Read our in-depth review of Samsung's flagship, Samsung Galaxy S20+, to know if the smartphone is worth its buying price.
By Prasham Parikh March 11, 2020
Mashable Score 8
Cool Factor 4.50
Ease of Use 4.00
Bang for the Buck 4.00
• Great weight management • 120Hz AMOLED display • IP68 certification • Quad-camera setup • Good performance
• Battery endurance • Biometrics
> Samsung Galaxy S20+
Humans and numbers are intricately woven with each other and there's probably nothing of more importance than mathematics. This is exactly why the discovery of zero has had, and the unproven Riemann hypothesis will have, a radical impact on us humans and the way world functions. But why are we talking about numbers and math here, you ask? Well, with the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, Samsung has taken a giant leap in its nomenclature.
While a part of the jump in numbers from the S10 to the S20 is justified by the magnanimous numbers the S20 series has to offer, the other part of the justification – the primary reason – is to mark the S20 as the dawn of Samsung's next decade of innovation.
This time around, the Plus variant of the lot – the Samsung Galaxy S20+, isn't the top-of-the-line offering that you'd expect it to be. Instead, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is the smartphone that holds that plaque. The S20+ sits right between the most affordable phone of the lot, the Galaxy S20 and the top-of-the-line S20 Ultra.
Samsung's major points of marketing for the S20+ have been the all-new 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED display and the quad-camera setup that boasts of 3x hybrid optic zoom and up to 30x digital zoom. Obviously, the S20 series also have a relatively new design and come with updated internals.
Although, the S20+ won't join the ranks of the Realme X50 Pro or the iQOO 3 because the Indian variant is not powered by the Snapdragon 865. Instead, it's powered by Samsung's latest Exynos 990 chip that's also based on a 7nm EUV manufacturing process.
Now that we've established the Samsung Galaxy S20+ and its highlights, let's answer the burning question of if the changes have resulted in a radically improved device and if the phone is worth the moolah.
Samsung Galaxy S20+ Review: What's Smashable
Build & Design
With the Galaxy S20, Samsung's design language takes a step in uncharted territory that is deeply still tied with the roots of the previous chapter. Still tied with the roots in that, the Galaxy S20+ is still a glass-and-aluminium display that is protected with the proverbial cherry of Gorilla Glass 6 on top. But unlike most successors, you may be able to tell the S20 apart from the S10 when put next to each other.
The Galaxy S20+ is IP68 certified which means a shower with it is all cool.
Let's talk about the back first. With the S20+, Samsung forgoes of the neat horizontal rack of cameras. Instead, the cameras are now housed in a bulging rectangular module that sits to the left of the back. The railing of the module is pained in chrome and gives a nice contrast to the Cosmic Gray colour.
Talking about the colour, the S20+ comes in three colourways: Cosmic Black, Cosmic Gray and Cloud Blue. While the black is always a safe bet, the gray should be a good choice for anyone looking for a discreet look. The Cloud Blue variant, on the other hand, is a refreshing splash of colour that will definitely set you apart from the crowd.
But being glass, the S20+ invariably is a breeding ground for fingerprints. If you're not a fan of how it looks, you can always slap a case on it or apply a skin. Notably, Samsung bundles a regular TPU case with the phone but it's nothing to write home about.
No Bixby button here!
As mentioned above, the S20+ is noticeably different from the S10+. But we'll talk about this in the next section, the display. For now, I'd like to bring your attention to weight management on the S20+. Despite having a 6.7-inch display, a 4,500mAh battery, and weighing 186 grams, the phone is surprisingly handy. Samsung has done an excellent job with weight management and the phone doesn't feel heavy. Also, the narrow 20:9 display makes the phone more comfortable to hold.
The S20+ also happens to be the first flagship phone from Samsung that doesn't come with a Bixby button. Both, the power button and the volume rocker sit on the right-hand side of the phone. Unfortunately, a long-press of the power button doesn't summon the power menu but Bixby. Good news is that you can configure it to work the other way round.
