Review of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
Introduction
The Samsung S20 Ultra comes with three
different lenses. The ‘main camera' has a 108-megapixel sensor and a lens
similar to a 25mm f/1.8. A 13mm (equivalent) f/2.2 lens with a 12-megapixel
sensor is included, as well as a 103mm (equivalent) f/3.5 lens with a
48-megapixel sensor. To attain its focal length, this lens employs folded
optics and a periscope.
The telephoto lens has a 4x optical
zoom, but there's also a 10x 'hybrid optic' zoom that blends digital and
optical zoom, as well as the even more impressive-sounding space zoom,' which
boasts 100x zooming power.
A 40-megapixel selfie camera is
located on the front of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. A 6.9-inch AMOLED screen,
5G connection, a 5000 mAh battery, and 128GB or 512GB of internal memory are
among the other notable features.
The Samsung S20 Ultra is not a cheap
smartphone. It costs roughly £1,199 for the 128GB version at the time of
writing. This puts it in direct rivalry with the iPhone 11 Pro, but it's still
somewhat pricey by Android standards.
User-Friendliness
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra's huge
size is likely to be the first thing you notice about it. It is Samsung's
largest phone, with a 6.9-inch screen, and some may find it cumbersome. It's
true that using this equipment with just one hand is really difficult. On the
plus side, the AMOLED display is spectacular, occupying the whole front of the
smartphone except for a tiny cutout for the front-facing camera.
Because of its size, it's also a
wonderful gadget for exhibiting your photos and videos, as well as making some
programs more enjoyable to use.
The camera unit, which is located on
the phone's back, protrudes from the main body. The Galaxy S20 Ultra comes in
two colors: 'Cosmic Black' and 'Cosmic Grey.' We've been using the Cosmic
Black variant, which is ultra-slim and gleaming.
By swiping up from the bottom right
corner of the lock screen, you may access the native camera app. The native
camera software, as we've seen on prior Samsung devices, is well-equipped,
providing a plethora of shooting options. It'll start in the usual 'Photo' mode
by default, which you'll probably want to utilize for the majority of your
images.
At the bottom of the screen, you'll
find your zooming choices for switching between the Samsung S20 Ultra's various
lenses. Tree icons are used to depict them, with three trees representing the
widest angle lens, two trees representing the regular lens, and a single tree
representing the zoom lens. You may also use pinching to zoom in and out on the
scene.
You'll see a number of easy
alternatives to switch to different settings, such as 0.5x, 1.0x, 2.0x, 4.0x,
10x, 30x, and 100x when you do this. Simply pinch in or out to achieve the
desired setting if you wish to zoom in or out outside of these quick
alternatives.
The option to turn on or off the
automatic scene optimizer will also be offered. Artificial intelligence is used
to assess the scene in front of it and make adjustments as needed.
At the top of the screen, you'll see a
variety of other possibilities. A cog symbol can be tapped to open the main menu
with more advanced options, such as altering the video size and resolution. A
timer option, a ratio choice (which includes the ability to turn on 108MP
shooting), a motion photo option (in which the phone will record a short movie
clip with a still), and a magic wand icon (which you can use to add filters to
your photographs) are also available.
Because the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
outputs photographs at 12MP by default, the option to shoot at 108MP is
included. If you try to picture something with a lot of detail, a notification
may appear on the screen asking if you'd like to switch to 108MP mode, which is
great for shooting subjects that require a lot of fine detail.
You can either push the virtual
shutter button on the screen or the volume up and down physical buttons when
you're ready to take a picture. If the phone detects possible blur or camera
shake, it will display a warning advising you to retake the photo. If the phone
detects that anything has covered the lens, a similar warning will appear.
There are a variety of other shooting
mode options towards the bottom of the screen that you can choose from. 'Single
Take' is to the left of Photo Mode. This is a fun option that lets you shoot a
variety of images and videos and apply different crops, effects, and filters to
them. When you want to attempt something new, it might be a fun method to shoot
a subject.
To the right of Photo mode is Video,
which is self-explanatory, and 'More,' which includes Night (for low-light
shooting), Live Focus (a mode that offers a narrow depth of focus effect), and
'Food.' The 'Pro' mode is the most fascinating for advanced photographers.
The Pro model is something we've seen
on previous Samsung devices. ISO, shutter speed, autofocus mode (or manual
focus), white balance, and exposure compensation can all be adjusted with it.
Temperature, Contrast, and Highlights are among the variables that can be
tweaked.
