Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs S20 Plus vs S20: Charging speed comparison
All three new Samsung Galaxy S20 series of phones come with a very fast, 25-watt charger included in the box, but since there is a difference in the actual size of the battery, you might be wondering which Galaxy S20 phone actually charges faster.
- Galaxy S20 Ultra: 5,000mAh battery, 25 watt charger in the box, max charging speed is 45 watts (you need a separately purchased charger to achieve it)
- Galaxy S20 Plus: 4,500mAh battery, 25 watt charger in the box, max charging speed is 25 watts
- Galaxy S20: 4,000mAh battery, 25 watt charger in the box, max charging speed is 25 watts
Galaxy S20 Ultra vs S20 Plus vs S20 Charging Speed Comparison
| Time / Charge level (all use 25W Samsung charger) |
Galaxy S20 Ultra | Galaxy S20 Plus | Galaxy S20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| in 15 minutes | 32% | 28% | 28% |
| in 30 minutes | 62% | 54% | 54% |
| in 45 minutes | 89% | 80% | 79% |
| 1 hour | 100% | 97% | 95% |
| 1 hour 6 minutes | x | 100% | 100% |
And there you have the results with a surprise: even though all three phones use the same 25-watt charger, the Galaxy S20 Ultra which has the biggest battery which should theoretically take longer to recharge, it actually finishes first in just seconds short of 1 hour.
Throughout most of the test, the Galaxy S20 Plus and S20 run at the exactly same pace with some minor difference towards the end, but both finish a full, 100% charge in exactly 1 hour and 6 minutes.
Overall, these are very fast speeds that will allow users to get a quick 30 minute top up during the day and have enough juice for the rest of the day in case they forgot to charge their phone overnight.
We have seen Chinese companies push the charging speeds to the extreme and some recent phones already charge up fully in less than 40 minutes. The new Galaxies are not quite as fast, but if you are looking for a more secure charge that won’t tax the battery as much, Samsung’s solution might be preferable. We are yet to see long-term studies showing the effect of extremely fast charging on long-term battery health.
Galaxy S20 Ultra Charging Speed Comparison
| Time / Charge Level | S20 Ultra with 45 Watt Super Fast Charger |
S20 Ultra with 25 Watt Fast Charger (in the box) |
S20 Ultra with 15 Watt Samsung Wireless Charger |
|---|---|---|---|
| in 15 minutes | 37% | 32% | 11% |
| in 30 minutes | 70% | 62% | 28% |
| in 45 minutes | 92% | 89% | 45% |
| in 1 hour | 100% | 100% | 61% |
| 1 hour 15 mins | x | x | 77% |
| 1 hour 30 mins | x | x | 92% |
| 1 hour 45 mins | x | x | 100% |
The benefits of using a 45W charger are mostly seen if you give your phone a quick top up for less than 45 minutes, if you are looking for a full 100% charge, the difference in speeds is basically non existent as the 45W charger and the 25W charger both slow down towards the end of the charging cycle and finish in the same amount of time.
So there you have it, your ultimate guide to the Galaxy S20 series charging speeds.