Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20+ come with 120Hz screens, 8K-capable 64MP camera

The Galaxy S20 and S20+ build on the successful formula of the S10 generation with notable improvements to the screen, battery and especially the camera. Note that the camera on the S20 Ultra is a whole different beast and that phone is covered in another article.

Samsung Galaxy S20+

The Samsung Galaxy S20+ has Dynamic AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, a first for Samsung, and features increased touch responsiveness (240Hz touch sensing). The 6.7” panel has 1440p+ resolution with a taller aspect ratio than before, 20:9. What this means is that the phone is the same width as the S10+, but slightly taller.

The main camera on the back has a new 12MP sensor with large 1.8µm pixels (compared to 1.4µm for the S10 phones). It has an f/1.8 aperture and features optical image stabilization (OIS).

The telephoto camera boasts the highest resolution sensor on a zoom camera yet – 64MP. Samsung advertises 3x hybrid zoom and up to 30x “Super Resolution Zoom”. This module also has OIS and a bright (for a zoom cam) aperture of f/2.0.

This 64MP module is also responsible for recording 8K video – the Galaxy S20 trio is the first to offer usable 8K recording. Note that a single frame of 8K video is 33MP, higher than the still resolution of many current flagships.

The ultrawide angle camera (120°) has a 12MP sensor and is shared by all three S20 models. The Plus model also has a DepthVision camera for portrait shots and depth-based effects.

Samsung Galaxy S20+ in Cloud Blue

The Samsung Galaxy S20+ is powered by a Snapdragon 865 or Exynos 990 chipset (region dependent, as usual). It comes with 5G connectivity (sub-6GHz and mmWave) by default, though some countries will receive 4G models. The base configuration has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but there are options for more - 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. The microSD slot lives on, giving you the option to add cards up to 1TB.

The phone has a 4,500mAh battery and supports 25W wired charging (using the included power brick). It can also do fast wireless charging (15W) and act as a wired or wireless power bank for your other gadgets.

The Samsung Galaxy S20+ (with 5G connectivity) will cost €1,100/$1,199 for the base 8/128GB model. It will be available in Cloud Blue, Cosmic Gray and Cosmic Black.

Samsung Galaxy S20

With no “e” model this year, the Samsung Galaxy S20 is the smallest of the new flagship trio. With a 6.2” screen, it’s roughly the same size as its predecessor (slightly narrower and slightly taller, due to the 20:9 aspect ratio). Like the S20+, this screen has 120Hz refresh rate and 1440p+ resolution.

The 10MP selfie camera hasn’t changed much since the S10 generation, but the punch hole is smaller and is now centered. The S20+ has the same front camera (note: there’s no depth sensor on the front unlike the S10+).

Galaxy S20’s rear cameras uses the same 12MP main module, 8K-capable 64MP telephoto camera and 12MP ultrawide imager as the Plus model. The only difference is the lack of the DepthVision sensor.

Samsung went with in-display fingerprint readers of the ultrasonic variety for a second year.

The battery capacity on the Galaxy S20 is 4,000mAh and the phone supports 25W wired and 15W on the Galaxy S20+. It goes without saying that both S20 phones feature IP68 level of dust and water resistance.

Samsung Galaxy S20 in Cosmic Gray

Like the Plus model, the Galaxy S20 is powered by either a Snapdragon 865 or Exynos 990 chip, paired with 8GB or 12GB of RAM. There’s only one storage option here, 128GB, but again you have a microSD slot if you need more. The phone will be available in Cosmic Cray, Cloud Blue and Cloud Pink.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 will start at €900(4G, 8/128GB), if you want the 5G model the price tag is €1,000/$999 . Note that the smaller S20 only supports the sub-6GHz flavor of 5G.

Pre-orders start today, the first S20 units will start shipping on March 13. If you pre-order, you're eligible for a free pair of Galaxy Buds+ (worth €170 on their own). Note that the 4G versions of the phones are available only in the base RAM/storage configuration.

For more details on the Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20+, check out our hands-on.