They have been eagerly awaited and they finally reach the Portuguese market on 13 March. The new smartphones in the Galaxy S20 line are here, full of ambition and energy. Let's look at the big differences between the three new models and what all the upgrades add up to compared with the previous releases.
The new Samsung Galaxy S20
We already know that these new phones, above all, set out to change the way we take photos and shoot video, as they come with 8K recording. They also include 5G, Samsung Knox security, a smart battery, a very powerful processor and plenty of storage. That opens up a whole new and appealing world, especially for fans of the Android operating system.
The screens: big, and bigger than usual
This year, Samsung seems to have taken the old saying "the bigger, the better" very seriously. Just look:
Galaxy S20
6.2 inches
1440 x 3200 pixels
20:9 aspect ratio (563 ppi density)
Gorilla Glass 6
120Hz
Galaxy S20+
6.7 inches
1440 x 3200 pixels
20:9 aspect ratio (525 ppi density)
Gorilla Glass 6
120Hz
Galaxy S20 Ultra
6.9 inches
1440 x 3200 pixels
20:9 aspect ratio (511 ppi density)
Gorilla Glass 6
120Hz
The screens really do stand out because, compared with their predecessors, they are genuinely bigger (Galaxy S10 - 6.1", Galaxy S10+ - 6.4" and Galaxy S10 5G - 6.7"). Smoother and running at 120Hz, the new screens also have slimmer bezels at the top and bottom.
The screens are no longer edge, they are now flat
This seems to be the South Korean company's formula for taking on the competition, offering an excellent user experience. Experts point to a single flaw: they are limited to 1080p resolution. However, they make up for it with smoother visuals and better touch response.
The ultrasonic fingerprint reader stays, as on the Galaxy S10, and Gorilla Glass 6 is reinforced, which gives these new smartphones greater resistance to scratches and knocks of any kind.
And the design?
Very similar to the previous models, the new Galaxy line is a little bigger and heavier. That is down to the larger screens, of course.
Here are the dimensions of the new smartphones:
Galaxy S20
151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9mm
163 grams
Galaxy S20+
161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8 mm
186 grams
Galaxy S20 Ultra
166.9 x 76 x 8.8 mm
222 grams
Although these are usually big phones, the latest Galaxy S20 models are easy to use with just one hand. They have centred front cameras, like the Galaxy Note 10, which is already seen as a big aesthetic improvement.
Controversially, though, 2020 is the year Samsung finally drops the headphone jack from the S line. More surprisingly still, it also says goodbye to the edge screen and moves to completely flat panels.
Of course, this change matters in day-to-day use. From an aesthetic point of view, however, it makes the phone less exciting.
Apart from all this, a lot stays familiar: stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, water resistance (up to 1.5 metres deep for a maximum of 30 minutes), USB-C and microSD up to 512GB.
Little choice of colours for the Galaxy S20
As for colours, we noticed something rather odd: only Cosmic Grey will be available on all the new models, and there are few options.
The camera
This is one of the most exciting new features of the new S-line smartphones. Just look:
All the features of the new Samsung Galaxy cameras
We get multiple cameras with professional-level performance, large modules and outstanding photographic capability. Here are the main features:
More megapixels: the high resolution of these smartphones lets you zoom in manually, going well beyond the 12 megapixels users are so used to. The Galaxy S20 Ultra offers 108 megapixels, which makes photos sharp enough to crop and print without any problem. This is possible thanks to the 'pixel binning' Samsung has adopted, which uses many smaller pixels to create the final image. It is a technology that brings big improvements, especially in low-light photos.
Extreme Zoom: the most advanced zoom the brand has made, it sends Space Zoom into retirement. You can magnify digital images 30x on the S20 and S20+, and an impressive 100x on the S20 Ultra. Of course, we do not need these features in everyday life. Even so, it is an excellent feature that puts other models stuck at 3x zoom to shame.
8K video recording: a small glimpse of the future, with the highest-resolution video ever on a smartphone. Samsung has transformed video, making it a truly impressive feature. Still, surprising as it is, this feature may not be of much interest, given the lack of 8K televisions on the market and the fact that the phones' storage may not be enough.
Bright Night: with improved camera sensors and artificial intelligence, switching to night mode has never been easier. The new smartphones promise to capture night-time images as clearly as if it were daylight, and they can take several photos at the same time.
Night Hyperlapse: another innovation. You can capture timelapse footage even in low light, so you can record videos with light trails and a unique view of the night.
Front camera: the most powerful camera ever on a Galaxy smartphone, at 40MP, which allows good photos even in low light thanks to pixel binning, and it offers professional-level technology. The 10MP sensors on the S20 and S20+, however, will need better image processing after falling behind their big rivals Apple and Google in recent years.
The zoom capability of the new Galaxy range is impressive
Overall performance: flagships for 2020
Like almost every Android smartphone in 2020, Samsung has fitted the whole S20 line with Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipsets, 5G and plenty of RAM (12GB on the S20 and S20+, and an impressive 16GB on the S20 Ultra).
Internationally, Samsung will replace the Snapdragon 865 with its own Exynos 990 chipset, which should perform similarly. And how fast is the Snapdragon 865? Qualcomm says it is 20% faster than the 855 in the Galaxy S10 and 35% more efficient. The LPDDR5 memory has also improved (30% faster and 30% more efficient).
5G is standard, because of the limitations of the 4G variants that will be available in some countries.
Battery: power all day long
Keeping to its "Go Large" motto, Samsung has increased battery capacity. The batteries are now even more powerful and smarter, adapting to users' habits to save energy and last longer, even on a single charge.
With bigger screens and 5G, the power demand of this new range is inevitably higher. So it is essential that users understand that the capacities are different from devices that only use 4G.
Battery life will be longer on Samsung's new S20 range
5G is much faster, and to keep sharing and transmitting data constantly, with almost instant uploads and downloads, it really does need more battery.
As for charging: wired charging has improved over the S10 and S10+ (15W), although wireless charging has not changed. S20 Ultra buyers are likely to be disappointed to find a 25W charger in the box, as with the lower-end models, given that the phone supports 45W, and the price you pay for it.
Price: what nobody wanted to see
Given all the changes and improvements, everyone more or less knew the prices would be high. All that cutting-edge technology comes at a cost, of course.
Samsung's cutting-edge technology will cost more
So here is the price of each of the new Samsung Galaxy phones:
Galaxy S20: from €929.90
Galaxy S20+: from €1,029.90
Galaxy S20 Ultra: from €1,379.00
Pre-orders have already started on several Portuguese websites. Are you a fan of the Android operating system or of Samsung? Tell us what you think of the South Korean brand's new models!
