Visually Reviewed rate the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra an 8.5/10
Quick Summary
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is easily one of the best smartphones currently available. The display is incredible, the battery life is amazing, and the cameras are excellent, a huge upgrade over the standard Samsung Galaxy S20 and Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra brings many new and improved features over last year’s Samsung Galaxy S10, the most notable is the 5G technology and 120Hz display refresh rate. Unfortunately, with all these new additions, it’s resulted in a very expensive price tag.
Pros
- Incredible display
- Amazing cameras
- Long-lasting battery
Cons
- Very expensive
- Too big for most people
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review
Samsung is one of the biggest names when it comes to the technology industry, for everything from smartphones to microwaves, there’s even a good chance you have multiple Samsung products in your house right now. When it comes to smartphones, Samsung’s best-selling series is the Samsung Galaxy S series, the main rival to Apple’s iPhones. This Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review weighs in the pros and the cons and highlights whether or not the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is worth buying.
For all Samsung Galaxy S20 reviews, please see below:
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra specifications
| Release Date: | 6 March 2020 |
|---|---|
| Price (at release): | £1,199 / $1,399 |
| Colours: | Cosmic Grey, Cosmic Black, Cloud White |
| Storage: | 128GB or 512GB |
| Display: | 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (511 PPI) |
| Processor: | Exynos 990 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 |
| Memory/RAM: | 12GB or 16GB |
| 5G Technology: | Yes |
| Cameras: | 108MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto rear cameras, 40MP front camera |
| Battery: | 5,000mAh |
| Operating System: | Android 10 |
| Weight: | 222 grams |
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: Design
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra comes in just three colour options: Cosmic Grey, Cosmic Black, and Cloud White. These three colours are pretty basic, but still look great. It would’ve been nice to see more colour options for the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. Below you can see how each colour looks on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra features an edge-to-edge full-screen 6.9-inch display, we’ll get into more detail about this later on. Along with this display comes a pole-punch front camera. Although at first glance it might stick out, with a little bit of time you’ll forget it’s even there. This is much more subtle than the hole-punch front cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S10 models.
On the back of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, you’ll find the rear cameras are housed in a slightly raised, rectangular shape. The only thing we don’t like about the design of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is the fact that it’s slightly raised. Although for most people this won’t really bother you, it can cause your phone to rock side to side a bit when you have the phone sat on a flat surface, especially if you’re trying to type.
Similar to the other Samsung Galaxy S20 models, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra also doesn’t include a 3.5mm headphone jack. It was only a matter of time before they made this change as not only are more and more people using wireless devices, but we’ve already seen this change take place in other phones for years now. If you want to use your 3.5mm wired headphones/earphones with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, you’ll need to buy an adaptor, else, you’re going to have to look for some new headphones/earphones that are either wireless or have a USB-C connection.
Overall, the design of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is hard to fault. The Galaxy S20 Ultra in general looks very appealing with a clean and modern look. As well as this, it’s also been designed to be as ergonomic as ever with a slightly slimmer build than the Samsung Galaxy S10 along with curved edges, although not as curved like the Samsung Galaxy S10, to reduce accidental presses on the sides. This works perfectly with the addition of One UI 2.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: Display
The display on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is nothing less than incredible. It features a 6.9-inch display and makes use of Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is set to have a Full HD+ (2400 x 1080) resolution as default, but in the settings, you can increase this to a WQHD+ (3200 x 1440) resolution.
Along with this display come a bunch of amazing features. Firstly, you can now increase the display refresh rate to 120Hz, we’re used to seeing a refresh rate of 60Hz, this essentially means the display will look twice as smooth. It’s worth noting however, 120Hz isn’t compatible with WQHD+ (3200 x 1440) resolution. If you want to make use of the 120Hz refresh rate, you’ll need to select either HD+ (1600 X 720) or FHD+ (2400 x 1080) resolutions. Understandably, using the 120Hz refresh rate will drain your battery faster than the standard 60Hz refresh rate.
As well as this, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra also saw an increase in touch sensitivity, going from 120Hz to 240Hz. This allows your phone to sense your finger presses at a much higher rate. Not only this, but you’ll find that the fingerprint scanner is also embedded into the screen, we’ve noticed some inconsistencies whilst using this.
The display on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra also has 511 PPI (Pixels Per Inch) and generally speaking, the higher the PPI, the more detail you can see on your display. On top of this, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra also supports HDR10+, Samsung’s own HDR processing technology, where on supported content, makes quite a noticeable impact on quality. It’s also worth noting that the edges aren’t as curved as we’ve seen in previous years, this should help prevent any accidental presses.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra display good?
