The Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G is Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone packed with its latest and best features, but how good are they when you put them all together? Samsung figures three is better than two or one, having again come out with a trio of phones for its flagship Galaxy S line. The Galaxy S20 and S20+ are flagships on their own merits, only the S20 Ultra is the one meant to push the envelope. Where the other two are highly similar to each other, this one stands out a little more. Even so, choosing between the S20 Ultra and either one of the other two will depend on what you prioritize most.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra SpecsDisplay: 6.9-inch 3040 x 1440 Dynamic AMOLED display 21:9 aspect ratio with 522 pixels per inch |
Getting bigger
The S20 Ultra is the largest phone Samsung has made—purely on screen size—at 6.9-inches. If you remember the Galaxy Mega from back in 2013, you would know that phone was significantly taller and wider than this phone is, despite having a 6.3-inch display. It’s also only 0.1-inches bigger than the Galaxy Note10.
Even with its super thin bezels, it’s going to be an unwieldy device for some. The camera array has a noticeable bump in the back, and the added dimensions all around contribute to a heavier frame. If you like big phones, there aren’t too many that will be bigger than this.
As I noted in my review of the other two S20 devices, Samsung wisely abandoned the curved displays it championed for so long. This phone has a flat screen and is better for it. It was probably also a good idea to move the front-facing camera back to the middle, rather than to the right-hand corner.
Under the hood, the S20 Ultra isn’t all that different from the other two models. The processor, RAM and internal storage are the same. The microSD card slot to expand storage further returns, while the headphone jack doesn’t. Samsung removed it, marking the first time it has done so for a Galaxy S phone. The company also combined the dedicated Bixby button with the power button and moved it over to the right side above the volume buttons.
The feature set is extensive, but the S20 Ultra is largely defined by its camera, headlined by its 108-megapixel standard wide lens. It’s an impressive camera array on paper, and there’s more to it once you dig deeper.
Performance and software
There’s a lot to like about how this phone performs. It’s powerful enough to handle everything from streaming media to gaming. As a daily driver, it’s a workhorse, and if productivity is important to you, you’ve got a big screen and efficient battery life working for you.
In fact, I had little to complain about when it came to just using the phone like I normally would. I’m not crazy about Samsung’s ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, though. If there’s going to be a new version coming, it’s likely coming in the next Galaxy Note. In the S20 Ultra, it can sometimes be unresponsive or take a little too long to get past the lock screen.
On the other hand, the phone supports a 120Hz refresh rate for the screen. It’s not enabled out of the box, but you can set it by going to Settings>Display>Motion smoothness. You’ll be glad you did because it makes for a smooth experience navigating the interface and apps. Scroll through a social media feed or news article and it becomes obvious. It’s buttery smooth and makes a difference when playing more demanding games.
There is a catch, though. The phone offers a 3400 x 1080 resolution option (it’s 2400 x 1080 by default), but when you select that, 120Hz won’t work. It’s likely Samsung did this to preserve longer battery life, but in any case, you can’t use both at once. I always chose 120Hz over the higher resolution for the simple fact 2400 x 1080 still looks great on this gorgeous display.
Although it will show itself in time, the marriage of hardware and software here is pretty robust, making the S20 Ultra a more than capable handset.
Camera – Space Zoom
This is really the bread and butter of the device. More importantly, it’s what sets it apart from the other two S20 models. Samsung crammed a lot into the camera array, but as I’ll explain, it’s not all especially useful.
I’ll start with Space Zoom, the 100x zoom in the 108-megapixel standard lens. The moment Samsung announced it, I was immediately skeptical. I was right to be because the resulting image is totally unusable. It is a technical feat to make a phone zoom in that far, but there are virtually no optics involved, so what you end up with is a mostly-cropped digital zoom that makes the photo look like a blotchy, pixilated photo.
Even at 30x zoom, the photos are okay, but not exceptional. It is cool to be able to get something out of zooming in that far, but again, don’t expect anything impressive. At 10x zoom, however, results look far more interesting. The hybrid zoom combines the 4x optical zoom of the 48-megapixel telephoto lens and adds digital zoom to make up the rest. It’s just the right number because it doesn’t push the image sensor to overly crop or interpret a scene.
All this zooming also makes it challenging to shoot handheld. At 10x, it’s not too bad, but above that, you will find it hard to frame a shot. At 100x, it’s almost impossible, as the slightest shake can pull the camera off-centre.
