What is the best Samsung smartphone to buy today? Until the arrival of the S20 range we would have said without a doubt the Note 10+ (here our review), a powerful smartphone, with excellent cameras, with good autonomy and a nib to make it unique. Now though, after trying the Galaxy S20 Ultra for a monthwhich of the two represents the maximum expression of the technology developed by the Korean house? Certainly S20 has a technical card that makes an impression, on paper the new top of the range Samsung is unrivaled.
But after using Note 10+ and S20 Ultra in the same period we can say that the new model does not dominate the former top of the range in all, indeed, the two devices can coexist on the market without problems, offering different user experiences, especially in ergonomics and in the camera.
Top quality but few details
Galaxy S20 Ultra is a smartphone that does not go unnoticed, especially for its size and photographic module, the main element of distinction from other phones. We are facing a device 166.9 mm high and 8.8 mm thick, for a total weight of 220 grams. Making a quick comparison with two other larger models, Note 10+ is 162.3 mm high and 7.9 mm thick, for a weight of 196 grams, while iPhone 11 Pro Max measures 158 in length and is 8.1 mm thick, for a weight of 226 grams. In this comparison between the "Big" of telephony, it is the Note 10+ that wins the prize for the best ergonomics, thanks to a lower weight and thickness than the others.
S20 Ultra is a smartphone that should be used with two hands, Samsung has focused heavily on its huge 6.9-inch screen, if you want better handling there are two other S20 suitable for those who prefer smaller devices, or even the same Note 10+ .
Those who buy it therefore know that will be able to count on an all-round multimedia experience, partly sacrificing ergonomicsit would therefore be unfair to penalize him for the size, even if something more to limit the thickness could be done.
On the design front, S20 Ultra offers on the one hand a high level of construction quality, on the other hand the lines that make it recognizable only for its photographic module. The shell is made entirely of aluminum and glass and transmits a clear sensation of solidity, also confirmed by the IP68 certification for resistance to liquids and dust. On the right side there is the power button and the volume rocker, on the upper edge you can see the slot for the two SIM cards (or one SIM plus a memory card) and a microphone, on the lower side instead the USB Type C connector and one of the two speakers.
The front is almost entirely occupied by the display, with a small hole for the camera at the top in a central position, which does not bother you during use and camouflages very well, especially when using darker backgrounds. On the back instead, the photographic module is the master, in fact the only distinctive element of the back cover.
Today it is very difficult to make a smartphone unique, the color would have helped but for S20 Ultra only black and gray are available, elegant but a little cold, especially if you think of the splendid Aura Glow available on Note 10+ (which you can see in the photos of this article).
Also complete with the equipment, in which we find AKG headphones with excellent quality cloth thread, at least if compared to the typical one of the earphones bundled with the phones, and a 25W fast charger. The phone also supports 45W charging, with which you can get 100% of the energy in about an hour.
Screen: the best on the market. The fingerprint reader is not always accurate
Samsung has designed S20 Ultra for all-round multimedia use, from video to gaming, that's why it has chosen to focus on a very generous 6.9-inch screen with QHD + resolution, 20: 9 aspect ratio, 511 PPI definition it's a 120 Hz refresh rate. These features make up the new Dynamic AMOLED display, the chosen name to emphasize the fluidity possible thanks to the high refresh rate. The 120 Hz can only be used at Full HD + resolution for now but in the future, through software updates, they should also be available in QHD +. In truth,
in daily experience the 120 Hz affect much more than the resolution, giving the S20 Ultra a fluidity and reactivity really out of the ordinary. We must also consider the consumption, we believe that Samsung has not enabled 120 Hz at maximum resolution precisely to avoid excessive energy expenditure.
The visual experience offered by this screen is extremely rewardingSamsung has sacrificed part of the ergonomics to equip the S20 Ultra with the best panel I have ever created. The colors are slightly more saturated than the norm in "Vivid" mode, while instead with the "Natural" one the saturation decreases, making the screen more adherent to the reference values. However, considering that we are not talking about a display used for color correction, the "Vivid" mode is the one that allows you to fully enjoy the S20 Ultra, especially with HDR video content.
The maximum brightness of the panel is 1200 Nit, a very high value that can be seen all while playing HDR movies, with precise and very intense light peaks. In this field S20 Ultra is the best phone we have tried so far and the high diagonal only improves the situation further.
Integrated in the screen we also find the fingerprint reader, which is responsive when the finger is positioned to perfection but occasionally some detection is lost. That's why we preferred to use the fastest and most comfortable facial release, albeit less incisive in terms of safety.
The Exynos 990 is lightning, and so is the One UI 2.1 interface
At the base of the hardware of the Galaxy S20 Ultra we find the SoC Exynos 990, made at 7 nm. The 5G modem is not integrated in the SoC, as it is not even in the American variant with Snapdragon 865 processor. We then find 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128 GB of USF 3.0 memory expandable via MicroSD. Nothing is missing also in the connections, with 5G, LTE, Bluetooth 5, Wi-Fi 6, support for all GPS and NFC standards. The performance in daily use is excellent, especially if we consider that the phone has now arrived on the market and will be subject to further updates over time. The transition to 120 Hz, combined with the graphic style chosen by Samsung, creates a combination that, at least in the Android world, has few rivals, not only in performance but also for consistency in stylistic choices.
From icon design to menu animations, visually the One UI 2.1 is the best Android customization we have tried.
The options are many but they do not weigh down the interface, Samsung has done an excellent job under this front: those who want to change the phone as little as possible will not even notice the extra options, those who prefer to take advantage of the features designed by Samsung do not you are spoiled for choice.
