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.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review | TechRadar Samsung Galaxy S20 review | TechRadar

That’s a debate to be held for another time, and I’m pretty impressed with all of the new stuff Samsung has brought to the table this year. These new phones feel like much more of an upgrade than ever before and since the Galaxy S20 is the cheapest of the bunch, it earns my recommendation more so than the rest. 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. 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. The Galaxy S20 is powered by one of two different chipsets, and where you live will decide which version you’re getting. If you’re in the US you’ll get Qualcomm’s top-end Snapdragon 865 chipset, while those around the rest of the world get Samsung’s similarly high-end Exynos 990. The Galaxy S20 is the best first chance for mainstream consumers to get 5G on their smartphone. Only 1% of smartphones that shipped in 2019 were 5G phones, and most of those were expensive variants of 4G flagships.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.

Samsung Galaxy S20 5G - 128GB | Studio Samsung Galaxy S20 5G - 128GB | Studio

In testing, I found this to be the most colour accurate of the three screen profiles at my disposal, although it suffered from noticeably oversaturated red tones and undersaturated pink and purple tones, so it isn’t perfect. However, you can rest assured that the screen has a pin-sharp contrast ratio of Infinity:1 and it’s also capable of reaching a blinding maximum brightness of 748cd/m2. Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Performance and battery life The resulting images at maximum zoom are a bit mixed, but there’s no denying that this tech is quite impressive. I can’t see there being many use cases for zooming that far into the frame – you certainly won’t be putting the pictures on a cushion at Snappy Snaps – but when you consider that the iPhone 11 doesn’t zoom at all, the advantage goes to Samsung here.It’s worth pointing out that there aren’t any bold color choices here, and these are all relatively subdued options compared to the Galaxy S10 color range. The Aura Red is perhaps the boldest color choice, but that's one of the harder to find versions of the handset.

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

We think it’s best if you take the plethora of number-heavy camera specs with a pinch of salt, and instead consider what they mean in terms of the photos you can capture. Otherwise the S20 cameras could look like a downgrade compared to previous Samsung devices, and that’s far from the case. A big upgrade for the Galaxy S20 is the maximum 120Hz refresh-rate display. This is double the rate at which the display refreshes on most phones, including previous Samsung devices, and what it means in practice is smoother scrolling and animations. We haven’t encountered any issues with the power on tap in the Galaxy S20, but when we’re able to properly test the Snapdragon 865 version of the device we’ll be sure to update this review with our findings.We found all the cameras to work brilliantly well, and if you’re shooting in the automatic mode you’re sure to be impressed with the results. You can see some of the shots we’ve taken below: The Galaxy S20 also gets things right when it comes to battery life, provided you make sure to choose the right settings. Fully draining the 4,000mAh battery from full in our video rundown test, I found that the Galaxy S20 lasted 18hrs 28mins before needing to recharge, which is rather good considering this was performed at the phone’s default WQHD+ screen resolution – although only at 60Hz. The main camera, which remains 12MP, has an f/1.8 aperture. That’s theoretically inferior to the S10’s f/1.5 + f/2.4 dual aperture, which changes to suit the lighting conditions with the ‘wider’ f/1.5 setting pulling in more light for improved low-light shots.

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

New here is Single Take mode, which cycles through all three rear cameras over the course of 10 seconds to capture a variety of photos and videos. It answers the ‘Should I take photos or a video?’ dilemma with ‘Why not take both?’ 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. On Geekbench 5, the Exynos 990 version of the phone averaged a multi-core score of 2699. That’s quite a bit below the Exynos 990 Galaxy S20 Plus, which scored 3034, and the Snapdragon 865-powered S20 Ultra, which scored 3286. Of course, the Samsung is currently unmatched when it comes to sheer detail capture at 8K, but when the resulting footage is a shaky mess, it’s simply not pleasant to watch – a tripod or gimbal is absolutely essential in this instance. Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Verdict

Alas, Samsung seems to have taken a pared-down approach when it comes to the Galaxy S20’s design. In an era of foldable phones, the S20 lineup looks rather utilitarian in comparison, with the usual chrome-tinted edges – which still look nice by the way – and pearlescent finishes on the rear glass panel failing to offer anything particularly new or groundbreaking. As before, the Galaxy S20 uses one of Samsung’s own Dynamic AMOLED panels, which has a native resolution of 3,200 x 1,400 (Quad HD+) but can be dipped down to FHD+ or HD+ in the phone’s display settings if you want to squeeze out a bit more battery life. 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).