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra display features one of the best displays currently available in a smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch display with a max resolution of 3200 x 1440, a 511 PPI, and has a screen-to-body ratio of 89.9%.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra comes with three rear cameras and one front camera. Firstly, the main, wide camera has 108MP with an f/1.8 aperture. Along with this is the ultrawide 12MP camera. This camera has an f/2.2 aperture and has a smaller sensor with larger pixels, 1.4 microns over last year’s Samsung Galaxy S10 with 1 micron. The third and final rear camera on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is a 48MP telephoto camera with f/3.5 and 4x optical zoom.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra’s front camera not only takes up less space, but it’s now placed in the centre of the display, rather than being on the right side like last year’s Samsung Galaxy S10. This year’s front camera uses a 40MP sensor that’s 0.7 microns and has an f/2.2 aperture.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has also made some big improvements to its video recording capabilities, compared to the Samsung Galaxy S10. The rear cameras are capable of recording 8K at 24fps, 4K up to 60fps, 1080p up to 240fps, and 720p at 960fps. Something to consider when recording in 8K is the file size, it’ll use up about 600MBs per minute of 8K video. If you do find yourself recording in 8K, it’s worth knowing that you’re also able to take 33MP photos at the same time you’re recording.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra also allows for up to 20x zoom whilst video recording, the only exception for this is if you’re recording at 8K, in that case, you’ll only be able to zoom up to 6x. As well as this, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra comes with a new feature called ‘Super Steady.’ The Super Steady feature essentially acts as a camera stabiliser when you’re recording to reduce the amount of shake and blur in your videos. It’s worth noting this is limited to 1080p videos.
As well as this, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra also comes with a new ‘Single Take’ mode. With the press of a single button, this new feature allows AI (artificial intelligence) to take up to 14 types of photos and videos within 3-10 seconds. This is the perfect feature if you’re unsure which camera modes to use, especially if you don’t have much time.
What are the camera specs of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra?
- The wide lens is: 108MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.33″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS
- The ultrawide lens is: 12MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 1.4µm, Super Steady video
- The telephoto lens is: 48MP, f/3.5, 103mm, 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 4x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom
- The front camera is: 40MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 0.7µm, PDAF
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: Battery
This year’s Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery, this is a huge improvement when compared to last year’s Samsung Galaxy S10 3,400mAh battery. As well as this, in the box of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, you’ll find a 25-watt charger. This is a great addition as it allows for super-fast charging. With that being said, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra also supports 45-watt charging. The Samsung 45-watt charger is sold separately but charges significantly faster than the already-fast 25-watt charger.
When using the 25-watt charger, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra can go from 0-100% charge in around 90 minutes, whereas if you use a wireless charger, this may take around 3 hours.
With the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, it’s worth keeping in mind that certain settings you may change could impact how fast the battery will drain. For example, if you decide to change your screen refresh rate from 60Hz to 120Hz, this will drain your battery much faster.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra comes with one of two system-on-chips, depending on your location. If you live in Asia (except for India and Indonesia), North America, or Latin America, your Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra will include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. If you live elsewhere, your Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra will include the Exynos 990.
When it comes to storage, there are only two options for the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, 128GB and 512GB. It’s also worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has microSD support of up to 1TB. In terms of RAM (Random Access Memory), the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra comes with 12GB of RAM if you choose the 128GB storage option, and 16GB of RAM if you choose the 512GB storage option.
Currently, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is running Android 10, Google’s operating system. However, we expect to see this upgraded to Android 11 in the near future.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: Pricing
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra was released in 6 March 2020. At release, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra started at £1,199 in the UK, and $1,399 in the US. Since the release of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, the prices have dropped and below are some of the best deals from Amazon.
Quick Answers
How much does the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra cost?
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra was released on 6 March 2020. At release, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra started from £1,199 in the UK, and $1,399 in the US.
What are the differences between the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus?
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has a bigger display, features a different telephoto camera, features a different front camera, includes a larger battery size, and features less colour options.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra worth buying?
If you have the money to spare and would like the latest and greatest from a smartphone, we recommend this Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. If you can settle for something a little less, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is also amazing, and you'll also save a solid amount of money if you buy the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. Alternatively, if you're not a fan of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, feel free to check out our Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max review, another great high-end smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is easily one of the best smartphones currently available. The display is incredible, the battery life is amazing, and the cameras are excellent, a huge upgrade over the standard Samsung Galaxy S20 and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra brings many new and improved features over last year’s Samsung Galaxy S10, the most notable is the 5G technology and 120Hz display refresh rate.
The additions of the 5G technology and the support for 120Hz display refresh rate meant that the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra needed to have a large battery in order to keep up with the new battery-draining features. Unfortunately, with the addition of these great new features and the large battery, it’s resulted in a very expensive smartphone.
For all Samsung Galaxy S20 reviews, please see below:
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