APRIL 2020 PCWorld 47Whether those S20 Ultra specs actually
make a difference in your day-to-day picture-
taking is another story. There’s a 108MP
sensor that most people will never turn on.
There’s a 100X zoom that most people will
never need. And it can record in 8K, which
most people will never—well, you get the
idea.
While the 108MP sensor obviously stands
out on the Ultra, the telephoto lens is the real
star. Samsung’s claims are true—it can reach
up to an insane 100X—but you’re unlikely to
use it at that distance very often. As you can
see above, the pictures it captures aren’t
really ones you’ll want to display. Plus there’s
the creep factor: I was able to see clear across
my wide yard into my neighbor’s kitchen
window. Still, when you see just how far it can
go, it’s pretty mind-blowing.Android world right now. If
Samsung can deliver One UI 3 at
or around the time Android 11
drops, there will be very few
remaining reasons to buy another
Android phone.
A GREAT CAMERA
WITH CAVEATS
While there are plenty of reasons
above to justify the S20’s Ultra
surname, the camera is the
biggest. Inside that huge bulge is
an array of large, powerful sensors
and lenses that can do more than
any other smartphone camera ever made.
Like the rest of the S20 Ultra, the camera is
on the absolute cutting edge of available
components. You’re unlikely to find another
smartphone that bests it on paper. Like the
S20+, the Ultra has four rear cameras, and
they’re all different:
S20 Ultra
Camera 1: 12MP Ultra Wide, f/2.2
Camera 2:108MP Wide-angle, f/1.8
Camera 3: 48MP Telephoto, f/3.5
Camera 4: DepthVision (time-of-flight)
S20+
Camera 1: 12MP Ultra Wide, f/2.2
Camera 2:12MP Wide-angle, f/1.76
Camera 3:64MP Telephoto, f/2.0
Camera 4:DepthVision (time-of-flight)
The S20 Ultra’s zoom isn’t quite DSLR-quality, but it’s the closest
a smartphone has ever been.