Regrettably, Pro mode only allows you
to utilize the main/standard lens, not the super wide-angle or telephoto
lenses. Pinch to zoom on the screen, but this simply activates a digital zoom,
which provides many lower-quality results. On the plus side, the Samsung Galaxy
S20 Ultra can record raw format images, which is great news for photographers
who want to edit their photos with applications like Photoshop.
To return to Video Mode, you'll notice
that the setup is quite straightforward. From the top of the screen, you can
alter the aspect ratio and fast switch on 8K recording, as well as turn on
image stabilization (which won't function with all resolutions, including 8K).
One of the benefits of shooting in 8K is that you can extract stills afterward,
which is useful if you want to picture a moving subject and are worried you
might miss the image otherwise. You must first play the video and then press
the 'capture' icon to extract the still.
If you're shooting in the usual
'Photo' mode on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, night mode will automatically
activate, but you can also turn it on from the 'More' area. Depending on how
dark it is, the phone will automatically decide how long it needs to photograph
in this mode. It will mix a number of short exposures throughout the specified
time period to create the illusion of a longer exposure.
Image caliber
The 12 megapixel JPEG setting was used
for all of the sample photographs in this evaluation, resulting in an average
image size of roughly 6MB.
Overall, the image quality of the
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is good, especially if the images aren't examined too
carefully on a computer screen. The S20 Ultra's AMOLED display renders them
nicely, and you should be satisfied with the output for Instagram and other
social media platforms.
You may rest assured that the 'Photo'
model is an excellent fit for the majority of photos. It produces images that
are bright and dramatic, with strong colors that aren't overly saturated. With
the scene optimizer turned off, colors may appear to be a little too bright,
but this is primarily subject to personal preference; if you do find it going a
little too far, you can easily turn it off.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra produces
images that are well-balanced and have a wide dynamic range. The automatic
white balance setting also performs admirably, delivering accurate colors
virtually every time. Because the automatic settings are so superb, you may not
feel the need to switch to Pro mode.
Detail is portrayed fairly well at the
original resolution output of 12 megapixels, but if you're photographing
something with great detail, it's worth converting to the 108MP setting.
Otherwise, for the vast majority of shooting scenarios, it's acceptable to keep
it at this default level.
The advent of the Samsung Galaxy S20
Ultra's zoom capabilities is another feature that has been highly promoted. The
telephoto lens's 'optical' zoom is sufficient for a wide range of distant
subjects, but the 10x 'hybrid' optic zoom and the '100x space zoom' are the
major selling points.
The former is an excellent choice if
you need to get closer to your subject, but the latter is more of a marketing
gimmick than something you'll want to utilize on a regular basis. While you can
technically 'zoom' up to 100 times, the resulting photographs are significantly
deficient in quality, and there's little need to utilize them other than to
show off that your phone can do it in the first place.
Noise
At full resolution, the Samsung Galaxy
S20 Ultra features seven sensitivity settings. For both JPEG and RAW file
formats, here are some 100% crops.
Range of Focus
The focal lengths on the Samsung
Galaxy S20 Ultra range from 13mm Super-wide to 100x Space Zoom.
Macro
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra's closest
focusing distance is 10cms.
Flash
The flash on the Samsung Galaxy S20
Ultra has only two settings: On and Off.
Night
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 30-second maximum shutter speed and a dedicated Night shooting mode.
Conclusion
The Galaxy S20 Ultra, like other
Samsung products, is quite amazing, but it comes at a high price.
Overall, the image quality is
excellent, and it ranks among the best accessible from a smartphone currently
on the market. Although the space zoom' doesn't quite deliver on crystal clear
imagery, it's still a neat gimmick that could be handy for social media sharing
and the like. The 10x 'hybrid optic' zoom is quite excellent and should be
useful in most everyday scenarios.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra phone has
both advantages and disadvantages. While the 6.9-inch AMOLED screen is gorgeous
to look at and displays your images and movies beautifully, it makes using the
phone with one hand difficult. Whether or not something bothers you is likely a
matter of personal preference.
The native camera app has a lot of
features and gives you a lot more versatility than the iPhone 11 series. For
those who are a little more advanced, the Pro mode is fantastic, but it's a
shame you can't use the multiple focal lengths with it.
However, the normal 'Photo' mode does
such a terrific job that you may find that you rarely need to use the Pro mode
in the first place.
