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Samsung is the leading smartphone manufacturer on the market, the top seller and, unsurprisingly, its high-end smartphone hits the market to surprise and justify why it continues to lead after several years and what it is doing. so that it does not leave the first position (being true that it now had the help of the US in relation to Huawei).
The new Samsung Galaxy S20 range demonstrates the best the South Korean manufacturer can do and, although the tested version is not the main one, the quality of its performance is impressive, even at the photographic level. It is true that we still do not have the result of one of the great references of these tests, the DxOMark (despite having already released the result of Audio), but there is no doubt that it will come first.
Samsung announced three models, the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S20 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, and what we are seeing today is “the one in the middle”. The big difference between these three models is mainly found in the photographic sensors, although there are also some differences in the memory. But otherwise, it shares many of the specs, like the processor.
I consider that, considering the price, this will be the most interesting model, since it is located at the threshold of € 1,000, which considering the Portuguese minimum wage is undoubtedly a high value, but the Galaxy S20 Ultra It is priced at almost € 1,400, including 5G. Admittedly, smartphones have generally increased price, as has Xiaomi, but we continue to find certain smartphone prices too high.
Video: Review of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
Specification
- Dimensions: 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8 mm
- Weight: 186g
- Operating system: Android 10.0; A user interface 2
- Screen: 6.7 “dynamic capacitive AMOLED, 16 million colors, 1440 x 3200 pixel resolution
- Rear camera: 12 MP, f / 1.8, 26 mm (wide angle), 1 / 1.76 ″, 1.8 µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS;
64 MP, f / 2.0, (telephoto), 1 / 1.72 ″, 0.8 µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x hybrid optical zoom; 12 MP, f / 2.2, 13 mm (ultra wide), 1.4 µm, Super Steady video; 0.3 MP, 3D TOF, f / 1.0, (depth) - Front camera: it is a dual camera consisting of two 10 MP sensors, f / 2.2, 26 mm (wide), 1 / 3.2 ″, 1.22 µm, Dual Pixel PDAF
- Processor: Exynos 990 (7nm +) Octa-core (2 × 2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 + 2 × 2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 + 4 × 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
- GPU: Mali-G77 MP11;
- RAM memory: 8 GB of RAM;
- Internal storage: 128 GB
- Dual SIM or SIM / microSDXC
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax, dual band, Wi-Fi Direct, access point
- GPS: A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
- Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE;
- USB: 3.2, Type C 1.0
- Battery: 4500 mAh capacity; 25W Fast Charge, USB Power Delivery 3.0, 15W Qi / PMA Wireless Charging, 9W Reverse Wireless Charging / Power Bank
Design and display
In terms of design, all the models follow the same style, the difference is in the thickness of the rear camera sensors (Epah and I’m not even going to talk about the S20 Ultra, which even bores me). As you know, with such beautiful equipment today, that added monstrosity of thickness to the back of a device is not to my liking and is undoubtedly still the main negative focus of smartphones (which is becoming more widespread in the middle).
I know, we can’t have high quality sensors that allow us to replace compact cameras without consequences, but still, they can’t make me like it and think it looks good. Due to these sensors, this thickness is increasing. I have a Mate 20 Pro and the thickness is a millimeter or a little more, but now we are almost half a centimeter thick (S20 ultra: S).
But not least, since, in the case of the Galaxy S20 +, the thickness that I consider acceptable and that, with the addition of a cover (which I personally consider mandatory since we don’t want to drop a € 1,000 device and break it), This thickness is not noticeable. But, I repeat, although a cover hides this thickness, it still does not consider it beautiful.
In terms of finishes, it is the best there is, with a very nice touch, very ergonomic, since we would not expect anything more from the South Korean manufacturer in its superior equipment. But it is on the screen that Samsung is still one of the best and shows the competition how to do it.