The sides of the S20+ also get a chrome finish that matches the railing of the camera module. While I'm not a huge fan of the flashy chrome finish, it brings a much-needed contrast to the otherwise morose gray.
120Hz Display
Samsung's Galaxy S series, with its unwavering consistency, always sets the benchmark for displays on a smartphone. The display on the Galaxy S20+ is no different. The S20+ boasts of a 6.7-inch Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED, HDR-10 enabled panel that's gorgeous in every sense of the word.
But what's more important is that Samsung has finally made the jump to a higher-refresh-rate panel. The S20+ has a 120Hz panel with an impressive 240Hz touch response. The amalgamation of animations on One UI 2.0 and the butter-smooth 120Hz panel has had me mindlessly navigating the phone. Trust me when I say this, it'll quite possibly ruin the 60Hz display experience for you.
Surprisingly, the phone is set at 60Hz out of the box. Also, although the S20+ has a QHD+ panel, the display will be limited to Full HD resolution when using the 120Hz refresh rate. While it might seem disappointing, I didn't quite miss it after knowing the impact of the higher refresh rate on the battery endurance. But for what it's worth, Samsung is reportedly working on enabling 120Hz for QHD+ too.
With the S20+, Samsung has yet again shown its prowess in making the best smartphone displays in the world.
Coming back to what I mentioned in the previous sub-section, on how the S20+ is easily differentiable from the S10+. For the first time since the Note Edge/S6 Edge, Samsung has drastically reduced the curves of the display. The display is still slightly curved but it's not as dramatic as what we saw on the Note 10. In my honest opinion, this is a welcome change as it does away with the annoying light reflections that plagued previous models. Also, accidental touches are now non-existent.
The curves are subtler than ever before
Coming to the panel quality, it's easily the best display on a smartphone right now. It's vibrant, bright and just so rich to look at. But if you're not a fan of vibrant colours, you can dial down the saturation by switching to a natural colour profile. Also, for what it's worth, the display on the S20 is slightly on the warmer side. Also, when I mentioned 'bright' above, I meant it. Viewing the phone in direct harsh sunlight is no big deal.
SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Might Have A 'Waterfall' Display', Hints Patent
Since the display supports HDR-10 content, you'll be able to enjoy HDR content on Netflix. Netflix's Night on Earth arrived at the right time for me to test it out. And as expected, it was a treat to watch on the Galaxy S20+. If you're looking for the best media experience on a smartphone, it doesn't get better than the Samsung Galaxy S20+.
The Indian variant of the Samsung Galaxy S20+ comes equipped with Samsung's in-house Exynos 990 SoC. But unlike some international markets where the phone has a 12GB RAM variant too, unfortunately, there's only a single 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM variant available in India, at the time of writing.
Now, in terms of benchmarks, the Exynos 990 is no champion. It doesn't quite come close to the numbers we've seen phones like the Realme X50 Pro and the iQOO 3 achieve – phones that run on the Snapdragon 865. But in day-to-day usage, I rarely found a reason to complain.
The stereo speakers add some depth to the gaming experience.
The 990 keeps everything running smoothly and there's no discernible lag. I can't quite recollect a time where I had a bitter experience with normal usage. As mentioned above, One UI 2.0 is wonderfully optimized and app-opening speeds are quite quick. Memory management, with 8GB of RAM, is quite good too. On one instance, it kept Call of Duty in the background for over 40 minutes. Although it's not mindblowing that it did that, it's a good indicator of how good it is with RAM management.
The Exynos 990 is not as thermal and power-efficient as the Snapdragon 865.
Interestingly, you can also decide to keep an application open in the background at all times. After selecting the application of your choice from the multitasking menu, the phone will load the application to RAM and keep it ready to go at your beck and call.
SEE ALSO: IQOO 3 5G Review: A Successful Debut With Room To Quest On
Coming to gaming performance, the phone had no issues playing games like Call of Duty and PUBG at the highest graphics settings. Although, it doesn't do an excellent job in maintaining a steady frame rate. YouTuber Dhananjay measured the average frame rates of PUBG to be 43. Also, the Exynos 990 doesn't seem to be as good as the Snapdragon 865 in terms of heat dissipation. Under extreme workloads like long gaming sessions, the phone does get quite warm. Although, it's not something I faced as often in my time of over two weeks with the Galaxy S20+.
