Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 lineup on February 11. The new flagship series includes three Galaxy S20 models, namely, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The trio comes with top-notch specs and features. However, that invites a lot of confusion when making a purchase decision.
While the three handsets are equally powerful, they have their unique selling points. The Galaxy S20 Ultra is the most powerful of them all, but then, it costs the most as well. Hence, if you are planning to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S20 model, you are in the right place. We’ll help you decide which version is right for you.
Samsung Galaxy S20 models: Similarities
The trio is the same at heart. All three Galaxy S20 models are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC. Further, the storage starts at 128GB and 12GB RAM. Moreover, there’s room for expandable storage via a microSD card slot.
The display quality is the same as well. The latest Samsung flagships use the company’s Quad HD+ AMOLED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate. In theory, it should result in a smoother scrolling and an improved gaming experience. The three smartphones feature 5G as well.
Galaxy S20 models: Differences
Display and Battery
The Galaxy S20 models differ in screen sizes. While the Galaxy S20 display measures 6.2 inches, the S20+ display is 6.7 inches, and the S20 Ultra’s screen measures 6.9 inches. the battery capacity varies with the size of the body as well. The youngest of the three packs a 4,000mAh battery. The Galaxy S20+ packs a 4,500mAh battery, whereas the Galaxy S20 Ultra boasts of a massive 5,000mAh battery.
Hence, if you plan to go with the compact phone, you lose out on the battery front as well. We suggest you keep the battery capacity in mind while making your purchase decision.
Moreover, the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ support 25W wireless charging. On the other hand, the most powerful flagship, the Galaxy S20 Ultra supports 45W fast charging.
5G connectivity
“They all feature 5G connectivity, what’s the difference here?” Well, all three variants have the components to connect to 5G, but they are not equal.
The United States supports two main types of 5G networks – Sub-6 and millimeter-wave (mmWave). The former is a faster version of the LTE networks. It has wider reachability than a mmWave. However, a mmWave network is even faster with multi-gigabit speeds. However, it has low latency and each tower is only capable of covering a few city blocks. It has difficulty penetrating homes and buildings.
For reference, carriers are working towards mmWave 5G. Hence, it is worth pointing out that the Samsung Galaxy S20 doesn’t support mmWave, but only has Sub-6 connectivity. On the other hand, the Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra have both Sub-6 and mmWave 5G networks.
Hence, out of the three Galaxy S20 models, one is out if you are making your purchase decision purely based on 5G connectivity. Moreover, this could be the reason why the Galaxy S20 is not available on Verizon. The carrier only supports mmWave connectivity as of now.
Camera
Let us go straight to the spec sheet here.
Starting with the Galaxy S20, it sports a triple rear camera setup: a 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm wide-angle lens + a 64 MP, f/2.0 aperture telephoto camera with 3x Hybrid Optical Zoom + a 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm ultrawide sensor.
As for the Galaxy S20+, it comes equipped with a quad rear camera setup: a 12 MP wide-angle lens + 64 MP telephoto with 3x Hybrid Optical Zoom + 12 MP ultrawide lens + a 0.3MP 3D sensing Time of Flight camera.
Both phones have the Space Zoom feature that supports Super-Resolution Zoom up to 30X.
Coming to the beast, the Galaxy S20 Ultra features a quad rear camera setup with a whopping 108MP f/1.8, 26mm wide-angle primary shooter. It is accompanied by a Periscope 48 MP, f/3.6, 102mm telephoto sensor, a 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm ultrawide and a Time of Flight camera for #d sensing. It consists of features such as 10X Hybrid Optic Zoom and Super-Resolution Zoom up to 100X. Further, there is a 40 MP selfie shooter as compared to the 10MP on the younger two siblings.
You cannot go wrong with any of the three devices. However, if you don’t want to miss out on the latest camera tech, Galaxy S20 Ultra is the phone to go for.
Galaxy S20 models: Bottom line
Your buying decision may ultimately come down to how much you need to spend on a phone. The Galaxy S20 starts at $999, the Galaxy S20 is priced at $1,199 and the Galaxy S20 Ultra will cost you $1,399. You can check out the best deals on the Galaxy S20 series available right now.
The Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ are both good options. However, tech enthusiasts and mobile photographers might want to go for the Galaxy S20 Ultra.