There is the Edge tag, a panel that opens by swiping from the right edge towards the center, with shortcuts to open applications or various types of functions. The night mode is well integrated within the OS and also allows you to save precious battery. There are several options for the navigation bar, which you can show or eliminate completely by relying on the gestures of Android 10, perfect for making the most of the large screen. I also specify the brightness sensor, quick to adapt it even in the most extreme conditions, for example in a dark room, where the brightness is really brought to the minimum possible. Then there is Game Booster, which allows you to customize the gaming experience in various ways, for example by assigning different levels of performance to each title, to push more with the power where you need it or decrease it for simpler games, thus saving battery.
You can then activate the Dolby Atmos, which works really well with the integrated stereo speakers, giving spatiality to the sound. Speaking of speakers, the performance is very good, with a sound with a high maximum volume without distortion. In general, the user experience offered by Galaxy S20 Ultra is what you expect from a true top of the range and confirms the expectations on the product.
Zoom sample, and can still improve
Samsung's intent with the Galaxy S20 Ultra was to create the best cameraphone on the market. On paper, for specifications and versatility, there are no rivals, actually the Korean house has managed to make one of the best cameraphone, not the best, also because none of the current top of the range manages to dominate the others in all contexts of use. S20 Ultra stands out in the zoom for example, and in photos in good lighting conditions, where the 108 Megapixel main cam manages to bring out an incredible level of detail. When darkness falls, despite good performance, the S20 Ultra shows some shadows. The photographic sector consists of a 108 Megapixel main sensor with optically stabilized F / 1.8 aperture, usable both at full power, with 108 effective Megapixel images, and through a technique called "pixel binning".
Galaxy S20 Ultra
Crop
The full resolution images are crazy, you can zoom in a lot without losing detail, but they take up a lot of space, even exceeding 50 MB, so the photos are taken most of the time through bixel binning. In this fully automatic mode, the pixels are managed in groups of 9, thus creating a final 12 Megapixel image, using larger pixels, of 2.4 microns. But this is only one of the sensors present, we find in fact a 12 Megapixel wide angle cam (f / 2.2) and a 48 Megapixel telephoto (F / 3.5 with optical stabilization). The telephoto also uses pixel binning, so the final images are 12 megapixels. Also available the ToF sensor for detecting depth of field. The front cam is instead from 40 Megapixel (f / 1.4).
We tried S20 Ultra in different shooting contexts, the element that stands out most is definitely the zoom, which can be managed by the application of the camera with the presets 2x, 4x, 20x, 30x and 100x. To learn more about the topic, we refer you to our special dedicated, summarizing the fundamental concepts here. The zoom can be used with excellent results up to 10X, an incredible value and that makes S20 Ultra the best smartphone in this specific use.
Going up to 30x the images remain pleasant but the quality loss is obvious, instead arriving at 100x the noise and the algorithms that try to reduce it become too invasive, generating images of too low quality to be really used. Despite this, the zoom of Galaxy S20 Ultra stands out from the crowd and is configured as a real killer feature of the phone.
Galaxy S20 Ultra
Huawei P30 Pro
Galaxy S20 Ultra 5X
Huawei P30 Pro 5X
Galaxy S20 Ultra 30x
Galaxy S20 Ultra 100x
With the main sensor, the images taken during the day are really excellent, with balanced colors and a little invasive software, which preserves the natural rendering of the shooting context. The focus is not always very fast, the reason is the use of the PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) autofocus system instead of the Dual Pixel Auto Focus, more efficient in doing this.
Samsung has made this choice in order to use a very large sensor, but unfortunately a little bit is lost in this specific area. Recall though that the phone has just arrived in the stores so Samsung still has time to improve it, as happened for the night shots.
The night mode of the Galaxy S20 Ultra is not the brightest we have seen, at least in some conditions, in others it manages to capture even more light than other smartphones. In the first days of the test, however, the noise reduction algorithms were too invasive, generating poorly detailed images. After an update the situation has improved a lot, but we hope that Samsung will be able to do it again with the next updates.
The feedback on the wide-angle and front-facing cameras, which take excellent photos in both cases, is decidedly positive, moreover these are less complex sensors than the others installed on the device and which require less software to make the best of them.
On the video front S20 Ultra is capable of recording up to 8K resolution at 24 fps, with which to obtain videos with a great level of detail, which can be enlarged without losing definition. This is not an end in itself option, it works well especially if supported by a tripod, but the size of the videos and the narrow shooting field limit it only to specific contexts of use. For longer shots, better rely on 4K at 60 fps or Full HD, where S20 Ultra offers high quality and effective stabilization.
How much does the 5000 mAh battery hold?
The 5000 mAh battery of the Galaxy S20 Ultra foreshadowed a long battery life, but this is not the case. This does not mean that the S20 Ultra disappoints in this respect, simply more was expected. The technical specifications pushed, the 5G and the screen absorb a lot of energy, bringing the phone to easily cover a busy day of use, a little more if you use it less, but nothing more. We are practically in line with the Note 10+, which however mounts a 4300 mAh battery.
We have used S20 Ultra mainly in 4G mode, which reduces consumption compared to 5G by about 15%, with Full HD + resolution at 120 Hz. In this way we obtained just over 5 hours of screen, a good result but not exceptional considering battery size. Removing the 120 Hz equation, the autonomy rises by about 10%, but given the impact they have on the user experience it is a real shame not to exploit them. Definitely, S20 Ultra is not a champion of autonomy but still manages to endure the most demanding days without problems. When you need more energy, the 45W fast charge, which can be used by purchasing a separate charger, can charge the phone 100% in about an hour. The feeling however is that there is room for maneuver to improve autonomy through the next software updates.
