performance analysis, run into our benchmark results for the S20 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S20 models stacked atop each other

5G

The Galaxy S20 merely supports sub-6GHz 5G, while the S20+ and S20 Ultra add millimeter-wave (mmWave) to the mix. Sub-6GHz 5G offers ameliorate coverage and can penetrate through buildings better than mmWave, but it's slower and has higher latency. In other words, if yous want the fastest 5G speeds, you lot'll desire the S20+ or S20 Ultra.

The Best Galaxy S20

Ultimately, the best Samsung Milky way S20 for you is going to be the ane that fits your needs and budget. That said, we think the Galaxy S20+ is the best choice for most people. It offers multi-band 5G and more reliable camera performance than the Ultra.

Cropped image of Samsung Galaxy S20 with hole punch display

If you lot're a fan of large screens and all the camera perks you could want, your best bet may non be the Galaxy S20 at all. The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra offers a gorgeous AMOLED display and all the super-fast 5G you can handle, and doesn't have the camera quirks you'll detect on the S20 Ultra.

Finally, unless you're in a metropolitan expanse with solid mmWave coverage (we're looking at you lot, Chicago), the Galaxy S20 FE is going to offer the best bang for your buck overall. It features solid sub-6GHz connectivity and swell bombardment life, and costs $400 less than the the least expensive traditional Milky way S20 model.

For more, encounter our full reviews of the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S20 Iron, the Galaxy S20+, and the Milky way S20 Ultra.

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