Finally, let’s discuss the Galaxy S20’s new camera capabilities. As it’s the cheapest of the three phones, the Galaxy S20 actually loses the fourth depth-sensing unit found on the S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, but I mostly find these to be pointless additions anyway. The other three cameras are exactly the same as the rest of the S20 Plus’ arrangement; there’s a 12MP (f/1.8) camera, 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide and a 64MP (f/3.5) telephoto zoom sensor. As before, the Galaxy S20 uses one of Samsung’s own Dynamic AMOLED panels, which has a native resolution of 3,200 x 1,400 (Quad HD+) but can be dipped down to FHD+ or HD+ in the phone’s display settings if you want to squeeze out a bit more battery life. Capture every detail on the best Pixel camera yet. The camera set-up consists of incredible lenses to help you snap the perfect shot: a 50MP Wide Main Camera, a 12MP Ultrawide Camera, and a 10.5MP Front Camera. Plus, with 4K recording capability, shoot cinematic style content at 60fps.

We reviewed the 5G version of the phone, and this review will mostly focus on that device as it's the more commonly available handset. As you might expect – or hope, given the price – the Galaxy S20 storms through our usual suite of performance benchmarks. It doesn’t quite match the superior levels of performance we’ve seen from the iPhone 11’s A13 Bionic chipset in the past, but it’s certainly fast enough that you shouldn’t have to worry about a sluggish experience, no matter which application you decide to throw at it. As Android handsets go, it’s as good as it gets. Where Samsung really comes into its own, however, is in the S20’s zooming capabilities, with what it calls ‘Space Zoom’. This is a silly marketing phrase, of course, but the S20 is capable of using a combination of optical and AI-digital techniques to magnify up to 30x. For the record, the much more expensive Galaxy S20 Ultra is capable of delivering 100x zoom.

Like its pricier sibling, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, the Galaxy S20 is impressive when it comes to specs. High-end internals range from the latest chips and type of RAM to support for the latest USB-C power delivery standards. Here’s the bad news: there’s no Galaxy S10e sequel (that was the smallest, and cheapest, of the S20 range) to offer those with smaller hands a 5.8-inch display size. While 8K recording is limited to 24fps, it has one big benefit: you’re able to crop and edit videos without sacrificing quality if you’re exporting to 4K or 1080p.

The S20 FE’s ultra-wide camera squeezes in twice as much of the scene you’re shooting compared to the main snapper – that’s more than comparable snappers on other devices. It captures shots at 0.5x zoom, compared to 0.6x on most, so you’ll see even more of your vista or group of friends in the frame. A big upgrade for the Galaxy S20 is the maximum 120Hz refresh-rate display. This is double the rate at which the display refreshes on most phones, including previous Samsung devices, and what it means in practice is smoother scrolling and animations. The Galaxy S20 Plus connects to both mmWave and sub-6 5G networks, making it one of the first mainstream phones to do so at the time. That number has grown since but it remains an attractive option -- in theory, anyway.Display Size: Measured diagonally, Galaxy S20 FE's screen size is 6.5" in the full rectangle and 6.3" with accounting for the rounded corners; actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole. That's 12GB of RAM for the Galaxy S20 Plus 5G, but if you opt for the 4G version you'll get 8GB of RAM. We've yet to test that version of the device, but we believe 8GB of RAM should be enough to get you through everyday tasks. In other words, Samsung pitched this Plus model as more of an intermediate step than simply a larger version – which is a bit of a stretch. There aren’t that many more extras in the S20 Plus than there were in the S10 Plus that warrant the relative price jump… aside from 5G connectivity. On Geekbench 5, the Exynos 990 version of the phone averaged a multi-core score of 2699. That’s quite a bit below the Exynos 990 Galaxy S20 Plus, which scored 3034, and the Snapdragon 865-powered S20 Ultra, which scored 3286. Samsung hasn’t delivered a huge redesign of its flagship “S” handsets in several years – and, visually, the entire S20 series looks very much like handsets that have come before.

We know an increase in screen size might be off-putting for some (there’s pent-up demand for smaller one-hand-friendly phones), and we have good news and bad news about that. First the good news: while the S20 is taller than the S10, it’s also a little narrower, with a 20:9 aspect ratio, and the screen is only marginally bigger. Samsung is still offering a default resolution of Full HD+ (2220 x 1080), which looks more than sharp enough for most tasks, and saves battery; you’ll need to head into the settings to switch to the higher resolution. The Samsung S20 has a 6.2-inch display, offering exactly 0.1-inch more screen real estate than 2019’s 6.1-inch S10. It doesn’t dramatically change the overall size of the phone, and its max resolution remains the same as that of recent Samsung Galaxy S models at WQHD+ (3040 x 1440).

The Galaxy S20 Plus and Ultra both have a time of flight sensor that is missing from this phone. Even without it, the S20 is well capable of taking some fantastic-looking photos.

The phone’s speakers are pretty good – they’re not top-end, either in terms of audio quality or maximum volume, but they’re fit for purpose whether you’re gaming, watching a movie or just listening to music from the phone. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE software Of course, the Samsung is currently unmatched when it comes to sheer detail capture at 8K, but when the resulting footage is a shaky mess, it’s simply not pleasant to watch – a tripod or gimbal is absolutely essential in this instance. Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Verdict The S20 range also breaks new ground with the introduction of 8K video recording, and anti-roll correction (up to 60 degrees) as part of Samsung’s Super Steady stabilization feature. That’s a debate to be held for another time, and I’m pretty impressed with all of the new stuff Samsung has brought to the table this year. These new phones feel like much more of an upgrade than ever before and since the Galaxy S20 is the cheapest of the bunch, it earns my recommendation more so than the rest.You can’t, however, use both this higher resolution and Samsung’s advanced stabilization tech at the same time – Super Steady is still strictly a 1080p affair (it doesn’t even work in 4K). The Samsung S23 Ultra has a 6.8-inch screen and a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, which can play 8K video. Of course, these new flagships can’t bend like the Galaxy Z Flip – unless you try very hard and don’t care about your warranty – but the basic Galaxy S20 costs the same as last year’s Galaxy S10. That makes it the cheapest of Samsung’s recent batch of phones, yet you might also be surprised to learn that it’s just as formidable. Displays on Samsung’s flagship have long been considered the best, and with the Galaxy S20, the company adds a much-requested feature: a 120Hz refresh rate.