The screen measures 6.7 inches with a front occupancy of 90.5%, and in the front area “only” we have the perforation in the central area of the front camera. The resolution is 1440x3200p, with a 20: 9 ratio and a pixel density of 525ppi. It has Gorilla Glass 5 protection and, in addition to the HCR10 +, we can also vary between the refresh rate of 120Hz and 60Hz, the first of which is only available in FullHD resolution, and also consumes the battery at a dizzying rate (but as I mentioned : we can’t have everything)
There is no doubt that we are present in one of the best screens on the market in the smartphone segment, one of the areas where, possibly, Samsung has been the benchmark in the segment.
performance
We have to admit that there is not much to say in this area. If it’s a newly launched high-end smartphone, with 8GB of RAM, high-end processors, and GPUs, you can’t expect anything but the best performance. Obviously, the S20 Ultra, with 12 GB of RAM, is expected to be better, and the results of AnTuTu, one of the big benchmarks in performance tests, point in that direction, but the Galaxy S20 Plus is just behind .
However, this app is no longer present on the Play Store, so we use Geekbench for our tests, and there is a wide range of options. However, as expected, the results are excellent.
Another area we tested is the in-display fingerprint sensor, which despite having some maturity, still has some performance deficiencies. However, the new Galaxy S20 Plus has excellent performance and there were few times that I couldn’t unlock the smartphone with my finger. What I noticed is that it is not very fast, but I consider that there was a great evolution from the Galaxy S10 to this one.
However, of course, the biometric technology under the screen has yet to improve. It’s good, it’s better, but it’s still far from performance in terms of speed and reliability when compared to the “external” sensors that exist. But, we hope you get there. Fortunately, face unlock works quite well and turns out to be faster when you want to unlock your smartphone. After activation, the biometric sensor is rarely used.
There is another factor that we have to mention and that Samsung had not fallen: the 3.5 mm connector. Yes, the timing is correct: it had, in the past, since the Samsung Galaxy S20 no longer has the headphone jack. Personally, I think it is a normal technological evolution and that the South Korean manufacturer should also continue, but it is certainly still bad news for those who like it.
In terms of software there are also new features. All Galaxy S20s have the latest OneUI 2, the new version of Samsung’s interface, which is based on Android 10. There are several new features, such as the new Smart Response, dark mode, and better privacy controls.
In addition, there are also better experiences, such as the integration of Google Duo, to face FaceTime, which is directly integrated into the team’s calls and contacts applications, and can have video conferences with up to 8 people. It is also possible to make video calls in Full HD for the first time.
Other features are Music Share, which allows you to share your Bluetooth connection with the car and therefore allow control of the playlist for a while, as well as integration with Spotify and Bixby, with the smartphone making recommendations based in the playlist. your preferences and time of day
Samsung’s personal assistant is also present, Bixby, but there is no doubt that there is still a long way to go to face the Google Assistant or Alexa. It should also be noted that Samsung maintains the association with Microsoft and that several applications from the North American company, such as OneDrive or Office, are pre-installed. However, this means that the smartphone still has several pre-installed apps that most users will not use. Fortunately you can uninstall it, but it’s more of an extra job.
Another area that I was satisfied with was the battery field. In addition to Huawei, which has excellent battery life on its models, most other brands rarely gave more than a day. In the case of Samsung, for a use like mine that is quite professional and uses the smartphone a lot for work, I could barely make it last for a day, with the Note range, the case was already better.
Fortunately, Samsung has also been improving in this area and the Galaxy S20 Plus is undoubtedly a model that did not force me to always have a power bank with me (although in the first days I did not risk it).
Camera
Today, in terms of performance, high-end smartphones are generally very good and any difference that exists is hardly noticeable in terms of actual use, and is only verified in performance tests. But the same does not happen with cameras and if until now we have always seen Huawei’s good advantage over the competition, the new Galaxy S20 shows that Samsung does not want to be left behind.
The new Galaxy S20 + is the intermediate device in this range, since the Galaxy S20 Ultra is the one that will present the best performance, which we can demonstrate during our first impressions with the Galaxy S20. Despite everything, the truth is that, even in the area of cameras, the gamma upper parts are of great quality in normal situations and that, here too, only the most attentive will find the differences when taking photos with the best phones smart.