Camera – 108-megapixel sensor
By now, we know that megapixels do not make or break a camera. Here’s the thing: the image sensor inside is actually 12-megapixels. Samsung uses what’s called pixel binning to split each pixel in the sensor at a 9:1 ratio to push the number up to 108.
While the sensor’s physical size is 70 per cent larger than the Galaxy S10+, pixel binning ultimately determines how well it shoots. However, you can turn 108-megapixels off and shoot at 12-megapixels, which is better in low-light settings.
With the right conditions, the S20 Ultra can capture amazing shots, with a great number of options available to shoot with. Pro mode has always been my personal favourite, though it bothers me Samsung won’t let it work with all three lenses. Single Take is surprisingly useful for capturing a key moment in multiple ways. If you’re watching live music and get close enough, pan around the band and you get multiple photos and video clips all at once. It’s not as great for most situations, but is handy at the right time.
Food mode is made for the Instagram and Facebook crowd. Live Focus is back, though I found the standard and telephoto lenses adept at creating bokeh effects of their own. I would recommend turning the scene optimizer off to reduce the level of software processing so that colours don’t oversaturate. Unfortunately, it may still oversharpen objects, or smooth out skin a little too much.
That processing can be problematic when interpreting night or low-light scenes, where subtlety is often the better route. Night mode is better than it was before, but I don’t see it overlapping Google or Huawei. If you’re comfortable enough, shoot in RAW and learn to edit those images. It’s the only way you can avoid any post-processing.
Video recording
The S20 Ultra supports 8K video recording, but unless you have an 8K TV lying around, it shouldn’t matter to you. There’s also a caveat to how this works that you may want to know.
To shoot in 8K, you need at least a 33-megapixel sensor or higher. Since the telephoto lens has the 48-megapixel sensor, that’s the one that actually shoots the footage. You don’t notice the switch from the standard lens, but that’s what’s happening to get 8K.
It is neat that you can pull out a 33-megapixel still photo from 8K footage, but I would only attempt to do it in daylight conditions for subjects that are further away. If you’re shooting a vista, or capturing wildlife from a distance, there’s a possibility such a feature could work.
Those instances may be few and far between. Plus, 8K TVs (and content) aren’t ubiquitous yet, so it may be a feature that’s more relevant later on. To me, shooting in 4K at 60fps is more impactful. Shoot any scene with plenty of movement and the footage will look nice and crisp.
Pro Video mode shouldn’t be overlooked, either. It’s the same idea as the Pro photo mode, with granular controls for composition. Adjust the shutter speed, ISO, white balance and focus, along with temperature, saturation, highlights, shadows and contrast. If you fancy yourself an amateur filmmaker, you might like that level of control over a scene. Unfortunately, it’s missing 24fps, which would have given footage a more cinematic flair.
Samsung continues to restrict lenses for video capture. You can’t shoot any video with the ultra-wide lens, and with the telephoto one stepping in on 8K, it’s not available, either.
Battery life
With all the features and performance packed into this phone, you’d be right to wonder about battery life. In my testing, it held out impressively well, giving me juice to work with after a long day of regular usage.
I’d expect something good when there’s a 5000mAh battery inside, but its ability to sip gradually is superb engineering. It’s some of the best battery performance I’ve seen in a smartphone of its size. It is true that 120Hz does affect its longevity per charge, though I was fine with that trade-off.
The phone comes with a 25W charger in the box, capable of fast charging from zero to full in roughly one hour. It does support 45W chargers in case you want to give that a boost. Of the three S20 phones, this is the only one that does.
Wireless PowerShare is there for those times you want to charge another device wirelessly on the phone’s back. It’s decent for a quick boost on another phone, but is better suited for smaller devices, like the Galaxy Buds or Buds+, for instance. Anything that supports Qi wireless charging is compatible.
5G connectivity
Canada’s major carriers have confirmed their 5G networks are coming. Rogers even rolled out its own on March 6, but it only works in pockets of downtown Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. I didn’t have access while testing the S20 Ultra, so can’t offer any insight into how well it works.
Final thoughts
The S20 Ultra is undoubtedly a powerful and fully-loaded handset. The big screen, robust components and smooth performance should make it a shoo-in for anyone. And yet, I’m cautious to recommend it. The Galaxy S20 and S20+ are impressive and the features that set the Ultra apart are either not as compelling or not as relevant yet.
If you want the best of the best Samsung can offer, then sure, this may be the phone for you. But if you want competent performance with most of the same features (and a better price), either one of the other two S20 devices would suffice for most users. It’s also a big phone in size, and that could matter where ergonomics are concerned.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G is available now in cosmic grey.
