The Galaxy S family is one of the most anticipated of the year as Samsung’s flagships have become a benchmark in the high-end smartphone market. Last year, Samsung surprised with three models of the Galaxy S10, and this year the company repeats the formula of the trio of devices: Samsung Galaxy S20, Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra.
Of these three models, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is the one that is in the middle in terms of performance, although all three have very powerful technical specifications.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus has a 6.7 ″ Dynamic AMOLED display, Exynos 990 processor, 12GB of RAM, 128/256/512 GB of UFS 3.0 storage, 12MP rear camera (wide-angle) + 64MP (3x telephoto) + 12MP (ultra-wide-angle) + ToF, 10MP front camera and 4,500 mAh battery.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus 4G is for sale for € 1,009 with 128GB, while the Galaxy S20 Plus 5G is for sale for € 1,109 with 128GB of storage on the Samsung website. However, you can find it at a more competitive price on Amazon.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus 5G Review
Samsung has launched its three flagships earlier this year: Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 +, and S20 Ultra. Aside from the screen size and rear camera setup, there are no big differences between them as they all share some very powerful technical specs.
Despite the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is the mid-size model, it owns a massive 6.7 ″ display that makes it smaller than last year’s Galaxy S10 +. Samsung has minimized the frames around the screen, making its body more compact than might be expected and its 91% screen-to-body ratio (according to GSM Arena ) beats almost any other smartphone.
Samsung has repeated the formula of the perforated camera in the center of the screen that we saw in the Galaxy Note10, but it has managed to reduce the diameter of the hole. In the day-to-day, the front camera does not interfere with the use of the phone except in some games that show interface elements just in that area.
The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is curved on the sides but this curvature is less noticeable than in previous models, so there are no such annoying reflections.
Both the front and the back are covered by Gorilla Glass 6 curved on the sides. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is available in Cosmic Gray (gray), Cloud Blue (blue), Cosmic Black (black), and Cloud White (white) colors.
Samsung has incorporated an ultrasonic fingerprint reader under the screen. Recognition is quite fast if you manage to put your finger in the reading area since, if you deviate a little, the recognition fails. Luckily, the footprint area is marked when the screen is in Always On Display mode. Samsung has also incorporated a facial recognition system that, despite not being 3D, I have not been able to deceive with a mask (other smartphones have fallen).
As usual in Samsung smartphones, the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is spectacular. It has a Dynamic AMOLED panel with HDR10 + support and two color modes called Natural and Intense that cover the wide DCI P3 color space.
In Natural color mode, color fidelity is excellent, while Intense mode produces oversaturated colors that many users find more eye-catching even though they are less realistic and can be misleading (for example, if you buy a garment or furniture from the mobile).
The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus features wide viewing angles, and the brightness of the screen is one of the highest that has been measured on a smartphone. It reaches 718 nits with 100% of the white screen and I’ve come to measure more than 1,075 nits by reducing the illuminated area to 10%.
Of course, Samsung incorporates the Always On Display functionality, which displays the time and the pending notification icons, and has implemented the double-tap to turn on the screen.
The main novelty of the Galaxy S20 Plus screen is that it offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz, the highest we can find on a smartphone (with the permission of the Nubia Red Magic 5G that is not yet for sale). This high refresh rate makes scrolling and animations feel smoother. Now, by default, the 60 Hz rate is activated (probably due to the lower battery consumption).
The performance of the Samsung Galaxy S20 + is spectacular, as expected since it incorporates the powerful Exynos 990 processor, which is a small improvement over the Exynos 9825 of the Galaxy Note10. I can’t deny that I would have liked to see Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 processor, but Samsung reserves Snapdragon chips for other markets.
The processor is accompanied by a generous 12 GB of RAM in the 5G version and with 8 GB of RAM in the 4G version. In both cases, it is a generous amount of RAM, but I would have liked more to see 12 GB in both.
Samsung Galaxy S20 + has achieved extraordinary results although it has not always surpassed other rivals from last year. In any case, in my experience of use, the Samsung Galaxy S20 + offers extraordinary performance.
Not only are apps fluent, but demanding 3D games like Asphalt 9, Dead Effect 2, and Call of Duty Mobile move at full speed with stable rates of 30 or 60 FPS, depending on the limitations of each game, with hardly frame loss.
Samsung Galaxy S20 + comes with 128 eUFS 3.0 storage, the fastest we can find today without having the eUFS 3.1 that is not yet part of any smartphone.
The storage is expandable through micro-SD cards, in case you need even more capacity but this means that you will lose the possibility of adding a second SIM.
Regarding connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy S20 + supports WiFi 6 (802.11ax), the new protocol for WiFi networks, and LTE / 4G or 5G cellular connectivity depending on the variant you choose. For the first time on a Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy S20 + offers dual-frequency GPS for more precise positioning.
Samsung has provided the Galaxy S20 + with a 4,500 mAh battery, a fairly generous capacity.
In tests, the Galaxy S20 + has obtained good autonomy results but not as spectacular as some of its rivals. With the 120Hz refresh rate, autonomy suffers and battery life in this test drops 20 percent. In practice, you should have no problem getting to the end of the day but my feeling is that you are not as spare as with other smartphones.