Talking about gaming, the S20 series – including the S20+ - skip out on the headphone jack. But the bundled AKG-tuned USB Type-C earphones are pretty good and won't let you down. But if you're one of those people who find themselves using the speaker more, you'll be happy to know that the S20+ has a set of stereo speakers – also tuned by AKG. With support for Dolby Atmos, they did offer good separation and warm sound. Although, I would've appreciated deeper bass.
Call quality on the S20+ was also pretty good. Support for VoWiFi makes the call experience only better. On a related note, the Galaxy S20+ also has support for WiFi 6 but I didn't quite have the opportunity to test it out. But this should make the S20+ future-proof and result in improved WiFi connectivity in crowded areas like stadiums that will soon make use of WiFi 6 routers.
I couldn't finish the performance section without talking about the haptic engine on the S20+. The vibration motor on the S20+ is phenomenal and is tactfully used across the software. It's strong enough to be notice calls even while riding a bike and is quite nuanced when performing tasks like typing.
One look at Samsung's socials and you'll realise the only thing that's marketed about the Galaxy S20 series is its camera prowess. This has, in fact, been a subject of prime focus for Samsung this time around. While the Galaxy S20+ doesn't boast of the 100x Space Zoom and the 108MP sensor, it is still bejewelled with some interesting numbers. So, let's get the numbers out of the way first.
The S20+'s rear camera setup comprises of four sensors: a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, a 12MP f/1.8 primary sensor, a 64MP f/2.0 telephoto sensor, and finally a DepthVision sensor. Unlike the S20 Ultra, the S20+ missed out on the periscope sensor that gives the Ultra its ridiculous zooming capabilities. Up front, there's a 10MP f/2.2 sensor for your selfie needs. All cameras of the S20+ can shoot up to 4K@60fps, while the primary sensor can go all the way up to shoot 8K@24fps footage. The 64MP telephoto sensor supports 3x hybrid optical zoom and up to 30x "Super Resolution Zoom".
Daylight shots are goooooooood
Now that we have the numbers out of the way, let's talk about the camera performance. The Galaxy S20 is definitely a considerable jump from the Galaxy S10 series. For starters, the primary sensor is 28% bigger than its predecessor which will not only help it capture more detailed images but will also help with low-light performance. And as expected, the Galaxy S20+ sits amongst the heavyweights – the iPhone 11 and the Google Pixel 3 – in daylight imaging. It produces excellent images that are characteristic of great details & dynamic range. The S20+ also does a good job of maintaining a balance between shadows & highlights.
Damn fine portraits
When it comes to portraits or Live Focus, as Samsung calls it, the S20+ does a great job with human subjects. Although, when it comes to objects, edge detection can go a bit awry at times. The intensity of the portrait effect can be changed in post and you can also refocus if the phone doesn't get it right. Although, in low-light conditions, portraits aren't as sharp as regular images and edge detection can go for a toss.
(Click on the image above to see all images in the carousel)
30x zoom is barely usable, but 10x definitely is
The 64MP telephoto sensor is not quite as capable as the periscope sensor as we've seen on the S20 Ultra, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro or the OPPO Reno 10x Zoom, but it does come in handy in certain situations. Although it can go in all the way up to 30x, I'd personally not recommend going beyond 10x. Since its simply digitally zooming into the picture, you might as well crop into a 10x image in post. I ask you to do in post because it's mighty difficult to frame a shot while zoomed in at 30x. But Samsung does make it slightly easier buy showing a crosshair of where exactly the sensor is pointing at in a preview window on the top-right.
Also, don't expect shareable images when clicking in low light. But if you do find yourself in a situation where you need to zoom in, make sure to use Night Mode that supports up to 10x zoom and brings in remarkable improvements when compared to regular auto mode shots.
