PC World - USA (2020-04)

46 PCWorld APRIL 2020

REVIEWS SAMSUNG GALAXY S20 ULTRA

to do if you’re under an LTE plan, but even if

you have subscribed to T-Mobile’s or

Verizon’s 5G plan, the benefits might not be

as great as you’ve been led to believe.

While it’s well-documented that Verizon’s

mmWave 5G speeds are stupid fast, they’re

limited to very small pockets around the

United States. I tested the S20 Ultra using

T-Mobile’s network in Connecticut, and my

mileage varied. Even when my S20 Ultra said

it was connected to a 5G network, my speeds

were often lower than my Pixel 4’s on

Verizon’s LTE network. Occasionally I topped

100Mbps, but none of it felt transformative or

any better than LTE.

Even if you don’t take advantage of the

5G modem now, you can be assured that the

S20 Ultra will be as future-proofed as it can

be, for as long as you hold onto it. With

support for both mmWave and Sub-6GHz

5G, 12GB of RAM, a fast processor, speedy

storage, and an insanely great display, the

S20 Ultra is primed for years of solid

performance.

AN ANDROID SKIN WORTHY

OF PRAISE

It’s not just the hardware that’s future-proofing

the S20. For the first time since I’ve been

testing Galaxy phones, I’m confident that

Samsung will keep the S20 line as fresh as

possible with regular and timely updates.

Exhibit A: It’s March 3 as I’m writing this, and

my S20 Ultra already has the March Security

Update, the third straight month that one of

my Samsung phones has gotten an Android

update earlier than my Pixel 4 has. That’s a

huge accomplishment and hopefully a sign of

things to come with Android 11 later this year.

One UI has completely transformed the

Samsung smartphone experience from a

so-so skin to one of the best user interfaces

Android has to offer. The S20

family ships with One UI 2, and

while it’s very much an iterative

update, the new features it

brings—including an expansion

of dark mode and the adoption

of a proper back gesture—are as

smart and thoughtful as they are

on the Pixel 4.

One UI 2 is a bona fide

contender for the best Android

overlay of the year, and far and

away the most creative in the

The S20 Ultra isn’t available in any funky colors, but even in gray,

it cuts a striking figure.