Samsung has long been at the forefront of 5G technology, 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 you’re wondering which one is right for you, you’ve come to the right place. Here we’re going to outline what’s different between each Galaxy S20 to help you decide which one to buy.
Price
All three Galaxy S20 models have one thing in common when it comes to pricing: They’re all expensive. If you’re looking to save money and don’t care about Verizon or AT&T’s mmWave 5G, you may want to check out the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE instead.
The base Galaxy S20 model sells for $999.99 with 128GB of storage. The Galaxy S20+ goes for $1,199.99, and the S20 Ultra is $1,399.99 for 128GB. If you want to upgrade the Galaxy S20+ to 512GB of storage, be prepared to shell out $1,349.99. And the S20 Ultra with 512GB comes in at a punishing $1,599.99.
That said, you’re probably not going to pay full price 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 50 percent for any of the Galaxy S20 phones (excluding the special edition S20 FE) returned to Samsung in satisfactory condition within 24 months.
Display
Each Galaxy S20 model features a Super AMOLED display with 3,200-by-1,440-pixel resolution and a variable refresh rate of 120MHz. The main difference among the models is size. The Galaxy S20 has a 6.3-inch display, the Galaxy S20+ measures 6.7 inches, and the S20 Ultra is the biggest of the bunch at 6.9 inches. Pixel density varies a bit between models, but you almost certainly won’t be able to spot the difference with the naked eye.
Cameras
The S20 and S20+ have nearly identical rear camera setups. The 12MP main sensor has an f/1.9 aperture. It’s 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 phone 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 image. It also comes in handy when using the camera’s Space Zoom feature, which uses software to bolster the sensors for an effective 30x zoom.
In theory, the Galaxy S20 Ultra should be the clear leader here. There’s a 0.5x 12MP ultrawide sensor, as well as a 108MP lens that defaults to 12MP using nine-pixel binning. When zooming between 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 image. For 30x and 100x zoom, the phone uses digital zoom.
The problem, however, is that we found shots at 30x or higher just aren’t very good. It’s simply too hard to lock focus by hand. A tripod may yield better results, but it’s not the most practical solution. Samsung recently issued a software update, but it failed to make a meaningful difference in testing.
If you’re looking for an S20 Ultra–like camera experience without all the fuss, your best bet is actually the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. In addition to improving the S20 Ultra’s software issues, there’s laser autofocus to quickly 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 bunch; it also has the smallest screen and only 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 9 hours and 54 minutes of streaming video over Wi-Fi at 120Hz, and 11 hours, 50 minutes at 60Hz. Granted, that should be more than enough to get even heavy users through a full day between charges.
The Galaxy S20+ has a 4,500mAh battery to support its 6.7-inch display and multi-band 5G. In our battery drain test, it 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 13 hours and 13 minutes.
The S20 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery to power its 6.9-inch display and multi-band 5G. Unsurprisingly, it lasted the longest, at 12 hours, 4 minutes at 120Hz in 1,080p, and about the same at 60Hz in 1,440p.
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 about spending the extra $50 for the optional adapter, though. In our tests, differences in charging speeds between the 25W and 45W adapters were indiscernible.
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 choose a model that bumps the RAM up to 16GB. For in-depth performance analysis, see our benchmark results for the S20 Ultra.
5G
The Galaxy S20 only supports sub-6GHz 5G, while the S20+ and S20 Ultra add millimeter-wave (mmWave) to the mix. Sub-6GHz 5G offers better coverage and can penetrate through buildings better than mmWave, but it’s slower and has higher latency. In other words, if you want the fastest 5G speeds, you’ll want the S20+ or S20 Ultra.
The Best Galaxy S20
Ultimately, the best Samsung Galaxy S20 for you is going to be the one 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.
If you’re a fan of big screens and all the camera perks you could want, your best bet may not 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 find on the S20 Ultra.
Finally, unless you’re in a metropolitan area with solid mmWave coverage (we’re looking at you, Chicago), the Galaxy S20 FE is going to offer the best bang for your buck overall. It features solid sub-6GHz connectivity and great battery life, and costs $400 less than the the least expensive traditional Galaxy S20 model.
For more, see our full reviews of the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S20 FE, the Galaxy S20+, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