Samsung has incorporated a 25W wired fast-charging system (only the Galaxy S20 Ultra enjoys a 45W charge) and, with the included C-PD 3.0 USB charger, it takes about 67 minutes to fully charge. In just half an hour, you get a 56 percent charge. Samsung has also incorporated fast wireless charging at 15W and allows it to power other devices wirelessly (for example, smartphones or other accessories) although quite slowly.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 + has stereo speakers, one of them in the earphone and another located next to the USB-C connector, although the sound is not completely balanced in terms of power.
These speakers emit sound with sufficient power and good quality. It offers to surround sound Dolby Atmos, which can be enjoyed both with headphones and with the speakers of the phone itself.
In the absences section, we must mention the 3.5mm headphone jack, which has been removed as it already happened with the Galaxy Note10 +. We thought that it could return with the Galaxy S20, which does not have the S Pen hole space problem, but it has not been.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 + comes with Android 10 Pie and, above, the Samsung One UI 2.1 personalization layer that seeks to simplify the use of the smartphone and make the most used buttons and controls more accessible.
Samsung has removed almost all of its own applications that were previously pre-loaded but you can access all of them from the Galaxy Store and, of course, the Google Play Store is also available.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 + has a lot of software features above Android such as gesture control, power-saving modes, secure folder, dual messaging, Game Tools, Edge panels, Samsung Pass, Samsung Pay, Quick Share, or the Bixby virtual assistant.
One of the interesting features of Samsung is DeX, which allows you to use the phone as if it were a computer just by connecting it with an HDMI cable to a screen and, optionally, to a keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth.
It is also possible to connect it to a Windows 7/10 or macOS computer and access DeX in a computer window.
Samsung has incorporated four cameras in the back of the Galaxy S20 + that offers great versatility since they allow taking shots in ultra-wide-angle (12MP – f / 2.2), wide-angle (12MP – f / 1.8) and 3x telephoto (64MP – f / 2.0). The fourth camera is a depth camera for Augmented Reality and photos with bokeh effect.
Samsung has added a functionality called Scene Optimization that, through AI, detects a scene such as food or vegetation and automatically applies certain settings, usually related to color saturation.
We also find a Night mode that increases the brightness of the scene as if we were taking a long-exposure photograph, but without the risk of it moving. The photograph takes longer to capture but the result is quite good.
Samsung has incorporated a mode called Dynamic Focus that allows you to blur the background of a photograph (even afterward) to simulate the well-known bokeh effect, and the result is the best I’ve seen.
The ultra-wide-angle camera offers good image quality in good light conditions, but it is not a camera intended for night shots due to its limited aperture and lack of optical stabilization.
The 3x zoom camera is quite curious since, contrary to what one would expect, it does not have a telephoto lens but a wide-angle lens. Zooming is done by cropping the central area of ​​the image captured by its 64MP sensor. This has the advantage that the lens is brighter and therefore the performance in low light is quite good.
Finally, the main camera (wide-angle) has obtained lower results than expected in tests, especially in comparison with other smartphones. After some tests, I suspect that the lens loses sharpness in a specific area, but due to the confinement situation we are experiencing, I have not been able to receive a new Galaxy S20 + to check if it is a specific problem with my unit.
The front camera of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus has a 10MP sensor and f / 2.2 aperture and allows you to take individual selfies or group selfies with a wider viewing angle. The image quality is quite good and it is even possible to take selfies with blurred background.
The rear camera is capable of recording video in 8K resolution (7680 × 4320) at 24 fps, a novelty more thought for the future than for today.
It is also possible to record in UHD / 4K (3840 × 2160) at 30 / 60fps, Full HD / 1080p (1920 × 1080) at 30 / 60fps, and HD / 720p (1280 × 720), while the front camera can record videos in UHD, Full HD and HD formats at 30fps. In addition, the Samsung Galaxy S20 + allows recording HDR10 + video at 4K @ 30fps with higher contrast and color, although this functionality is in beta.
In the videos, the image quality has been excellent in all modes, although the 60fps recording modes at night are too noisy. Samsung offers a Super Stabilization mode but it is only available at 1080p @ 30fps.
Finally, I can not stop naming AR Emoji, the functionality that allows us to create avatars in our image and likeness and, subsequently, animate them. Samsung has added some new games that can entertain the little ones in the house.
