Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra may be a lavishly-equipped device with an extravagant tag . $1,400 gets you an opulent 7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, the simplest internals you'll invite in an Android phone, 5G compatibility with all the main networks and, perhaps most significantly , a monstrous camera setup.
With 108MP on the most lens, 48MP on the telephoto camera, and up to 100x zoom, it’s clear what feature Samsung expects to deliver the haymaker . But despite its robust stats, this heavyweight is held back from becoming the undisputed camera champ.
Design and display
There are not any two ways about it – this is often an enormous phone. With a 6.9-inch display — a mere tenth of an in. in need of what wont to be a really common tablet screen size – the slim-bezeled Galaxy S20 Ultra may be a tall device that’s a touch unwieldy in-hand.I have slightly larger-than-average hands, and even I had to be extra careful to secure an honest grip thereon when pulling it out of a pocket or picking it up. It’s tall, weighty, and a touch top-heavy (did you see the camera hump?) I found myself using the one-handed mode for the primary time because I simply can’t use this phone one-handed otherwise.
That said, it's and seems like the grand — or rather, 1.4 grand — you purchased it. The Quad HD+ (3200 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED delivers deep, inky blacks and popping, saturated colors paired with sharp detail reproduction. Combined with the booming clarity of the stereo speakers, it’s one among the simplest viewing experiences you'll wear a phone.
It’s equally as bright at its peak because the iPhone 11 Pro, which makes it easy to ascertain in direct sunlight, while the more saturated colors can help brighten darker areas for tough viewing situations.
New this year is that the screen’s 120Hz refresh rate, double the Samsung Galaxy S10, which has the industry-standard 60Hz refresh rate. It’s the right final touch on a completely premium big-screen experience, and makes scrolling, navigating through the phone, and swapping between tasks look pleasingly fluid.
Camera performance
On paper, the camera setup on the Galaxy S20 Ultra is that the main draw of this device. you'll get an enormous , beautiful screen on the S20 Plus for $200 less. The Ultra tips the scales with a 108 MP main camera, amid a similarly stacked 48 MP telephoto shooter, and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle cam to round things out. While this technique affords some advantages no other phone can replicate at an equivalent level, overall camera performance may be a assortment .Several reviewers have reported a standard set of issues with the S20 Ultra’s camera, which Samsung has officially vowed to repair during a software update. Among the problems reported, though not officially named by Samsung, are over-aggressive image processing (over-sharpening and smoothing) and trouble focusing, two issues that aren’t exactly new the Galaxy S series.
We’ll be updating our review when an update comes through, but my S20 Ultra showed marked improvements over the Galaxy S10 altogether of those areas, besides focusing.
In ideal lighting scenarios, the S20 Ultra’s main camera picks up great colors and detail within the default 12 MP shooting mode, which composes shots through pixel binning on the 108MP sensor. Here, the Ultra shows its improvements intimately capture and dynamic range over the Galaxy S10, proving less likely to blow out highlights, gloss over gradients, and produce overly-warm photos. This was the case with both the most sensor and therefore the 40MP selfie cam, which also showed great improvement over the S10’s selfie game within the same areas.
More stunning details are often found by flipping on the 108 MP capture mode on the most camera. that kind of difference isn’t something you'll discern by watching photos on your phone, but concentrate to a selected area of a photograph on a bigger , higher-resolution screen, and you’ll notice the upper level of detail this mode captures. With this, you'll crop photos right down to a smaller area and still have perfectly shareable images.
Yes, the telephoto lens is as impressive as you’ve heard, but after about 30x zoom it becomes more of a celebration trick than anything . High-zoom images are too grainy to be of any use beyond saying “look at what I can do.” Also, subjects that distant are difficult to ascertain with the eye , so it’s unlikely you’ll ever notice an attempt you'll only capture with 100x zoom. albeit you probably did , the grainy, blurry result wouldn’t be pleasant.
Compared to other devices, just like the iPhone 11 Pro and Pixel 4 (which reach at 2x optical zoom), the S20 Ultra has 4x optical zoom and uses a hybrid of digital and optical magnification it calls “Space Zoom” to travel all the high to 100x. The Ultra captures pleasing details all the high to 10x, where Samsung says it’s “lossless,” while the iPhone’s and Pixel’s quality loss is abundantly clear. there's some slight loss on the S20 Ultra, but nothing like on the Pixel and iPhone at that level of zoom.
Compared to the Huawei P30 Pro, which has 5x optical zoom and uses an identical optical/digital hybrid to realize 10x, it’s hard to discern much difference between the 2 in optimal lighting. Step into the night and you’ll see a discernible advantage in dynamic color reproduction for the S20 Ultra’s zoom over the P30 Pro’s.
Taking photos in low light, and using Samsung’s night mode, are improved over the Galaxy S10, and while the previous gets details and colours on par with the simplest of them, the latter may be a step behind Google’s Pixel 4 and therefore the iPhone 11 Pro in terms of consistently producing great-looking, accurate imagery.
There were instances in less challenging low-light situations where the S20 Ultra took the best-looking photo, producing sharp details and punchy colors that weren’t too dramatic. But in challenging situations, sort of a dark alley or maybe a dimly-lit restaurant, the Ultra showed issues with focusing, tinging shots heavily with yellow, and sometimes producing a blotchy mess of an attempt .
These were situations where the Pixel 4 and iPhone 11 Pro beat the Ultra, and therefore the same remained true for handheld shots of the starry night sky. it had been easy to tug off any of those shots on the iPhone and Pixel without error, but the S20 Ultra needs a few of tries. In some night mode situations, it couldn’t produce a usable photo in the least .