Ultrawide's quite good
The ultrawide sensor on the Galaxy S20+ does a great job in daylight conditions, although there is some barrel distortion. But I was quite happy with the dynamic range on this sensor. Even in tricky lighting conditions, the S20+ did a good job in not blowing out highlights. Although, night performance wasn't as good. When taking shots in low-light, I'd highly recommend using the Night Mode that'll result in pictures with lesser noise and slightly more detail. In terms of colour parity, the S20+ is probably not quite there at the iPhone 11's level.
Low-light and night performance
The Samsung Galaxy S20, just by the virtue of its larger sensor size, does a considerably better job than its predecessor. The Night Mode is supported for all three sensors. The most annoying part about Night Mode is that it's hidden away in the "More" settings and doesn't make it to the regular video tabs. Given how often Night Mode is used, it'd be so much more useful it rested on the quick-access menu.
Night Mode Sample: Pixel 3a (Left) | Samsung Galaxy S20+ (Right)
Night images are comparable to Google's Pixel 3 and the iPhone 11, if not better in certain situations. Although, the output of the telephoto sensor and the ultrawide sensor don't quite match up with the output of the primary sensor. Another annoyance I had with Night Mode is that in slightly worse low-light conditions, the phone demanded me to hold the phone in the same position for a longer duration.
You can check all full-sized image samples here.
8K is cool but not practical
Yeah, the Samsung Galaxy S20+ can shoot videos in 8K@24fps and that's ridiculously cool. But beyond the cool factor, there's very little reason for you to jump on the S20+ just because it can shoot 8K videos. There are quite a few hurdles I faced with 8K on the S20+. Firstly, it takes a lot of resources – battery and storage. A minute-long video will gobble up to 600MB of storage. In terms of battery, the phone lasted me about 2 hours and 45 minutes while shooting footage worth 30-35 minutes.
​Now coming to actual output, the 8K footage suffers terribly from rolling shutter. Since there's no stabilization to assist, it's highly recommended to put the phone on a tripod or hold it very still. Also, the footage is unnaturally saturated and a slight drop in light also leads to a considerable drop in quality. All things said and done, it's still pretty cool to see the phone can shoot 8K videos and directly upload them to YouTube.
For all practical purposes, I'd suggest you stick with 4K@60fps on the Galaxy S20+. You can also shoot 4K@30fps and switch across all the three lenses while shooting a video. Although, the transition from one lens is not as smooth as what we've seen on the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
The phone also has support for Super Steady stabilization that makes use of the ultrawide sensor to give gimbal-like footage in 1080p. Although, I'd suggest you stick with regular 4K@30fps as OIS does a pretty good job on the S20+ and will also give better footage. The S20+ also has support for Audio Zoom and experimental features like HDR 10+ video.
SEE ALSO: iPhone 11 Review: Getting El-even With Android Flagships' Cameras
The S20+ comes with Android 10 out of the box with Samsung's One UI 2.1 on top. Like we've seen on other Samsung phones before, One UI has a million of features that it comes baked with. While it's impossible to go through them all, we'll go through the most interesting ones.
The S20+ has introduced a new feature with the S20+ called Music Share that solves a problem I guarantee most of us have faced. With Music Share, you can allow a third person to play songs on a speaker that's already connected to your phone. So, the next time someone else wants to play music in your car, you won't have to delete an existing device and then connect their device.
Some other key features include Samsung Dex and Link to Windows. Samsung Dex allows you to use your phone in desktop mode when connected to a desktop (Windows or Mac) . It gives you the ability to open freeform windows and multitask as you'd do on Windows or Mac. It works quite well and can come in handy when you don't have access to your workstation. Link to Windows is a feature that allows you to use your smartphone on a Windows desktop or laptop. You simply need to log in to your Microsoft account and give it access to mirror the phone's screen to the desktop. You'll not only be able to use your phone without accessing it, but you'll also be able to make and receive calls.
Some other notable features of One UI 2.0 is Dark Mode, Focus Mode, Edge Lighting (to notify users about incoming notifications), and Dual Messenger (to use two social media accounts on the same device). Also, new with the S20 series is the integration of Google Duo within the Samsung Phone application that will allow you to quickly make video calls to other contacts who are registered on the service too.
