Computer Shopper - UK (2020-07)

ISSUE389|COMPUTER SHOPPER|JULY2020 19

ANOTHERYEAR,ANOTHERbatchof
high-endSamsungGalaxysmartphones.This
time,there’s no cheaper,Galaxy 10-e style
model, so the standard Galaxy S20 is the most
attainable of the pack, which also includes the
S20+ (page 36) and S20 Ultra (Shopper388).
This handset doesn’t bend like the Galaxy
ZFlip –unless you try very hard and don’t
care about your warranty –but at least it’s
actually quiteclose to its pricier S20 brethren
on specs. The new Exynos 990 processor,
choice of 8GBor12GB of RAM and 128GB of
expandable storage are all consistent between
models, and the S20’s screen has the same
120Hz setting as that of the S20+. The main
differences come down to displayand battery
size,aswell as the fact that neither this
phone or the S20+ has the same 100x zoom
feature as the S20 Ultra.

CHANGING SIDES
At 6.2in, theS20’s displayisthe smallest,but
there’s something to be said forthis: it allows
formore compact dimensions overall, making
foraphone that fits more comfortably in the
hand. Design changes from the Galaxy S
series are relatively minor,however, so don’t
expect anything groundbreaking. The front
camera’s pinhole notch, forinstance,is
smaller and has been moved from the top
corner of the screen to the top-middle,but
we preferred how it was before,when it felt
more out of the way.
Likewise,rather than placing the three rear
cameras in aneat vertical strip like last year’s
model, the Galaxy S20’s trio of cameras are
instead squished intoanupright oblong in
the topleft corner of the phone.It’s certainly
not as brutish as the S20 Ultra and its
gigantic telephotozoomsensor,but it’s not
particularly nice to look at.
Conversely,the Dynamic AMOLED display
is gorgeous: 6.2in is more than big enough,
and it has anative resolution of 3,200x1,400.
This can be dipped down to FHD+ or HD+ in
the displaysettings if you want to squeeze
out abit more battery life.

TWICE IS NICE
The main new addition is, of course,that
120Hz refresh rate, adoubling over the usual
60Hz. There are caveats to using it: it only
works at FHD+ or below,and most games on
the PlayStore are capped at 60fps, so you
won’t always be getting abenefit. However,
it adds afluidity and responsiveness to
scrolling that’s tangibly more satisfying than
it would be on a60Hz display.
Still, this silky-smooth screen will be for
nothing if the quality of the displayisn’t up to
scratch. According to our colorimeter test, the
Galaxy S20’s Dynamic AMOLED screen covers
94% of the sRGB colour gamut, with an
overall volume of 96% and an average delta-E
of 2.64 in thephone’s Natural displayprofile.
We foundthis to be the most colour-
accurateofthe three screen profiles,although
it suffered from noticeably oversaturated red
tones and undersaturated pink and purple

tones, so it isn’t perfect. How

rest assured that the screen has apin-sharp

contrast ratio of Infinity:1, and it’s also

capable of reaching asearing maximum

brightness of 748cd/m^2.

The Exynos 990 processor is just as

potent. This is a7nm, octa-core chipset with a

maximum clock speed of 2.73GHz and is

similar in architecture to last year’s Exynos

9820. Outside of Europe and Asia, the Galaxy
      S20 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
      instead, although we’re naturally testing the
      UK model, which also includes 8GB of RAM.

FULL STRENGTH

As you might expect –orhope,given the

price –the Galaxy S20 stormed through our

usual suiteofperformance benchmarks,

scoring 923 in Geekbench 4’s single-core test

quitematch the superior levels of

performance we’ve seen from the iPhone

11’s A13 Bionic chip,but it’s certainly fast

enough foryou not to have to worry about

asluggish experience,nomatter which

applications you decide to throw at it. As

Android handsets go,it’s as good as it gets.

What’s more,ifyou can find agamethat

supports the full 120Hz refresh rate, you’re

in foratreat. The GFXBench Manhattan

benchmark doesn’t, hence its onscreen test

result sticking at 58fps, but its offscreen test

result of 122fps confirms you’ll be able to run

compatible games well above 60fps.

The Galaxy S20 also gets things right when

it comes to battery life, provided you make

sure to choose the right settings. Fully

draining the 4,000mAh battery from full in

wever,you can

hasapinsharp

and 2,779 in the multicore test. It doesn’t

quitematchthesuperiorlevelsof