Finally, let’s discuss the Galaxy S20’s new camera capabilities. 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. The other three cameras are exactly the same as the rest of the S20 Plus’ arrangement; there’s a 12MP (f/1.8) camera, 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide and a 64MP (f/3.5) telephoto zoom sensor. Still, this silky-smooth screen will be for nothing if the quality of the display isn’t up to scratch. According to my tests using a display colourimeter, the Galaxy S20’s Dynamic AMOLED screen covered 94% of the sRGB colour gamut, with an overall volume of 96% and an average Delta E of 2.64 in the phone’s ‘Natural’ display profile. Instead, If you directly compare with the next phone along the price spectrum – the Galaxy S20 Plus – then you might spot that the experience remains largely the same. Aside from the size and battery differences – as well as an option for 4G – the Galaxy S20 uses a near-identical combination of internal components. That’s the new Exynos 990 processor, 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage, if you weren’t aware. Where Samsung really begins to falter is in video recording features. The Samsung Galaxy S20 has the ability to record in 8K resolution – a first for smartphones – although this isn’t stabilised in any way whatsoever, and you need an 8K TV to view the footage in its original resolution anyway. If you want to stabilise your footage, you have to dip the resolution down to 4K at 30fps, which is a shame because the iPhone 11 can record at 60fps at 4K fully-stabilised, which I much prefer.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Mobile Phone; Sim Free Smartphone - Cloud

As for the display’s general properties, expect much the same as from the S10 Plus, with a very clear and detailed picture when watching content up to 1440p resolution. Despite technically having a higher-resolution screen than the one on the iPhone 11 Pro Max, both that phone and the S20 Plus showed roughly the same picture when demoing, say, a 1440p video on YouTube – though the Apple phone’s screen does have a slight edge in contrast, showing high-contrast subjects (like a lizard in the sun) in greater clarity.Alas, Samsung seems to have taken a pared-down approach when it comes to the Galaxy S20’s design. In an era of foldable phones, the S20 lineup looks rather utilitarian in comparison, with the usual chrome-tinted edges – which still look nice by the way – and pearlescent finishes on the rear glass panel failing to offer anything particularly new or groundbreaking. The Galaxy S20 also comes in either 8GB or 12GB of RAM variants, with the option to pay a little more for 5G connectivity. There’s no choice when it comes to storage, but the 128GB of onboard space can at least be upgraded up to a further 1TB via microSD if required. Buying a reconditioned Samsung Galaxy S20 is also an environmentally friendly option. A refurbished Samsung Galaxy S20 is often a second hand device that has been restored and updated to meet manufacturer standards, which means you'll be helping to keep old Samsung Galaxy S20s out of our landfills, reduce electronic waste, and minimise your carbon footprint.

Samsung Galaxy S20 colors: all the shades - TechRadar Samsung Galaxy S20 colors: all the shades - TechRadar

We reviewed the 5G version of the phone, and this review will mostly focus on that device as it's the more commonly available handset. While that’s a faster refresh rate than the 90Hz on the Google Pixel 4, OnePlus 7T Pro or Razer Phone 2, you likely won’t see a difference unless you put those phones side by side with the S20 Plus while it’s bumped up to 120Hz. And yes, the ASUS ROG Phone 2 also offers 120Hz, making Samsung’s flagship line the first non-gaming phones to get the cutting-edge screen tech. Likewise, rather than placing the three rear cameras in a neat vertical strip like last year, the Galaxy S20’s trio of cameras are instead squished into an upright oblong in the top left corner of the phone. 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.So whether you're editing photos in Photoshop or Lightroom, or parachuting into your one-millionth round of PUBG, the Galaxy S20 Plus has the grunt to keep up. We tested it with media and games, and the phone handled everything without a problem – even when pumped up to 1440p resolution or 120Hz refresh rate, the phone didn’t heat up under pressure. That’s not especially remarkable, but it seems that battery life is more or less keeping pace with innovation: you can eke out a bit more life by reducing the display resolution or dropping the refresh rate down to 60Hz; conversely, you can max-out the screen tech that’s on offer, but battery life will suffer accordingly. The software update for One UI 4/Android 12 started rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy S20 series in January 2022. Unfortunately, it brought with it a slew of new bugs and issues for the phones. Here’s a roundup of some of the common Galaxy S20 One UI 4 problems that users have come across and those that have been fixed already. Where Samsung really comes into its own, however, is in the S20’s zooming capabilities, with what it calls ‘Space Zoom’. 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. For the record, the much more expensive Galaxy S20 Ultra is capable of delivering 100x zoom.