Samsung has officially announced the latest in the Galaxy S family. The announcement came as part of the Galaxy Unpacked event, which took place on February 11, 2020. The event included details on the Galaxy S20 family of phones, which includes the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Despite the jump in name, going from the Galaxy S10 to the Galaxy S20 — the S20 lineup serves as the follow-up to the Galaxy S10 lineup. In regards to the jump in the naming structure, Samsung described it as being “a new phone named for the start of a bold new decade of change.”
The Galaxy S20 lineup also saw a change in models. The Galaxy S10 lineup included the S10 and S10+, with a lower-price S10e. This year’s Galaxy S20 lineup dropped the “e” branded model and introduced the higher-end Ultra model. We’re taking a look at each of the new Galaxy S20 devices, and here in this post, we will be focusing on the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Galaxy S20 Ultra: Display, size and color
Ultra could be a reference to the phone being the “pro” model, at least as compared to the S20 and S20+. Or, it could just as easily be a reference to this phone being ultra in size. The Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch display, and overall measurements of 6.57-inches (H) × 2.99-inches (W) × 0.35-inches (D). The phone weighs in at 7.83-ounces.
Other details on the display include it being Quad HD + Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O display with a max resolution of 3200 x 1440. The S20 Ultra display also has a ppi of 511, is HDR10+ certified and has a 120Hz refresh rate. Similar to the other devices in the Galaxy S20 family, the S20 Ultra is also capable of running at 60Hz. This is an important distinction as the refresh rate will determine the maximum resolution. When the display is set at 120Hz the display resolution will top out at 1080.
In comparison to the other devices in the Galaxy S20 lineup, the S20 has a 6.2-inch display and measures in at 5.97-inches (H), by 2.72-inches (W), by 0.31-inches (D), and the S20+ has a 6.7-inch display and measures in at 6.37-inches (H) × 2.90-inches (W) × 0.31-inches (D).
Samsung has the Galaxy S20 Ultra available in two colors options: Cosmic Black and Cosmic Gray.
Galaxy S20 Ultra: Specs
- 6.9” Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display (3200×1440 and 511ppi)
- Gorilla Glass 6
- Qualcomm Spandragon 865 processor
- 12GB or 16GB of RAM
- 128GB or 512GB of internal storage
- microSD card slot (support for cards up to 1TB)
- Android 10 / Samsung One UI 2.0
- 5G / LTE
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
- Bluetooth 5.0
- IP68 rating (submersion in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes)
- 5000 mAh battery
- Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor
- USB-C
- Fast Charging 2.0
- Wireless PowerShare
- 166.9 x 76.0 x 8.8mm (6.57” × 2.99” × 0.35”)
- 222 grams (7.83 ounces)
Galaxy S20 Ultra: Camera
Samsung announced the Galaxy S20 lineup with a tagline of being “the phone that will change photography.” The camera hardware and software features are notable for all models in the S20 lineup, however, it is a bit more notable in terms of the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The Galaxy S20 Ultra has a five camera setup, which is similar to the Galaxy S20+.
You’ll find one front-facing camera and four rear-facing cameras on each of these devices. But, the Galaxy S20 Ultra steps up in terms of the specs. A detailed look at the camera setup on the Galaxy S20 Ultra is below:
- 40MP Front-Facing Selfie Camera (PDAF, Pixel Size: 0.7um, 80-degree field of view, f/2.2
- 12MP Ultra Wide Camera (Pixel Size: 1.4um, 120-degree field of view, f/2.2)
- 108MP Wide-angle Camera (PDAF, Optical Image Stabilization, Pixel Size: 0.8um, 79-degree field of view, f/1.8, 1/1.33” image sensor size)
- 48MP Telephoto Camera (Pixel Size: 0.8um, 24-degree field of view, f/3.5)
- DepthVision Camera (Time of Flight)
Looking at the Galaxy S20+ in comparison, and you would find a 10MP camera on the front, with a 12MP ultra-wide, 12MP wide-angle, and 64MP telephoto camera setup on the back. The Galaxy S20 Ultra is also able to record 8k video just like the S20+ and the S20. And because of the 108MP wide-angle camera — the Galaxy S20 Ultra does not have the same limitation when using the 8k Video Snap feature.
This feature basically allows the user to grab 33MP still images from their recorded 8k video. On the Galaxy S20 and S20+, the 8k recording is done using the 64MP telephoto lens, which means a narrower field of view. The 108MP lens on the Galaxy S20 Ultra means you will not default to the telephoto lens when recording 8k content.
Otherwise, some of the other key camera features can be found on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which includes Space Zoom and Single Take mode.
Space Zoom: A new and improved zoom functionality found on Galaxy S20 devices. Samsung refers to this as being super-resolution zoom bolstered by AI, and promises that you can find shots you couldn’t find before. On the Galaxy S20+ Ultra, this means a 100x zoom. Samsung also includes a preview window in the corner of the camera that will allow you to see the bigger (unzoomed) picture.
Single Take mode: Touted as being “burst mode turned beat mode,” Samsung is using AI to help you capture multiple images with one press of the shutter button. With Single Take mode you tap the shutter button and move around for anywhere from 3 to 10 seconds. Doing this will provide you with multiple images, in multiple styles, which will allow you to pick your favorite.
It is also worth noting that while the Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 100x capable zoom, Samsung has promised no loss of quality with zooming up to 10x.
Galaxy S20 Ultra: Features
Some highlights that you’ll find with the Galaxy S20 Ultra include 5G support, a bigger battery, 45-watt capable Fast Charging, and the ability to have up to 1.5TB of storage space.
Beginning with the 5G support — this phone supports all current 5G options, to include support for mmWave networks. In comparison, the Galaxy S20 and S20+ also have 5G support, but they do not support mmWave 5G.
The battery can be described the same as the display size and the overall size — big. Samsung has loaded this phone with a 5000 mAh battery. Of course, while this may sound like a big battery, it may be needed in a phone that has a 6.9-inch display that is capable of running at 120Hz.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra also has a step up on terms of Fast Charging. The Galaxy S20 and S20+ are both Fast Charging capable, however, those phones are limited to 25-watt. The Galaxy S20 Ultra is capable of 45-watt Fast Charging. Though, it is worth noting that a 25-watt charger is included in the box. You would need to buy a 45-watt charger as an add-on.
Higher amounts of storage is generally a welcomed addition with any newly released phone. The Galaxy S20 Ultra has internal storage options for 128GB or 512GB and that can be combined with up to an additional 1TB using a microSD card. And, with the 8k video recording — we think the extra storage may be welcomed in that it will keep you from regularly having to archive and backup, or having to simply delete files to clear storage.
Galaxy S20 Ultra: Pricing
- Galaxy S20 – $999.99 (128GB)
- Galaxy S20+ $1,199.99 (128GB) / $1,349.99 (512GB)
- Galaxy S20 Ultra $1,399.99 (128GB) / $1,599.99 (512GB)
Samsung announced the Galaxy S20 Ultra, along with the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ on February 11, 2020. The phones will all be available for pre-order beginning on February 21, 2020, with availability beginning on March 6, 2020.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra certainly looks like a powerhouse phone, at least based on the specs. The $1,3999.99 retail price may not be what everyone will consider affordable, so instead, you should consider buying newish and saving hundreds.
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