Which Galaxy S20 model should you buy? Galaxy S20 vs S20+ vs S20 Ultra buying and upgrade guide
The Galaxy S20 is getting revealed next month, and undoubtedly, it will be a hit on the Android scene. We expect three new Galaxies to make the cut, alongside a foldable Galaxy Z Flip (previously known as Bloom), new Galaxy Buds, and probably something else as well. Sounds like quite the strong lineup so far, but an equally important question arises:
Which Galaxy S20 should you buy?
Well, that’s a tricky question, but we will help you make an informed decision. After all, Samsung will have three new offerings on the table, covering a wide array of the market, starting with the supposedly fan-favorite Galaxy S20, followed by the middle-of-the-road Galaxy S20+, and topped up with the high-end Galaxy S20 Ultra. There’s just a little bit of everything for everyone, and with the overall design being quite similar, the specs and pricing would make the real difference here.
Let’s make a breakdown of all the specs in the table below:
Samsung Galaxy S20 vs S20+ vs S20 Ultra preliminary specs list
| Galaxy S20 Ultra (S11+) | Galaxy S20+ (S11) | Galaxy S20 (S11e) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design and dimensions | Glass&metal 166.9 x 76 x 8.8mm (10.2 mm at the camera bump) Exclusive Danish fabric Kvadrat case |
Glass&metal 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8mm (8.9mm at the camera bump) |
Glass&metal 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9mm (9.1mm at the camera bump) |
| Display | 6.9″ 2K AMOLED, Premium Hole Infinity Display, on-demand 120Hz refresh at FHD+ resolution | 6.7″ 2K AMOLED, Premium Hole Infinity Display, on-demand 120Hz refresh at FHD+ resolution | 6.2″ AMOLED, Premium Hole Infinity Display, on-demand 120Hz refresh at FHD+ resolution |
| Cameras & features | 108MP main 48MP periscope ‘Space Zoom’, up to 10x optical and 100x hybrid digital magnification 12MP Ultrawide-angle lens ToF camera(s) 10MP selfie camera 8K 30fps or 4K HDR 120fps recording Features: Video Spin, Bright Night, Single Take Photo, Director’s View from all cameras at once, Night Hyperlapse, Vertical Panoramas |
12MP main, 1.8μm pixel size 64MP Telephoto Features: Video Spin, Bright Night, Single Take Photo, Director’s View from all cameras at once, Night Hyperlapse, Vertical Panoramas |
12MP main, 1.8μm pixel size 64MP Telephoto 12MP Ultrawide-angle lens 10MP selfie camera 8K 30fps or 4K HDR 120fps recording Features: Video Spin, Bright Night, Single Take Photo, Director’s View from all cameras at once, Night Hyperlapse, Vertical Panoramas |
| Processor(s) | Snapdragon 865, Exynos 990 | Snapdragon 865, Exynos 990 | Snapdragon 865, Exynos 990 |
| Memory | from 12GB RAM/128GB to 16GB RAM/512GB basic storage | from 12GB RAM/128GB basic storage | from 12GB RAM/128GB basic storage |
| Battery | 5000mAh | 4500mAh | 4000mAh |
| Price (expected) | from $1099 | from $999 (5G model) | from $799 |
| Release date | Announcement 2/11, release 3/6 | Announcement 2/11, release 3/6 | Announcement 2/11, release 3/6 |
Looking at the specs, you’d most certainly be drawn to the Galaxy S20 Ultra the most. We get it, it will undoubtedly be the best specs and all the new features that Samsung has to offer, at least for the first half of the year. However, it might just be an overkill for the regular Joe and plain Jane.
Who is it for: Galaxy S20 Ultra
You should probably get the Galaxy S20 Ultra if you money’s not really an issue and you’re striving for the latest bleeding edge tech. For a certain amount of time, the Galaxy S20 Ultra will most certainly be the absolute best phone you could get, bar none. With its larger-than-life 6.9-inch, QHD+ 120Hz Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 865/Exynos 990 chipset, 12GB of RAM, 5G support, 5,000mAh and penta-camera, the Galaxy S20 Ultra will be the phone to beat. However, all those top-shelf specs would command a heavy toll – the phone is expected to start at $1,099 at least, and if these specs materialize, the price could be justified.
Who is it for: Galaxy S20+
The Galaxy S20 Plus would serve as a nice middle-ground between the ultra top-tier Galaxy S20 Ultra and the more mundane Galaxy S20. You get the same selection of processors (Snapdragon 865/Exynos 990), 12GB of RAM, 128GB of native storage, a slightly smaller 6.7-inch QHD+ 120Hz Super AMOLED display, 5G support, and a marginally smaller 4,500mAh battery. The cameras are a bit “humbler” in comparison with the Galaxy S20 Ultra – you won’t get the new 108MP camera sensor, but the S20+ would score an improved 12MP snapper that should be quite good on its own as well. Thus, the S20+ would be the perfect match for folks that don’t necessarily need an overkill with specs but would still enjoy a new, large-screen Galaxy phone.
Who is it for: Galaxy S20
Finally, the Galaxy S20 is expected to be the most popular new Galaxy. It will be the most affordable new Galaxy and will thus be quite popular. Mind you, even though it will be priced lower than the other two devices, it will still retain most of the high-end specs of the Galaxy S20+ and the Ultra, with the only major differences being the size of the battery and the camera load-out at the rear. If you’re not really going for the most powerful phone, and more importantly, want a relatively compact device, then the Galaxy S20 should be the phone for you.
Should you upgrade your from your older Galaxy to the Galaxy S20?
In case you own a Galaxy S10 or S10+, then you will definitely have more than a few reasons to upgrade. Even though the 2019 flagships can still hold their ground, the new Galaxy S20-series introduces multiple novelties to warrant an upgrade. However, that might not be the case for anyone – if you’re perfectly fine with the performance, battery life and image quality of your Galaxy S10 or S10 Plus, you might as well wait a bit longer before upgrading.
