Samsung Galaxy S20 – Best Android phone of 2020
Introduction
For most people, the Samsung Galaxy S20 series is still one of the best Android phone series. The Galaxy S series comprise of Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra. Making quite a quantum leap from the S10 to the S20, with the most advanced S20 Ultra having a 108MP quad-lens main camera and supporting up to 100X AI high zoom; all three models are also available in 5G models.
To further spice things up, in October 2020, Samsung announced the launch of Samsung S20 FE which forever changed the landscape and definition of flagship phones. Priced at only RM2099, the Samsung S20 FE is now available in Malaysia.
Without further ado, here’s 6 reason why we love the Samsung S20 series and why we think you should too!
1. 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED Display
The three S20 series models are designed with glass cases and are all IP68 water and dust resistant. The S20 is 6.2 inch screen, the S20+ is 6.7 inch screen , and the S20 Ultra has the largest 6.9 inch screen, all with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels.
What impressed us the most is that the design manages to fit a much larger display into a phone. If you prefer having a smaller phone but not a smaller display, S20 series is great for you with an amazing screen to body ration of 88 – 90% depending on model.
In addition, all three models support 120Hz update rate (only at FHD+ resolution) and 240Hz touch sensor for smoother interface and specific games, and all three models are equipped with ultrasonic on-screen fingerprint recognition modules.
2. Professional Camera
The main selling point of the S20 series is its camera. While the S20 and S20+ are great for daily shooting, the S20 Ultra is built with professional-level cameras. The S20 series remains a strong contender as a well-built camera phone and is highly rated on DXOMARK.
Video recording and various camera functions
Video is another plus. The S20 series is the world’s first smartphone to support 8k video recording, which can be played back on Samsung’s 8k QLED TV or uploaded to YouTube. In addition, the recorded video can be changed to 4K or 1080p resolution at will, and snapshots can be captured at will during playback, resulting in a 33-megapixel photo.
New to the series is the “Single Take Mode”, which when activated, allows the phone to shoot a series of photos and videos between 3 to 10 seconds. Using Samsung’s revolutionary AI intelligence, it’ll return a variety of photos and videos. This ensures that your favourite moments are always captured perfectly.
3. Quick Share
In addition to the camera, Samsung has also added some useful features to the S20 series. The S20 series supports “Quick Share“, which allows you to quickly share files with the aid of bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, or with SmartThings supported devices. This is definitely a great feature to have considering all the great photos and videos one will be capturing on the phone.
4. Major Core Performance
In terms of core performance, the S20 series is equipped with one of the best chipsets available, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 flagship chip. Separately, the series also supports SA/NSA dual-mode 5G network and Wi-Fi 6 network. Lastly, the whole series has Samsung LPDDR5 large memory built-in, ensuring uncontested performance, no matter multi-tasking, or running resource heavy games.
5. Battery Life
The S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra have 4000 mAh, 4500 mAh and 5000 mAh battery capacity respectively, and support 25W (S20 / S20+) and 45W (S20 Ultra) fast charging, Wireless Flash 2.0 (15W) and 15W wireless power. To put it simply, the battery life will be the least of your worry when gaming or capturing your special moments.
6. 5G Ready
All three models of the S20 series phones are available in 5G version. All of which are able to Support mmWAVE / Sub6 / TDD/FDD 5G bands (S20 only supports Sub6), and are also compatible with SA/NSA/DSS 5G architecture; as for 4G, it supports up to 7CA and LTE Cat. 20. 20.
Final Thoughts
As a flagship phone in 2020, the S20 5G series can be described as “beyond comprehensive”. Whether it is the screen quality performance, or many hardware specifications, it can be said to be a generation ahead of the industry.
Aside from some minor improvements we hope to see in the UI, there’s really nothing to hate about the S20 series. With the introduction of S20 FE at only RM2099, it is refreshing to see Samsung spearhead the efforts of making flagship phones affordable to the masses.
The S20 series is simply superior in terms of pricing, camera, processor to even screen quality. It caters to a wide range of users be it for work, gaming or photography which makes it a great go-to phone with versatility.
With that said, we are excited to see how Google and Huawei responds to Samsung’s game-changing initiative.
Comparison Table:
| Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) | Samsung Galaxy S20 | Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release date | October 2020 | March 2020 | March 2020 | March 2020 |
| Display size, resolution | 6.5-inch Super AMOLED | 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X | 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X | 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X |
| Screen Resolution | 1080 x 2400, | 3200 x 1440 (Quad HD+) | 3200 x 1440 (Quad HD+) | 3200 x 1440 (Quad HD+) |
| Pixel density | 407ppi | 563ppi | 525ppi | 511ppi |
| Weight (Ounces, Grams) | 190g | 163g | 186g | 220g |
| Mobile software | Android 10 One UI 2.1 | Android 10 One UI 2.1 | Android 10One UI 2.1 | Android 10One UI 2.1 |
| Camera | 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 8-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) | 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) | 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), time-of-flight camera | 108-megapixel (wide-angle), 48-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), time-of-flight camera |
| Front-facing camera | 32-megapixel | 10-megapixel | 10-megapixel | 40-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4k | 8K | 8K | 8K |
| Processor | Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 585) | Octa-core (2×2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2×2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) – Global | Octa-core (2×2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2×2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) – Global | Octa-core (2×2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2×2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) – Global |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB | 128GB, 512GB | 128GB, 512GB |
| RAM | 6GB, 8GB | 12GB | 12GB | 12GB, 16GB |
| Expandable storage | Up to 1TB | Up to 1TB | Up to 1TB | Up to 1TB |
| Battery | 4500 | 4,000mAh | 4,500mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | No | No | No | No |
| Special features | 5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; water resistant (IP68) | 5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; water resistant (IP68) | 5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; water resistant (IP68) | 5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; 100X zoom; water resistant (IP68) |
| Price | RM 2099 | Coming Soon | RM 3699 | RM 4199 |