Perhaps these issues are going to be addressed within the impending update, but immediately , software and processing hold the S20 Ultra back from camera dominance despite its hefty hardware.
Single Take is fun to use. This feature captures about ten seconds of video then pulls out portrait shots, black and white images, wide-angle photos, short GIF-like videos, and whatever else the A.I. sees as useful. It’s an excellent thanks to quickly generate alternative takes on a photograph . It’s perfect for the fast , casual photos you would possibly share on social media or instant messaging.
Video performance
8K video capture is out there , but you would possibly not want to use it. One obvious problem? There aren’t many places you'll truly appreciate it aside from an 8K TV. It also doesn’t work with other important features like Samsung’s Super Steady stabilization. 8K videos take up a huge amount of space (a 31-second video consumes 301 MB of storage — over half a gig per minute).You can ditch recording 8K video after the sun has set. Those videos are considerably grainier than those shot at a lower resolution like 4K, despite using an equivalent camera sensor and lens. Glitchiness within the stabilization, shutter roll, and random distortions (especially on bright lights) are all apparent.
In truth, most of those issues can impact the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s video capture regardless of the resolution, stabilization mode, or lighting — it’s just a matter of which situation produces these effects the smallest amount . Although the iPhone 11 Pro isn’t perfect in the dark , either, it’s superior image processing avoids the various glitches, distortions, and eye-shaking pans that the S20 Ultra produces. this is often also the case once you step into daylight, although generally the Ultra’s issues are lessened.
Video looks its best at 1080p, with Super Steady on, in bright lighting. Distortion is far less common in daytime lighting, but shutter roll remains apparent, making camera pans look jittery and over-processed. Enabling the Super Steady stabilization, which only works on 1080p video, helps mitigate this enough that I’d recommend shooting with Super Steady enabled the maximum amount as possible.
Both 4K and 8K capture are less attractive options due to their inferior stabilization and shutter roll, but in the dark you’ll haven't any choice but to try to to 4K or lower without Super Steady since 8K is useless in such low light and Super Steady uses the ultra-wide-angle lens, which can’t devour enough light for a usable video in the dark either.
4K 60 fps videos in the dark looked best out of all the choices , but distortions, glitches, and shutter roll were still quite prevalent, an excellent deal more so than you’ll find on the iPhone 11 Pro.
Performance, Battery Life, and 5G
The cameras might not deliver on the decadence they promise, but every other aspect of the S20 Ultra’s performance doesn’t disappoint. With 128, 256, or 512GB GB storage and 12 or 16 GB RAM paired with Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 865 processor, you’ll not want for love or money while gaming, multitasking, or using the Ultra in your day-to-day. Top that off with 5G support for all the main U.S. networks, and you've got an entertainment and work powerhouse that’s equally as excessive as its price. This isn’t something you'll say about any iPhone, or many Android phones either — especially not any of the newest flagships.If you’re lucky enough to be around 5G, and even luckier for it to be mmWave, you'll expect download speeds of up to about 1.6 Gbps from my testing in NYC on Verizon’s mmWave network, though I more frequently would hit between the 400-800 Mbps mark on Big Red’s spotty mmWave coverage. If you’re not on Verizon, fret not, because the Ultra can mount sub-6Ghz and a couple of .5Ghz networks, also — great news for T-Mobile customers who enjoy much wider, albeit considerably slower (around 100mbps top speed), 5G coverage.
Battery life could also be where the S20 Ultra delivers the foremost unimpeachable performance, and with such a lot happening , it’s much appreciated that this basic, yet integral a part of the massive phone experience wasn’t skimped on. very similar to we saw the iPhone 11 Pro Max, this bigger phone features a bigger battery to match. With the 120Hz refresh rate enabled on the display, a known source of increased battery usage, i used to be consistently ready to get a full day of heavy usage out of the S20 Ultra, and around each day and a half with Very light usage.
This was very almost like my experience with the iPhone, which doesn’t have a 120Hz display option. Enabling a 60Hz refresh rate on the S20 Ultra can squeeze an hour approximately more out counting on usage, except for the stunning smoothness of 120Hz, that tiny little bit of battery sacrifice may be a no-brainer.
Our take
Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra is nearly everything you'll invite during a high-end smartphone — on paper. In practice, it’s a phone with a $1400 base price, which suggests it must be the simplest , or darn close. The camera doesn’t live up thereto expectation.Are there better alternatives?
The iPhone 11 Pro Max, and Samsung’s own Galaxy Note 10 Plus, are many dollars less and offer gorgeous big screen experiences with plentiful battery life. The iPhone is additionally the foremost well-rounded camera experience, though it can’t match the Ultra’s zoom. Perhaps Samsung’s pending update could push it to parity in photography a minimum of , though videography still seems unlikely to match. The Note 10 offers the Samsung experience during a lighter, slightly smaller package, with a stylus else .If you’re a photography purist who happens to not care about barely making it through a full day of battery life, the Pixel 4 XL is an alternative choice that gives a svelte Android experience and a camera that’s easily top two within the game, with the iPhone being its main competitor.
How long will it last?
This is among the simplest points of the S20 Ultra. It’s equipped to last you a while . With all the most 5G bands within, and camera hardware before its time (and its own software, at this point) the Ultra is made to last. All this, combined with its IP68 water and mud resistance, means you ought to get a solid two years out of the Ultra.
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