MARCH 2020 PCWorld 13isn’t too much of a size difference between
the new phone and the old ones:
S20: 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm
S20+: 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8 mm
S10: 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8 mm
S10+: 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm
Samsung has taken a page from Google’s
and Apple’s book for the S20’s rear camera
array, opting for a big rectangular camera
bump rather than the S10’s horizontal array.
With a trio of cameras inside, it’s a good deal
deeper than the one on both the Pixel 4 and
iPhone 11 (but not as gigantic as the Ultra).
While the rear camera will get all of the
attention, the front camera has changed too.
Samsung has corrected the S10’s biggest
blunder—the off-center selfie cam—by
centering the hole and reducing the size
beyond even what the Note 10 brings.
Consequently, the Plus model loses its
second front lens, and we’re that much further
away from 3D facial unlock (which requires an
IR camera, flood illuminator, and a dot
projector). It’s a small price to pay for sweet,
sweet symmetry. However, you can look all
you want, but you won’t find a headphone
jack anywhere—it’s gone for good.
DISPLAY
Samsung likes to go bigger whenever it
launches a new Galaxy S phone, and the S
follows suit. Where the S10 and S10+ were
relatively small at 6.1 and 6.4 inches (and the
S10e was downright tiny at 5.8 inches),
respectively, the S20 clocks in at 6.2 inches
and the S20+ at a whopping 6.7 inches.
The Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display
is basically the same save one big, new
feature: 120Hz high-refresh support, a feature
Samsung fans have been clamoring for after
the Pixel 4, OnePlus 6T, and other phones
gained it last year. That means the display is
twice as fast as the S10’s 60Hz screen, so
scrolling and animation will simply fly.
There’s just one problem: You can’t use it
at full resolution. Samsung has limited 120Hz
refresh to 1080p, so you’ll need to make a
choice between the clearest or the fastest
version of the screen.BIOMETRICS
Samsung introduced the ultrasonic in-display
fingerprint sensor with the S10, and it’s
sticking with it for the S20. However, there
are a couple of changes. For one, the sensor
is larger, so your finger should be able to find
it quicker, and it’s also been moved higher on
the phone so you shouldn’t need to adjust
your grip. We’d much rather see 3D facial
recognition on such large phones, but until
Samsung can come up with a bezel- or
notch-less solution, this is as good as it’s
going to get.PROCESSOR, RAM, AND
STORAGE
The latest Galaxy S always runs the newest
Qualcomm processor. This year, it’s the