In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy S20 + is a highly recommended smartphone if you are behind a device with an attractive design, great power, a large number of software functionalities, and a versatile set of cameras.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus 5G Full Specifications
| Colors | Cosmic Black Cosmic Gray Cloud Blue |
| Dimensions & Weight | Dimensions: 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8mm Weight: 186g *5G mmWave version weighs 188g. |
| Display | 6.7″ Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display (3200S20 5G440) 525 ppi HDR10+ certified 120Hz refresh rate support |
| Camera | ** Front Camera 10MP Selfie Camera Dual Pixel AF Pixel size: 1.22μm FOV: 80˚ F.No (aperture): F2.2 ** Rear Camera 12MP Ultra Wide Camera Pixel size: 1.4μm F.No (aperture): F2.2 12MP Wide-angle Camera Pixel size: 1.8μm F.No (aperture): F1.8 64MP Telephoto Camera Pixel size: 0.8μm F.No (aperture): F2.0 DepthVision Camera Space Zoom Hybrid Optic Zoom 3x Super Resolution Zoom up to 30x OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) |
| Useful features | ** Camera settings bar VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilization) Full view Timer ** Camera settings menu HDR (High Dynamic Range) Grid lines Floating Shutter button Motion photos Location tags Quick launch **AR features AR Doodle Quick Measure 3D Scanner |
| Battery Capacity | 4500mAh (typical) |
| Charging | Improved wireless charging speeds with Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 Fast Charging compatible on wired and wireless Wireless PowerShare |
| Memory | 5G 12GB RAM (LPDDR5) with 512GB internal storage 12GB RAM (LPDDR5) with 256GB internal storage 12GB RAM (LPDDR5) with 128GB internal storage LTE 8GB RAM (LPDDR5) with 128GB internal storage |
| Expandable Memory & SIM Card | * Single SIM model: one Nano SIM and one MicroSD slot (up to 1TB) * Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot): one Nano SIM and one Nano SIM or one MicroSD slot (up to 1TB) |
| OS | Android 10 |
| Sensors & Buttons | Sensors Ultrasonic Fingerprint sensor Accelerometer Barometer Gyro sensor Geomagnetic sensor Hall sensor Proximity sensor RGB Light sensor Buttons Power and Bixby key Volume key |
| In the Box | Device Data Cable Travel Adapter Ejection Pin Earphones sound by AKG Quick Start Guide Clear Cover Protective Film |
All images credits and The specifications reference is the official website of Samsung “Galaxy S20 5G“
The Best and Worst about Samsung Galaxy S20 + 5G
The best:
The Worst:
Samsung Galaxy S20 + 5G Price and Competitors
The Samsung Galaxy S20 + has a fairly high price, as expected given the characteristics and functionalities of the terminal. It is for sale on the Samsung website for € 1,009 with 4G connectivity and € 1,109 with 5G connectivity, in both cases with 128GB of storage. However, you can find it for € 899 (4G) and € 999 (5G) on Amazon,
If we look at other high-end phones, we have several interesting options that can be alternatives to the Galaxy S20 +, among which we highlight the following.
First, we have the ‘little’ brother Samsung Galaxy S20 ( € 909 at Samsung) which features a 6.2 ″ AMOLED display, Exynos 990 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of UFS 3.0 storage, triple 12MP rear camera (wide-angle) ) + 64MP (telephoto) + 12MP (ultra-wide-angle), 10MP front camera and 4,000 mAh battery.
Nor can we forget its “older” brother Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra ( € 1,359 at Samsung) that has superior specifications: 6.9 ″ AMOLED screen, Exynos 990 processor, 12/16 GB of RAM, 128/256/512 GB of storage UFS 3.0, 108MP rear camera (wide- angle) + 10x hybrid zoom periscope (48MP) + ultra-wide-angle camera (12MP) + depth (0.3MP), 40MP front camera and 5,000 mAh battery.
If you like photography, the Huawei P40 Pro 5G ( € 1,099 on Amazon) is a good reference. It has a 6.6 Full HD + OLED screen, Kirin 990 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, 50MP rear camera (wide angle) + 5x optical zoom periscope (12MP) + ultra-wide-angle camera (40MP) + 32MP front camera depth, 5G connectivity and 4,200 mAh battery with direct and reverse wireless charging.
In case you are behind a 5G smartphone, the LG V50 ThinqQ 5G (€ 1,026 in Amazon) comes with a 6.4 QHD + OLED screen, Snapdragon 855, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage + micro-SD, 12MP rear camera + 16MP (super wide angle) + 12MP (2x zoom), 8MP + 5MP (wide angle) front camera, Boombox stereo speaker, 5G connectivity and 4,000 mAh battery.
Great value for money we have the OnePlus 7T Pro ( € 759 on Amazon) with a Fluid AMOLED screen of 6.7, Snapdragon 855+ processor, 8/12 GB of RAM, 56GB of storage, wide-angle rear camera (48MP) + telephoto (8MP) + ultra-wide-angle (16MP), 16MP front camera and 4,085 mAh battery.
Another recently announced smartphone is the Oppo Find X2 Pro (€ 1,199 when it goes on sale) with a 6.7 ″ AMOLED display, Snapdragon 865 processor, 12 GB of RAM, 256/512 GB of UFS 3.0 storage, wide-angle rear camera ( 48MP) + 5x telephoto lens (13MP) + ultra-wide-angle (48MP), 32MP front camera and 4,260 mAh battery
We can not stop talking about the iPhone 11 Pro ( 1,159 EUR ), which has a 5.8 OLED screen that occupies almost the entire front (except the cutout on the top), A13 Bionic processor, 4G / LTE connectivity and a triple camera of 12MP.
