For a couple of years it looked as though Samsung’s innovative magic was running dry. Technically magnificent handsets that the S9 and S10 series were; they lacked the ‘wow’ factor that blasted the Korean company to the top of the Android market. With one of their biggest rivals taking a hit, Samsung went ‘all in’ to try and capitalise on Huawei’s woes. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G is the ‘all in-est’ of the bunch with a price-tag to match, does it justify the cost? Probably – but please read on.
Reflexive Aesthetic
Although the Galaxy look has evolved over the years, the brand signifiers remain iconic. The screen-to-body ratio, metal frame and curved edges are here but thanks to some subtle and elegant detailing, Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G has a fresh look. Our review model, a ‘Cosmic Grey’ doesn’t grab the eye but lends the device a pleasing harmony.
On the front, the obsidian-like black of the screen-at-rest pops against the grey polished metal frame. The sharply defined boundary between the display and the frame adds to this nuanced aesthetic finery.
A Display of Beauty
The 6.9” Dynamic-AMOLED panel is nothing short of stunning. The 1440×3200 resolution should actually be useful on the near seven inches of screen on Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G. There is satisfying sharpness to apps or images that work with the available pitch. In addition, the 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and black level lend incredible depth to everything.
If you won’t appreciate the extra pixels or want a smoother experience, you can use S20 Ultra 5G’s 1080p 120Hz mode. The silky framerate suffers from the same blameless problem as the 90Hz Pixel 4 series – a lack of creamy high-fps content. The simple act of scrolling in 120Hz is lovely though.
As you would expect, colour saturation is high by default. Colours are vivid, if sometimes artificial – but you can easily switch to a more natural look that will satisfy hue purists. Samsung have persisted with pushing maximum brightness levels that are unpleasant to look at even in sunlight.
The UI rendering deserves a mention, menus and home screens have been adjusted and adapted to hammer home the display’s capabilities at every possible turn. From the moment you switch on the S20 Ultra 5G, the screen seduces the eyes. Even Samsung’s app icons dazzle with bold colours and sharp, simple details.
It’s MASSIVE Though
5.5 inches was once the cut-off point for phablets but such devices now seem dainty in comparison to the near seven-inch diagonal of S20 Ultra 5G.
The device’s generous proportions combined with its tiny bezels mean one-handed use will be limited outside of the biggest paws. At 222 grams, the weight is noticeable compared to the <200 grams of barely smaller phablets. While it’s not a chore to carry around, it takes a little getting used to.
The 40x30mm footprint of the camera bump isn’t visually detractive but the bump does lend a notable wobbliness when the handset is laid down on a surface. The bump also raises the device thickness to over 10mm. Device literature may rate the thickness at 8.8mm but that’s away from the camera plateau.
Impressive Hardware
Samsung’s flagships tend to represent the bleeding edge of mainstream Android hardware. This time the S20 line introduces the Snapdragon 865 5G and Exynos 990 in their respective markets. The Snapdragon is only available in North American S20 devices but has been available in Realme x50 outside that region since the end of February 2020.
The Exynos chipsets are traditionally the slightly weaker of the two options and this year’s pair continue that trend. In practice the difference is marginal. The asymmetric (2,2,4) octa-core processor and 12GB of RAM delivers a mostly faultless experience.
Filling the wide-colour gamut, 1440p screen is a Mali-G77 MP11 that is, again slightly less powerful the NA version (Adreno 650) even though it’s a slightly newer build. The ARM Mali GPU is also built on a more advanced 7nano process but doesn’t seem to benefit from the tighter build.
While the two have maximum speeds in excess of anything networks are currently offering in Western Europe, Snapdragon 865 has over double the maximum downlink speed of 7.5 Gbps compared to Exynos 990’s 3 Gbps. Speeds of around 200-300 Mbps are about the fastest in Dublin right now so we are a long way from hitting the ceiling for either.
A generous 5,000mAh battery lasted this writer until bedtime on day two. A 36-hour shift is more than respectable and only bested in this market by the often over-aggressive app quashing of Huawei’s flagships. The device’s Supercharger (in the box) fills the battery from 0% in less than 90 minutes through a USB Type-C connection.
