[ad_1]
AFP via Getty Images
In an attempt not to be outdone by Apple’s iPhone 12, Samsung has launched a new series of smartphones. There are four 5-G-enabled phones in the Samsung Galaxy S20 range on sale, but which one should you buy?
What phones are offered?
If you are looking for a Galaxy S20, you will have to choose between:
- Galaxy S20 FE
- Galaxy S20
- Galaxy S20 +
- Galaxy S20 Ultra
Here are more details on each type of phone so you can decide which one is best for you.
Galaxy S20 FE: The S20 FE is the cheapest phone in the range. It is available in six colors and has a 6.5-inch screen. It has a triple camera and a 30x zoom.
Galaxy S20: The S20 comes in four colors and has a slightly smaller screen than the 6.2-inch S20 FE. It also has a triple camera and a 30x zoom.
Galaxy S20 +: The S20 + steps things up a bit. It is available in six colors and has a 6.7-inch screen. It has a quad camera and a 30x zoom.
Galaxy S20 Ultra: The S20 Ultra is the most expensive phone in the range. It comes in three colors and has a huge 6.9-inch screen. It has a quad camera and a 100x zoom.
What‘s different about Samsung S20?
The Galaxy S20 range has a much improved camera over the S10. All phones have a 10MP front camera, while their rear camera includes a 12MP main lens, a 64MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP wide-angle lens.
Key selling points include a 3x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom (that is, x30 in total), 8K video recording, and a ‘Space Zoom’ astrophotography mode.
The ‘Single Shot’ feature allows you to take a short video from different lenses at the touch of a button before showing you the best shots. Night mode combines up to 30 images to produce sharp images with minimal noise.
The S20 has adopted the centered punch-hole camera but no headphone jack, so you will need headphones or wireless headphones.
As for the display, the S20’s display settings can be switched from the default 60Hz to 120Hz mode, which should allow for effortless scrolling and super smooth screen transitions.
Each phone comes with laptop-sized storage with 128GB of internal storage and up to 1TB of additional space with a microSD card (though it must be purchased separately). You can use external memory to store media like photos and videos, but not apps.
All four phone options come with ‘All Day Battery’ and ‘Super Fast Charge’. The typical battery is 4,000 mAh, although the S20 Ultra raises it to 5,000 mAh.
The entire S20 range supports 5G connectivity, although the S20 Plus and Ultra are the only phones that use mmWave antennas that support faster download speeds.
The S20 has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, which means it must withstand up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes.
What do you get in the box?
- Galaxy S20 FE | S20 | S20 + | S20 Ultra
- Usb connector
- Power adapter
- AKG headphones *
- Ejector pin
* AKG headphones not included with Galaxy S20 FE models
How does the S20 compare to previous models?
Wondering whether to upgrade from the Galaxy S10? If so, you may want to compare the displays of the two models. The S20 display is HDR10 + certified, which means your movies and TV shows will look amazing.
It also has a 120Hz refresh rate, which is double the S10’s 60Hz, and makes it a much better model for watching sports.
The S20’s camera is also a huge selling point. The rear camera features a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, and a 64-megapixel telephoto lens. The S20 Ultra raises the wide angle lens to 108 megapixels.
The battery is bigger in the S20 too. While the S10 had a 3,100 mAh battery, the S20 raises this to 4,000 mAh to 5,000 mAh (for the S20 Ultra).
How much can you expect to pay?
The prices announced by Samsung are:
- Galaxy S20 FE – £ 699
- Galaxy S20 – £ 899
- Galaxy S20 + – £ 999
- Galaxy S20 Ultra – £ 1,199
Samsung offers up to £ 400 of the cost of a phone if you swap out an old phone. Trade-in values vary based on the condition, year, and configuration of your trade-in device.
Prices for monthly contracts start at £ 32 a month with a 36 month contract with no upfront cost for the device.
What are the different forms of payment?
Samsung has partnered with PayPal Credit to allow buyers to pay for an S20 in monthly installments.
You can spread the cost over six, 12, 18, or 24 months, and the loan has a representative APR of 14.9%.
Another option is to buy an S20 through an included ‘monthly payment’ contract. This means that the cost of the phone, plus a specified amount of data, text messages, and minutes are all packaged in one package for a fixed monthly price.
Alternatively, you can buy an S20 with a 0% purchase credit card that allows you to spread the cost of your payments over a period of up to 20 months without interest.
You should try to pay off your balance before the 0% deal ends, to avoid paying interest at all.
Once you’ve bought your phone, you can take advantage of a cheap SIM-only deal that will give you a monthly allowance of talk, text and data for a fixed price.
Get the right protection
All Samsung smartphones come with a 24-month manufacturer’s warranty. Repairs can be done at the door or they can be picked up and taken to a workshop.
You can also buy extended coverage with Samsung Care +. This offers coverage for all accidental damage for up to two years. It also covers hardware repairs, software, battery replacements. There is a service fee per claim.
What’s next for the Galaxy range?
Samsung’s Galaxy S20 has only been on the market since February, and there are already rumors about what will come next. Will it be called Galaxy S21 or S30?
Either way, there are rumors within tech circles that Samsung is considering using ‘under-display’ camera technology for the next Galaxy S model.
Placing the camera under the display would allow Samsung to remove the hole-punch camera, which some experts claim ruins the Galaxy S20 screen.