1) size matters; and
2) space zoom! (Partly because of the name!)
I like the S20 Ultra 5G camera and screen size with these old eyes!
Am interested in the multiple rear cameras and there functions.
I really like the idea of the 25W charger – any time I need to charge, having it do a fast charge from zero to full in 1 hour is amazing – and even fast that it supports a 45W charger. Also, that camera! I love the different mods you can shoot in. Maybe my food will actually look appealing now. lol
When looking for a new phone, size and battery life are important. This phone has both. Would love to own one!
I need this phone! The features that I love are the Space Zoom (always on Instagram and my current phone sucks) and the Big screen! I use my phone a lot for browsing and my small screen has got to go! Thanks for the chance!
my favourite feature is the large screen and long battery life
I love the better battery life on this and improved camera
I’m excited for the increased memory (from my current Samsung) and the Camera capabilities!
Battery life and ultra zoom are things I would use on a daily basis for work.
108 megapixel wide lens and wireless powershare are definite improvements
Two features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G that will make my life better would be it’s camera quality (I think androids in general have better photo quality than IOS), and the battery life (I feel like my current iPhone runs out of battery rather quickly).
5000mAh battery will definitely make my life easier and the camera with the 108-megapixel sensor will be super fun to use!
I love the camera quality and the wireless charging!
The 6.3″ massive screen and 5000mAh battery for all day battery life.
the camera and the battery life sounds just fine
The two features in the Samsung Galaxy S20 that will make my life easier or more fun are:
1. The faster charging will make my life much easier as I won’t have to wait too long to use my phone again.
2. The 120Hz refresh rate will make gaming much more fun.
the battery life and the camera features
The battery life for sure and probably the wireless charging, I hate wires
Two features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G that will make my life easier or more fun is 1-long battery life and the 2- the camera zoom
The Two features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G that will make my life easier is The long battery life and the camera.
Two features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G that will make my life more fun is long battery life and the camera.
Excellent review!! Thanks so much. I would be thrilled to win a smartphone, Can you believe I have never owned one? So many great features and waiting for me to discover them Dreaming here of the super camera that wiukd allow me to take photos on the go to post to social media and the long battery life is impressive. I have a Samsung tablet bought from Best Buy that I love so I know the quality of their phones would be right up there too.
A lot of great features. great for the photo buff like me fantastic camera and video capabilities and another bonus a decent size battery.
Those cameras, especially the telephoto lens look awesome, and the 5G network speeds would be a major upgrade for me!
battery life
wireless charging
Fast charging would make me so happy and the big screen would make me happier!! Two awesome features!
Two features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G that will make my life easier or more fun is long battery life and the camera (that is a ‘wow’ camera!!)
Battery life and fast charging will make my day
The battery life and camera zoom make it a winner
Wow that camera zoom??!! That’s insane!!
I love the look, the battery life and the 5G! Man it would be a luxury!
I like:
5G capability
Amazing camera with optical and digital zoom
The camera and the longer battery life
The size and the longer battery life
Longer batter life and wireless charging
The S20 Ultra for me it’s all together great. The screen size and battery life is what I like the most.
The 8K video resolution is something I’d love to see!
I love the longer battery life and the 100X Space Zoom
For me the two big features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 are: screen size and the battery life
For me the two features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G are: longer battery life (yeah!!) and optical zoom
I like playing mobile games and snapping pics, so the two main features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra that appeals to me most are the 108-megapixel standard wide lens camera and the support for 120Hz refresh rate on the screen.
The two things I’m most excited about for this SKU
1) 5000mAh battery inside, providing better daily battery support
2) 6.9 inch display screen. That’s a massive screen size!
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G phone’s large screen and battery life would make my life a lot easier.
The camera, size and space, heck it would all be great for taking great pictures of my kids and my sons updates. Would be fun gaming also
Impressed with the quick charging and the camera.
It would make my life easier. because I don’t have a phone and in need of a new one but can’t quite get one.
For me, the features that would make my life easier and more fun is the large screen size and just the sheer power of the device. I probably wouldn’t use my old desktop at all if I had one of these smartphones.
fast charging and wireless powershare for powering up my earbuds
This is the best phone to date in terms of camera and display.
Improved battery life and 5G connectivity make the Samsung Galaxy S20 a great upgrade from my older Samsung phone. It would be great to have these new features.
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