Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G Android Smartphone - SIM Free Mobile Phone - Cosmic Black, 128 GB

Product Information

Where Samsung really begins to falter is in video recording features. The Samsung Galaxy S20 has the ability to record in 8K resolution – a first for smartphones – although this isn’t stabilised in any way whatsoever, and you need an 8K TV to view the footage in its original resolution anyway. If you want to stabilise your footage, you have to dip the resolution down to 4K at 30fps, which is a shame because the iPhone 11 can record at 60fps at 4K fully-stabilised, which I much prefer. Those in the US and Australia are only able to choose from the Cosmic Gray, Cloud Blue and Cloud Pink options at launch, but you may also be able to find the others at a later date. Those in the UK are able to get all three colors above, and the Cloud White version came to that market at a later date.

Samsung Galaxy S20 5G review - Which? Samsung Galaxy S20 5G review - Which?

Samsung is still offering a default resolution of Full HD+ (2220 x 1080), which looks more than sharp enough for most tasks, and saves battery; you’ll need to head into the settings to switch to the higher resolution. The 5G variant of the phone we tested comes with 12GB of RAM. It may be that some tasks will run a little slower on the 4G version, as that only has 8GB of RAM, but plenty of flagships ‘only’ offer 8GB, and we’d still expect strong performance from that phone.

Haven’t you heard? 20 is the new 11 – the basic Galaxy S20 is Samsung’s best-value flagship yet

The Galaxy S20 runs Android 10 as standard, with an upgrade to Android 11 now possible. Samsung’s own One UI is overlaid, so it’ll look different to the software you may have used on other Android phones that aren’t made by Samsung, but the design is attractive and it’s easy to use. The differences are more slight when you compare the wide-angle images, however. Both pictures are filled with detail, although they both struggle a bit when it comes to distortion in the far corners of the frame. Where Samsung really comes into its own, however, is in the S20’s zooming capabilities, with what it calls ‘Space Zoom’. This is a silly marketing phrase, of course, but the S20 is capable of using a combination of optical and AI-digital techniques to magnify up to 30x. For the record, the much more expensive Galaxy S20 Ultra is capable of delivering 100x zoom.

Galaxy S20 5G review: Top-shelf specs, but plenty of room for Galaxy S20 5G review: Top-shelf specs, but plenty of room for

Finally, let’s discuss the Galaxy S20’s new camera capabilities. As it’s the cheapest of the three phones, the Galaxy S20 actually loses the fourth depth-sensing unit found on the S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, but I mostly find these to be pointless additions anyway. The other three cameras are exactly the same as the rest of the S20 Plus’ arrangement; there’s a 12MP (f/1.8) camera, 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide and a 64MP (f/3.5) telephoto zoom sensor. With the predictability of the setting sun, the changing tides and the ongoing Fast and the Furious movie franchise, Samsung’s new S-series family of smartphones have arrived in shops as the new year begins to find its footing. This is the phone to get if you want to try out the 2020 tech that Samsung has to offer, but you don’t want a large phone, or a large dent in your wallet. You could go for the Ultra if you want more storage or a 108MP camera, and can stretch to the price tag, but for day-to-day use the S20 is going to be the best choice in the range for most people.Brace yourself: you’re going to pay more for the Galaxy S20 than the Galaxy S10 due to its 5G upgrade, improved cameras and larger 6.2-inch 120Hz display. You can’t, however, use both this higher resolution and Samsung’s advanced stabilization tech at the same time – Super Steady is still strictly a 1080p affair (it doesn’t even work in 4K). Touch-sensitivity is also upped, to 240Hz from 120Hz to make games more responsive, by sensing your finger brushes on the screen at a much higher rate than previously. This isn’t something we found noticeable when we were using the phone, but those more dedicated to their mobile gaming may find that it makes a difference.