However, Huawei has been betting heavily on zooming for two years, improving and showing that, also on smartphones, it is possible to achieve a quality zoom and if the Galaxy S10 model has already evolved well, it is with the Galaxy S20 series. that we see quality zoom. Going back to talk a bit about the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which allows up to 100x zoom, this team achieves a hybrid zoom of up to 30x, and optical sensors allow up to 3x.
There is no doubt that there is a great improvement, but do not be naive, in a smartphone with a size limitation, it will not be possible to obtain quality with the optical zoom. What the manufacturers have done is to use artificial intelligence and software to improve the quality of these photos and it has been achieved in general. However, starting at 10x zoom, photos start to lack quality and the higher the zoom, the worse. The image with a 30x zoom allows us to understand what was captured, but obviously with some limitations, as you can see in the examples.
Speaking of the photos in particular, as in any upper part of the range (and in the vast majority of current phones), when we have good light quality, the photos are fantastic, excellent quality and we have access to all the details of photography, even when we use a zoom of up to 10x. But if we go to another type of photography, we realize that we are not perfect.
Moving photos are fickle, we can take a great photo or drag too much. This is done in auto mode, because if you choose Pro mode, you can take great quality photos, even on the go. Another great challenge is night shots, which if used in automatic mode are not good. But the night mode, the quality is totally different and rivals Huawei without a doubt. However, the big difference is that the automatic mode of Huawei takes this type of photos, while in Samsung we even have to use the night mode to achieve it.
In the area of photography, there is one aspect of software that Samsung released on this device that is very interesting: Single Take. This camera mode allows you to capture different photo and video formats from a video taken for a few seconds. Artificial intelligence evaluates the video and suggests various videos, gifs and photos, with different filters, so that we can use it in the most diverse situations, such as sharing on social networks.
Honestly, it is a very interesting way, but overall I don’t see what situations we will use it in. Maybe to show friends the new features, but little else. In my case, I still see some uses, namely capturing different videos or photos when I review a product, to share on social networks. But little else.
In terms of video, we see that there is an optical quality of image stabilization, and we have the possibility of capturing video with 8K quality, although, to really “take advantage” of this quality, we have nowhere to see it. I mean, we do, but you’ll probably have to pay around five digits, which isn’t for everyone yet. But UltraHD (4K) captures with enough quality so that we can take advantage of it.
Verdict: Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
It is no coincidence that Samsung is the leader in the smartphone market and high-end smartphones reflect this. The Samsung Galaxy S20 + is not the best high-end manufacturer, this is the S20 Ultra that we also hope to test soon, but we consider that it is the most accessible in the range, since it costs just over € 1000. There is no doubt, what We consider high value, but the truth is that it is a market trend.
There is no doubt that the camera is of great quality, as well as the screen that Samsung has always highlighted for being the best in this area, but fortunately, the battery management is also much better and, with my use, I no longer need walk with a power bank at the back, as you did before. Fortunately, an area that Samsung has managed to improve and was lacking.
We already know that for smartphones to have a high-quality camera, the thickness of the sensors ends up suffering, as well as the design, and although it is necessary, I still do not like it and consider it a negative point. But what I liked the least is the number of applications pre-installed in the Samsung software: blotware as they are called, and the Galaxy S20 Plus is full of that. Fortunately, much of it is possible to uninstall. Also, the lack of the 3.5mm jack is a shame, because among the best in the range, Samsung was still one of the few that maintained the headphone jacl.
Points in favor:
- The best exhibition on the market
- Decent battery
- High quality camera
Points against:
- Unnecessary applications remain pre-installed
- Chamber thickness
- There is no longer a 3.5mm headphone jack
We already thank Samsung Portugal for making the new Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus available for testing, which can be purchased in retail stores from € 1029. Follow our photo gallery:
