You’ll often find that more power in a smartphone means a larger device, but that isn’t the case with the Galaxy S20, which we found comfortable to handle. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Cheapest and the best - Expert Reviews Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Cheapest and the best - Expert Reviews

As it’s the cheapest of the three phones, the Galaxy S20 actually loses the fourth depth-sensing unit found on the S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, but I mostly find these to be pointless additions anyway. Samsung’s own One UI is overlaid, so it’ll look different to the software you may have used on other Android phones that aren’t made by Samsung, but the design is attractive and it’s easy to use. It’s a good thing that the Galaxy S20 is one of Samsung’s most fully-featured flagship launches, then. However, you can rest assured that the screen has a pin-sharp contrast ratio of Infinity:1 and it’s also capable of reaching a blinding maximum brightness of 748cd/m2.While it may be a confusing jump, there’s good reason for it, as Samsung has packed a lot in: it's a massive upgrade, especially if you’re keen to get your first 5G phone. It’s a positive result overall, allowing for 3x lossless zoom that’s the best we’ve seen on a smartphone so far. We found this to be faster and more reliable than the option on the Galaxy S10, but it isn’t perfect with us regularly having to retry our digits on the reader to be able to access the phone.

Samsung Galaxy S20 5G review - Which? Samsung Galaxy S20 5G review - Which?

Not everyone will be capable of using this phone with one hand, but it’s the closest you’ll get on a flagship Samsung phone. All of the phones are capable of 8K video recording, although the keen-eyed might have noticed that the S20 and S20 Plus don’t use the S20 Ultra’s 108MP camera, and neither are capable of 100x zoom – instead ‘only’ zooming up to 30x.Samsung skipped a few numbers for the Galaxy S20, which took over the flagship mantle from 2019’s Galaxy S10. If you need the ultimate in zoom capability the Galaxy S20 Ultra comes with a game-changing 100x zoom, but it’s unlikely that you’ll find much use for that in everyday shooting, and we found 30x to be more than enough. While 8K recording is limited to 24fps, it has one big benefit: you’re able to crop and edit videos without sacrificing quality if you’re exporting to 4K or 1080p. We continue to like the fact that you can swipe anywhere on the screen to flip between the front and back cameras, make a hand gesture to trigger the selfie camera timer, and double-press the physical lock button to blindly launch the camera app. Otherwise the S20 cameras could look like a downgrade compared to previous Samsung devices, and that’s far from the case.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review | TechRadar Samsung Galaxy S20 review | TechRadar

is still big enough to watch any Netflix TV show without having to push the screen up against your eyeballs. This is a silly marketing phrase, of course, but the S20 is capable of using a combination of optical and AI-digital techniques to magnify up to 30x. However, pictures looked a touch candy-coloured for my liking, and the iPhone 11 did a better job at capturing more neutral-looking images. While all three support the low-to-mid-band sub-6 technology, only the Plus and Ultra have mmWave antennas, which pull down even faster speeds.This does, of course, depend on 5G being available in your area from your provider, but even if it isn’t yet, Samsung is baking in the future-proofed connectivity. Still, this is mildly upsetting because it means there’s no low-cost ‘e’ variant this year – last year’s S10e was my preferred choice of last year’s lineup, and was eventually crowned Expert Reviews’ favourite phone of 2019. There are pros and cons to both methods, but if you care about connecting to the fastest 5G on a carrier outside of Verizon, then the S20 Plus will get you there.

Galaxy S20 5G review: Top-shelf specs, but plenty of room for Galaxy S20 5G review: Top-shelf specs, but plenty of room for

That’s a debate to be held for another time, and I’m pretty impressed with all of the new stuff Samsung has brought to the table this year. It’s certainly not as brutish as the S20 Ultra and its gigantic telephoto zoom sensor, but I still wouldn’t say it’s particularly nice to look at.

Where you will find a drastic difference, however, is if you decide to switch on the 120Hz setting, which negatively affected the S20’s battery life by roughly five hours in my testing. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. The S20 range also breaks new ground with the introduction of 8K video recording, and anti-roll correction (up to 60 degrees) as part of Samsung’s Super Steady stabilization feature. The 5G version of the Samsung S20 is the perfect jumping-on point for anyone who wants to be futureproofed in terms of connectivity. Download speed will still be faster than 4G, but not as fast as the (theoretical) peak speeds of the approaching tech known as millimeter wave, or mmWave.