Well, it’s finally here. After all the leaks, the new Samsung Galaxy S20 series has been officially unveiled at the Unpacked event in San Francisco, USA. As a testament to the new smartphone, they even announced that the whole event was livestreamed using the Galaxy S20.
Wait, shouldn’t it be named Galaxy S11? We are in the new decade starting with 2020; it likely made great marketing sense for Samsung to name it as S20 to match the year; hence, people will know it’s the latest.
This time, you get the Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra. Time to deep dive into this new flagship by Samsung.
5G standardized across the family
Unlike some of the smartphones that were released, Samsung has chosen to standardise 5G across the Galaxy S20 family. Given that many countries have been working to bring 5G to the masses (a few in the Middle East have already implemented it), this ensures that everyone gets to enjoy the benefits regardless of which model you select. One thing to note is that the S20+ and S20 Ultra support sub-6 and millimeter wave (mmWave) of 5G networks, and the S20 only supports the sub 6 standard.
While some smartphone makers have chosen to release separate 5G models (note that Samsung did this with the Galaxy S10 and the Note 10), Samsung has taken the wise decision of making sure everyone who buys the new Samsung Galaxy S20 gets to use it straight out of the box. If they don’t, you can still use 4G/LTE as it’ll be backwards-compatible with your network.
Radically different
One look at the front and you may confuse it for the Note 10 series, but it isn’t. When you look at the back, you’ll clearly see the distinction. Samsung has clearly taken what has been loved on the Note 10 and brought it to the Galaxy S20. Barely any bezels as the Super AMOLED display stretches all the way to the corners.
The front camera is like a tear-drop in the center of the phone. Looking at the back, there’s quite a powerful camera system and the camera sensors change based on which model you prefer:
- Triple camera on S20
- Quad camera on S20+ with DepthSensing camera
- Quad camera on S20 Ultra with Space Zoom 100x lens and DepthSensing camera
The S20 Ultra comes with a 108MP camera sensor, letting you capture pictures down to the smallest of details. The 100x Zoom is broken down with a 10x optical zoom from the 108MP sensor and then combined with a 10x digital zoom.
Did I mention that the display is not only fast but also refreshes faster? That’s because it runs at 120Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling fast and it’ll be noticeable (one catch: the resolution has to be paired down to enjoy the faster refresh rate).
Few other features are standard across the entire lineup.
- 12GB of RAM, which would make multi-tasking a breeze when switching apps.
- Besides photography, video is getting a boost with support for 8K video recording on all the models.
- Wireless charging
- Powered by 64-bit octa-core SoC
Just like every Samsung event (even when I was at the Note 10 launch), they always have a new partnership to accompany the reveal. Netflix came up on stage to unveil a new partenrship for an improved viewing experience on Galaxy devices. There will also be bonus content accessible first on the device.
Continuing their Microsoft partnership, Samsung is helping to make Galaxy S20 series more gaming-friendly by bringing Forza Street to the smartphone. This is looking to be a gaming partnership that encompasses Xbox and the ‘Play Anywhere’ concept.
Get it soon in the Middle East
With all the explanation done, time for you to see the specifications for all three models in a neat table.
| Galaxy S20 | Galaxy S20+ | Galaxy S20 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.2" AMOLED display (563 ppi) | 6.7" AMOLED display (525 ppi) | 6.9" AMOLED display (511 ppi) |
| Rear Camera | 12MP Ultra Wide f/2.2 and 12MP f/1.8 wide-angle camera w/ OIS and 64MP telephoto camera | 12MP Ultra Wide f/2.2 and 12MP f/1.8 wide-angle camera w/ OIS and 64MP telephoto camera; DepthVision camera | 12MP Ultra Wide f/2.2 and 108MP f/1.8 wide-angle camera w/ OIS and 48MP telephoto camera; DepthVision camera |
| Front Camera | 10MP f/2.4 selfie camera | 10MP f/2.4 selfie camera | 40MP f/2.4 selfie camera |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh | 4,500 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Storage | 128 GB | 128 GB and 512 GB | 128 GB and 512 GB |
| Connectivity | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz); NFC; Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz); NFC; Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz); NFC; Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector |
| Colours | Cloud Pink, Cloud Blue, Cosmic Gray | Cosmic Gray, Cosmic Black, Cloud Blue | Cosmic Gray, Cosmic Black |
Mobile carriers across the Middle East have already announced pricing and pre-order bonuses. Most of them are also adding the newly announced Galaxy Buds+ for free with pre-orders for the S20+ and S20 Ultra.
- Qatar: Vodafone Qatar and Ooredoo Qatar (S20+ starts at QAR 3,879 and S20 Ultra starts at QAR 4,589)
- UAE: du
- Kuwait: Zain Kuwait
- Oman: Ooredoo Oman
- Bahrain: Zain Bahrain
Now the added question: will any of the newly announced partnerships make their way to the region, especially since Netflix is already been here since 2016?