MAY 2020 T3 69Samsung Galaxy S20
movement as we swipe through the
phone’s home screen options. It’s
hard to describe just how good this is:
the slick motion almost feels tactile as
you slide through screens and scroll
through apps.
The big picture
Samsung has placed great stock in the
camera equipment of all three
devices, and they don’t disappoint.
The 12MP ultra-wide and wide-
angle lenses and the 64MP main
camera present a combination that’s
clear and responsive with excellent
colour balance. The wide angles
proved great when capturing group
shots and scenery snaps.
Even without the S20 Ultra’s
massive 108MP, exceptionally fine
points can be captured in mid-range
shots, with the time-of-flight sensor
conveying depth as well as detail.
While its 8K video functionality is
a technical marvel, most people
(those without an 8K TV) won’t get to
enjoy it to its fullest extent.
The punch-hole selfie camera’s
10MP sensor is a far cry from the
Ultra’s massive 40MP front-facing
camera. Consequently, you’ll find it
difficult to pick out background
details. However, we’re nitpicking:
the excellence of the rear-facing
camera module more than offsets
these slight discrepancies.
Now comes the guts. The three
models in the Samsung Galaxy S20
range are all equipped with the same
processor, the Exynos 990 CPU (a
Snapdragon 865 in the US), and an
Adreno 650 GPU. It’s a powerful
pocket rocket, able to process
complex files without breaking a
sweat. With less work to do in the S20
than the S20 Ultra, the phone
whistles along at lightning speeds.
The phone packs a 4,000mAh
battery, which will do at the very
least a full day of moderate use, but
it’s not quite the 5,000mAh
workhorse of the S20 Ultra. Given
that the S20 has a lot of the S20 Ultra’s
most premium features, battery life
does suffer as a result of this.
The phone also includes the
now-familiar underscreen fingerprint
sensor and facial recognition of its
predecessors. However, the
fingerprint sensor is quite sluggish,
sometimes even taking three or four
tries before unlocking effectively.Audio on calls usually came out
crystal clear on both ends, but we did
have issues with the speaker phone
functionality, as the mic struggled to
pick up our voices clearly from more
than a metre away, while indoors.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 is,
without a shadow of a doubt, an
excellent flagship smartphone. Is it
perfect? No. Is it too much phone for
some? Yes. Is it awesome, packed full
of great features, with a really
enjoyable design and UI? Yes.
For users that want an awesome 5G
Android flagship and either don’t care
about 100x zoom cameras or don’t
want to shell out over £1,299 for a
phone, the Samsung Galaxy S20 is
among the best phones on the market.WE’RE IMPRESSED Incredible
AMOLED screen; supports all 5G
standards; ultra-premium chipset;
camera bursting with features.
WE’D IMPROVE Niggles with
speaker phone and under-screen
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suffers with its high performance.
THE LAST WORD Arguably
better value than the S20 Ultra,
with a gorgeous premium display,
intuitive UI and impressive
photographic capabilities.VERDICT
The Galaxy S20 has
powerful insides
and a really great
camera systemAPPLE iPHONE 11
Getting a premium feeling
iPhone doesn’t mean
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the iPhone 11 offers a
1792x828 6.1” screen,
dual 12MP wide and ultra
wide cameras for a wallet-
friendly price.
From £729, apple.com
ONEPLUS 7T PRO
Offering a 6.67” 90Hz
screen, 256GB storage
and a 48 MP main, a 16
MP ultra-wide, and an 8
MP telephoto camera,
the 7T Pro gives a
whole lotta bang for
very little buck.
£699, oneplus.comTHE ALTERNATIVES
Find the best deals for the
Galaxy S20 at: bit.ly/T3GlxS20