Worth mentioning is that One UI still comes with a lot of duplication applications and there's some bloatware too.
Samsung Galaxy S20+ Review: What's Not Smashable
Samsung has upped the battery capacity across the S20 series. The Samsung Galaxy S20+ comes with a 4,500mAh battery that's beefier than the 4,100mAh we saw on last year's top-end variant. Quite obviously, the jump in the numbers is meant to normalize battery drain given that the phone makes use of a 120Hz display now. Unfortunately, it seems like there's still a variance between the efficiency of the Snapdragon 865 and the Exynos 990 variants.
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While journalists using the Snapdragon 865 variant have reported great battery life with over 6-7 hours of SoT (with 20% battery to spare), I've quite often found myself needing to charge the phone by 3-4 PM. With 120Hz enabled, my SoT averaged at 4.5-5 hours which is definitely not good. Agreed, I'm not a light user by any means, but not being able to end my day on a single charge is quite disappointing.
If you really want to milk the phone, you can drop down the refresh rate to 60Hz or reduce the sharpness of the display to 720p. But honestly, if anyone spends INR 74,000 on a phone that's been marketed to have a 120Hz display, a user shouldn't have to resort to such tactics to make the phone last an entire day.
So if you're looking to buy a flagship phone that will last you all day long, the S20+ might not cut it for you. Fortunately, there's 25W Super Fast Charging that will replenish the battery within an hour. Apart from wired charging, the phone also supports 10W wireless charging. And like the previous two flagships from Samsung, it also has support for reverse wireless charging that can charge accessories like the Samsung Galaxy Buds or the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 on the go.
This is one aspect where the S20+ really lags behind the competition. In terms of hardware, there's an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner that is now quite changed from what we saw on the Note 10 series and the S10 series. Unfortunately, it's still as bad and is not as quick as the inferior optical fingerprint scanner we've seen on phones like the OnePlus 7T Pro.
https://"> ​ There's no dedicated hardware for Face Unlock on the S20+.
Recently, in December, Qualcomm showed off its second-gen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that not only had a larger activation area but was also quicker. While I was expecting the S20 series to grace it, it's apparently still not ready for commercial usage. Resultantly, we're still stuck with the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that is theoretically more secure and works with wet fingers too, but practically isn't as quick and reliable as the regular optical scanners out there.
Samsung has also bundled software-based face recognition but it's quite iffy and works only occasionally. Considering we're talking about a flagship phone here, it's quite disappointing to see the state of biometrics here. This is one aspect where Samsung really needs to burn candles at both ends.
Samsung Galaxy S20+ Review: Final Verdict
With the S20+, Samsung has made some key improvements that give a very good start to Samsung's S series this decade. Amongst the most important changes is the all-new camera setup that gives the S20+ a good chance at fighting for the best camera phone, even when this year ends. But keep in mind, the camera improvements this time seem to have been hardware-led and there's a lot of scope with software processing that can push the S20 even further.
What else? The S20 has an excellent display the 120Hz refresh rate of which will have you hooked. With great build quality and the IP68 certification, the S20+ can accompany you right about anywhere. My major gripe with the phone is the variance between the Exynos 990 and the Snapdragon 865 in terms of efficiency. Also, Samsung really needs to double down its efforts when it comes to biometrics.
SEE ALSO: Dear Samsung, The Snapdragon-Exynos Variance Is Unfortunate
But all in all, this isn't just some other brick in the wall. The Samsung Galaxy S20+ is an incredible smartphone that stands to be one of the best smartphones in the market. If you're using the S10+, your only motivation to upgrade should be the display and the new cameras. But if you're coming from an older device, from Samsung or otherwise, the S20+ has a lot that you'll like.
Image Credits: Shomik Sen Bhattacharjee & Prasham Parikh | Mashable India
Topics: Tech, Samsung Galaxy S10, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Note 10, Samsung Galaxy S20, Samsung Galaxy S20+, Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite, Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra