Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra long-term review

20 July 2020


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  • D
  • AnonD-923722
  • tDP
  • 22 Jul 2020

Bwst camera phones in segment :

Daytime HDR : All flagships are great except for Chinese brands and Samsung that likes to overexpose.

Nighttime : Huawei (others need Night mode, Huawei don't)

Zoom : Huawei P40 Pro Plus, Samsung S20 Ultra , Oppo Find X2 Pro, Vivo X50 Pro

Colours : Samsung devices (Instagram ready), Iphone and Pixel (natural)

Autofocus : All except S20 Ultra

Ultrawide : S20 Ultra/Note 10 Plus, P40 Pro/Mate 30 Pro

Bokeh : Huawei, Pixel, Samsung and Apple

Stabilization : Vivo X50 Pro, S20 Ultra, Iphone 11 Pro, Huawei P40

Selfie : P40 Pro, Pixel 3, S20 Ultra

Selfie Video : Iphone 11 Pro, S20 Ultra, P40 Pro


Video : Iphone 11 Pro, Find X2 Pro

    • D
    • AnonD-923722
    • tDP
    • 22 Jul 2020

    Anonymous, 21 Jul 2020S20 ultra has better camera than P40 pro plus https:/... moreI prefer phones that give me Versetality. Colours can be tweaked, while detail, softness can't. Samsung's Night mode took up to 7 seconds while Huawei's auto mode crushes Samsung's Night mode. Samsung wins in the ultrawide department, 4x zoom and higher (Night), Color consistency, video at 4k60fps. When other brand wins, it is only by a little, but when Huawei wins, it is very far ahead of the competition.

    Competitors : 2 - 10 seconds night mode

    Huawei : less than half a second

    This was Dissapointing because The S20 ultra has the same size sensor and same pixel size and Nona Binning. Samsung's processing is now very bad, not only on midrange, but also on flagships. Samsung wins in colours, ultrawide, video. Others, including selfie, is Huawei's cake.

    Competitors : 1

      TheGoldenMellifluous, 21 Jul 2020The panel screen itself a 4K, dude. Even when display on ce... moreA V12 can be used on tap if required to do so,the xperia only allows 4K in some apps,not at all the same thing,don’t you dare try drag prestigious car brands into Sony’s nonsense of a setup.No point in a 4K display if its mostly showing stuff in 1080p and cannot be set to use 4K all the time.

      Why are we even talking about sony they are a dead mobile brand,barely sell and barely relevant anyway.They pulled out of a lot of markets so to many they don’t even matter anymore.

        SizN80, 21 Jul 2020Where exactly does the xperia whatever-you-call-it run 4K?t... moreThe panel screen itself a 4K, dude. Even when display on certain apps or the Xperia Home UI, only displaying 1080p most time, the panel itself is still 4K, not 1080p regardless of any perspective, therefore the display consuming more battery and power than a smartphone with 1080p screen natively, say like Mi 10 Pro 5G or LG V60. Besides, which Snapdragon capable of powering 4K-screen smartphone (even only activated its full-potential on certainty) outside SD 800 Series? And you're going to doubt as well the Xperia 1 II's flagship status?

        The similar analogy of V12-powered vehicles when some of their cylinders are deactivated on the system, seen on Lamborghini Aventador S or Mercedes V12s'. Sure, they only activated some of its cylinders from native V12 if you utilize the program, but are you still going to assume them a V8 or V6?

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          • The objective Guy
          • P1k
          • 21 Jul 2020

          I switched from Samsung to OnePlus after 5 years of uninterrupted Galaxy Note ownership (and an S7), and I can tell you the OP7 is far from perfect regarding daily use. Sometimes reviewers don't realize (or don't have enough time using the phone) even OnePlus phones can get buggy or stutter from time to time. My OP 7 Pro has done it several times. And it's a joke that moderately graphic games like Hill Climber 2 takes over 30 seconds to load like half of the time. Another joke, those 8GB of RAM won't hold apps for too long, my Note 8 would never reload them. The battery life is also mediocre by running 90Hz/QHD+ all the time.
          On top of that the Optical FPS is almost useless with a tempered glass screen protector, the security updates are done on a quarterly basis (from new) and the camera isn't up to the task with last year flagships, specially the 3x telephoto. And I really miss wireless charging and IP rating.
          Yes, I like Warp Charging, the fast UI, slightly less packed menus and love the clean screen design without notches nor selfie cameras (it's got the pop up camera).
          I was thinking about upgrading to the OP 8 Pro (since it theorically addressed some misses from the 7 Pro) by the end of year, but I don't think it's worth the price. Yes, it undercuts the S20 Ultra by a wide margin, but also keep in mind the Samsung flagships usually get rebates and depreciate better. I can get an S20 Ultra for around $850 right now.
          I'd take the convoluted UI, ultrasonic FPS, better cameras, slower Android version updates but reliable monthly security updates anytime.
          It was a good run (I planned to keep the 7 Pro for 2 years as I did on my Note 8) but I think I'm going back to Samsung sooner than I originally planned to.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • atc
            • 21 Jul 2020

            Android.Master, 21 Jul 2020It's a different sensor. Mi 10 uses HMX sensor while ... moreI think both are the same sensor HM1 are just more improved HMX if not mistaken!.

              • S
              • Sammy sammy
              • qa0
              • 21 Jul 2020

              deetop3, 21 Jul 2020This phone is the most expensive phone I've ever purch... moreTeach yourself how to use a phone dude...

                Nick Tagataka, 21 Jul 2020In this video S20 Ultra seems to be doing better than P40 P... moreFind X2 pro is better in video compared to both S20 ultra and P40 pro.

                  Anonymous, 21 Jul 2020Both s20 ultra and mi10 camera using Samsung in house senso... moreIt's a different sensor.
                  Mi 10 uses HMX sensor while S20 ultra uses the successor HM1 sensor.

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                    • Tom
                    • IbG
                    • 21 Jul 2020

                    ash99, 21 Jul 2020I don't know about PUBG but it runs asphalt without br... morePUBG runs like butter with maxed res/settings on this

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • atc
                      • 21 Jul 2020

                      Nick Tagataka, 21 Jul 2020Mi 10 series has a different main sensor compared to S20 se... moreBoth s20 ultra and mi10 camera using Samsung in house sensor ISOCELL 108MP.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • atc
                        • 21 Jul 2020

                        ash99, 21 Jul 2020I don't know about PUBG but it runs asphalt without br... moreiPhone made by Samsung ?!!!

                          Anonymous, 21 Jul 2020Xperia 1 II spec doesn't look like a flagship phone. M... more..You gotta be kidding me.

                            Whatever the reviewer and the commenters say, this is one of the best phones ive ever had, and im using the Exynos version. Very very very happy with this phone. If you are buying a phone once every 2 years (or longer), you can never go wrong with this phone.

                            I also own a P40Pro, and although both phones are great i cant say that P40pro is better than the S20 Ultra.

                              Anonymous, 21 Jul 2020The camera issue not about software it’s about hardware and... moreMi 10 series has a different main sensor compared to S20 series. Just because they both have 108MP sensors that doesn't necessarily mean they are an identical sensor.

                                Anonymous, 21 Jul 2020S20 ultra has better camera than P40 pro plus https:/... moreIn this video S20 Ultra seems to be doing better than P40 Pro in some tests and vise versa in others. His conclusion is also so open ended that you can literally take it either way, not a good way of referencing a source I must say.

                                  BliTTzZ, 21 Jul 2020Xperia 1ii comes with 124° UWA lens. Which is, according to Sony, 16mm equiv. focal length. S20's UWA lens on the other hand is 13mm equiv, and as you might already know smaller number means wider FoV.

                                    Anonymous, 21 Jul 2020The resolution is 4k, but some few apps support it and the ... moreThought as much.Easy to claim 4K and just run the phone at 1080p 95% of the time.

                                      • d
                                      • deetop3
                                      • qp3
                                      • 21 Jul 2020

                                      This phone is the most expensive phone I've ever purchased. This phone is also the absolute worst phone I've ever purchased. The camera is a joke! The shutter button only works if it wants to. Most pictures are blurry. The phone itself is the same as any other phone. Its no better than any other phone I've ever owned. This phone was a total rip off at the cost of $1,400 freaking dollars and it is the last Samsung phone I will ever buy!

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • atc
                                        • 21 Jul 2020

                                        Anonymous, 21 Jul 2020According to the same GSMarena the P40 Pro+ scored 4.5 comp... moreS20 ultra has better camera than P40 pro plus


                                        https://youtu.be/fkKRXk3cp0M

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