Big, bold marketing claims about the
Samsung S20 Ultra's 108-megapixel sensor, 8K video recording, and 100x'space
zoom' may entice you to check it out and possibly persuade you to choose it
over others. While the claims made in the high-profile advertising you may have
seen aren't quite as powerful as they seem, the S20 Ultra is still one of the
best phones you can buy today if the quality of the onboard camera is your
primary concern.
Of course, the cost is going to be a
major stumbling block for many. Even the most basic version of the Samsung
Galaxy S20 Ultra costs over £1100, which is a lot of money for Android fans who
aren't as accustomed to paying Apple prices as Apple enthusiasts are.
Specifications
Processor
·
CPU Speed 2.73GHz, 2.5GHz, 2GHz
·
CPU Type Octa-Core
Display
·
Size
(Main_Display) 174.4mm (6.9" full rectangle) / 170.2mm (6.7" rounded
corners)
·
Resolution
(Main Display) 3200 x 1440 (Quad HD+)
·
Technology
(Main Display) Dynamic AMOLED 2X
·
Color
Depth (Main Display) 16M
Camera
·
Rear
Camera - Resolution (Multiple) 108.0 MP + 12.0 MP + 48.0 MP + VGA
·
Rear
Camera - F Number (Multiple) F1.8 , F2.2 , F3.5 , F1.0
·
Rear
Camera - Auto Focus Yes
·
Rear
Camera - OIS Yes
·
Rear
Camera - Zoom Hybrid Optic Zoom at 10x , Digital Zoom up to 100x
·
Front
Camera - Resolution 40.0 MP
·
Front
Camera - F Number F2.2
·
Front
Camera - Auto Focus Yes
·
Rear
Camera - Flash Yes
·
Video
Recording Resolution UHD 8K (7680 x 4320)@24fps
·
Slow
Motion 960fps @HD, 240fps @FHD
Memory
·
RAM_Size
(GB) 12
·
ROM
Size (GB) 128
·
Available
Memory Size (GB)* 104.0
·
External
Memory Support MicroSD (Up to 1TB)
Network/Bearer
·
Number
of SIM Dual-SIM
·
SIM
size Nano-SIM (4FF), Embedded-SIM
·
SIM
Slot Type SIM 1 + Hybrid (SIM or MicroSD) or Embedded SIM
·
Infra
2G GSM, 3G WCDMA, 4G LTE FDD, 4G LTE TDD, 5G Sub6 FDD, 5G Sub6 TDD
·
2G
GSM GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
·
3G
UMTS B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900)
·
4G
FDD LTE B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900),
B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B25(1900),
B26(850), B28(700), B32(1500), B66(AWS-3)
·
4G
TDD LTE B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500)
·
5G
FDD Sub6 N1(2100), N3(1800), N5(850), N7(2600), N8(900), N28(700)
·
5G
TDD Sub6 N40(2300), N77(3700), N78(3500)
Connectivity
·
ANT+
Yes
·
USB
Interface USB Type-C
·
USB
Version USB 3.2 Gen 1
·
Location
Technology GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo
·
Earjack
USB Type-C
·
MHL
No
·
Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4G+5GHz, HE80, MIMO, 1024-QAM
·
Wi-Fi
Direct Yes
·
Bluetooth
Version Bluetooth v5.0
·
NFC
Yes
·
PC
Sync. Smart Switch (PC version)
OS
·
Android
General Information
·
Form
Factor Touchscreen Bar
Sensors
·
Accelerometer,
Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor,
RGB Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor
Physical specification
·
Dimension
(HxWxD, mm) 166.9 x 76.0 x 8.8
·
Weight
(g) 220
Battery
·
Internet
Usage Time(LTE) (Hours) Up to 17
·
Internet
Usage Time(Wi-Fi) (Hours) Up to 18
·
Battery
Capacity (mAh, Typical) 5000
·
Removable
No
·
Talk
Time (4G LTE) (Hours) Up to 25
Audio and Video
·
Stereo
Support Yes
·
Video
Playing Format MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM
·
Video
Playing Resolution UHD 8K (7680 x 4320)@30fps
·
Audio
Playing Format MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID,
MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DFF, DSF, APE
Services and Applications
·
Gear
Support Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Fit, Galaxy Fit e, Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch
Active, Galaxy Watch Active2, Gear Fit, Gear Fit2, Gear Fit2 Pro, Gear Sport,
Gear1, Gear2, Gear2 Neo, Gear S, Gear S2, Gear S3, Gear IconX, Gear IconX
(2018), Gear 360, Gear 360 (2017)
·
Samsung
DeX Support Yes
·
S-Voice
No
·
Mobile
TV No
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