Saluting the Software
Not nearly enough credit is given to the best Android skins. After switching brands or trying a new launcher, that feeling of appreciation usually wears off quickly. Aside from the aforementioned dazzling visuals of Samsung’s ‘One UI’, the launcher is lean and sharp.
As usual, Samsung’s offerings can be selected or omitted on set-up and to be fair, the apps are actually worth keeping. While Samsung’s skin isn’t as customisable as other third-party efforts, it still has plenty more personalisation than a vanilla ‘droid or lesser brand’s default skin.
The absence of a 3.5mm jack will annoy some but wireless headsets are catching up to the copper cable. Bluetooth 5.0 LE and AD2P is indistinguishable from wired output in most scenarios but the quality can still suffer when the phone or earphones are being moved jerkily or bounced around.
In-box earphones are AKG-branded and connect via the USB Type-C. The sound quality is excellent, probably the best you can expect thrown in with a non-audio specialist device. The fact that you can’t charge while availing of these earphones is an annoyance not limited to the S20 Ultra 5G but worth mentioning nonetheless.
Camera with a Catch
Everything about the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G’s camera promises excellence and it often delivers. The huge sensor in the main 108MP lens captures more light than ever for more detailed, brighter images and a class-matching low-light performance. The zoom feature-set is second-to-none with 5x optical, 10x hybrid and a vaguely useful 100x ‘Space Zoom’.
Samsung’s choices as to how to implement these are a mixed bag. The 108MP images can be downscaled to 12MP with the extra info carefully blended to create supposedly better images at this more usable resolution. I didn’t see the benefit. Snapping at 108MP introduced a lag that undermines the super-premium experience offered by S20 Ultra 5G.
Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G’s periscope ‘Space Zoom’ doesn’t exist in a vacuum even if it is named after a famous one. Huawei’s 12-month old P30 Pro has the same 5x and 10x modes and the image quality is comparable in these modes. While Huawei’s digital zoom tops out at 50x, neither gives rebilably satisfactory images past 25x or30x zoom.
You should be aware that Samsung’s zoom captures are a little more natural-looking than Huawei’s equivalent shots. On the other hand, there is a noticeable rattle from Samsung’s periscope that can be a little disconcerting. Hearing it clack to-and-fro while handling the device in a normal fashion doesn’t inspire confidence in the long-term durability of that particular lens.
Usual Video Mastery, Also With a Catch
The video options are mostly impressive. S20U carries 8K support, 4K at 60 frames per second and 960fps super slo-mo. More importantly, it (more or less) nails all three. 8K video is limited to a filmic 24fps but at such an early phase of the 8K rollout it’s a technical marvel. AR Doodle is a fun novelty that shows the tracking ability of the device. Live bokeh, focus tracking and blur effects will be far more useful to your average user – each of these is perfectly realised.
While 4K at 60fps has become more common in premium+ devices, no other Android can match Samsung’s feature set with this format. However, it’s worth noting that there are some concessions with certain resolutions and framerates – nothing shot above 1080p30 gets the aforementioned auto-focus tracking, bokeh or other background filters.
Specifications
- Chipset: Exynos 990 5G
- CPU: Octa-core (2×2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2×2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
- Memory: 128GB Storage, 12GB RAM (Other models -256GB/512GB ROM, 16GB RAM)
- Display: 6.92″ 1440×3200 20:9 Dynamic AMOLED, Corning Gorilla Glass 6
- Rear Camera: 108 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.33″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS; Periscope 48 MP, f/3.5, 103mm (telephoto), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS; 10x hybrid optical zoom
- Video Capture: 8K@24fps, 4K@60/30 fps, 1080p240, 720p@960fps, EIS, OIS
- Front Camera: 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 0.7µm, PDAF, Dual video call, Auto-HDR
- OS Version: Android 10
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
- Battery: 5,000 mAh
- Dimensions: 166.9 x 76 x 8.8 mm
- Colours Available: Cosmic Black, Cosmic Grey
Justifying That Price
When compared to the €1,100, Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G is mostly a larger screen and the very best Samsung have to offer in mobile photography. While the added zoom and 108MP sensor come with their own catches, they are objectively a step up. The extra €150-200 on the Ultra seems worth it for those already thinking of the S20+.
