From left to right: the Galaxy S20 Plus, the Galaxy S20 Ultra and the Galaxy S20.
Angela/CNET
Preorders for Samsung’s latest flagship phones, which include the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, begin Friday, Feb. 21, and last through March 5. The company first announced the devices earlier this month at Samsung Unpacked (where it also announced the Galaxy Z Flip foldable phone), and the handsets themselves are big, powerful and ultra luxe. The phones share high-end hardware and have new features that signal the direction of where phones are heading — namely 5G connectivity (which all three phones have) and screens with a higher, 120Hz refresh rate.
But the phones have key differences among each other as well. The 6.2-inch Galaxy S20 is the smallest of the bunch, followed by the S20 Plus and the S20 Ultra, which has a 6.9-inch display. In addition, the Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus both have a wide-angle, telephoto and ultrawide cameras, but the S20 Plus and the S20 Ultra have one extra camera. This fourth one is a time-of-flight camera that measures depth for AR applications. Because the phones belong to Samsung’s marquee line, they’re expensive. The S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra start at $999, $1,199 and $1,399, respectively. (They’re £799, £999, £1,199 in the UK and AU$1,349, AU$1,499 and AU$1,999 in Australia.)
Watch this:
Hands-on with the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra
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As well as 5G and the higher refresh rates, the Galaxy S20 devices can hold more expandable storage compared to last year’s Galaxy S10 line, they shoot 8K video (rather than just 4K) and they run Samsung’s second generation of its One UI out of the box.
For more on how the Galaxy S20 and S10 phones vary, check out the spec comparison chart below. And check out CNET’s Galaxy S20 hands-on and our guide on how to preorder the Galaxy S20 too. (Note the prices for the S10 and S10 Plus are as they were at launch, not today.)
Galaxy S20 phones vs. Galaxy S10
| Samsung Galaxy S20 | Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S10 | Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 6.2-inch AMOLED | 6.7-inch AMOLED | 6.9-inch AMOLED | 6.1-inch AMOLED; 3,040×1,440-pixels | 6.4-inch AMOLED; 3,040×1,440-pixels |
| Pixel density | 563ppi | 525ppi | 511ppi | 550ppi | 522ppi |
| Dimensions (Inches) | 2.72 x 5.97 x 0.311 in | 2.9 x 6.37 x 0.30 in | 2.99 x 6.57 x 0.35 in | 5.9 x 2.77 x 0.31 in | 6.20 x 2.92 x 0.31 in |
| Dimensions (Millimeters) | 69.1 x 151.7 x 7.9 mm | 73.7 x 161.9 x 7.8mm | 76.0 x 166.9 x 8.8mm | 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8 mm | 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight (Ounces, Grams) | 5.75 oz; 163g | 6.56 oz; 186g | 7.76 oz; 220g | 5.53 oz; 157g | 6.17 oz; 175g |
| Mobile software | Android 10 | Android 10 | Android 10 | Android 9 | Android 9 |
| Camera | 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) | 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), time-of-flight camera | 108-megapixel (wide-angle), 48-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), time-of-flight camera | 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto) | 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 10-megapixel | 10-megapixel | 40-megapixel | 10-megapixel | 10-megapixel, 8-megapixel |
| Video capture | 8K | 8K | 8K | 4K | 4K |
| Processor | 64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5 GHz + 2.0 GHz) | 64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5 GHz + 2.0 GHz) | 64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5 GHz + 2.0 GHz) | Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 | Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 |
| Storage | 128GB | 128GB, 512GB | 128GB, 512GB | 128GB, 512GB | 128GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB | 12GB, 16GB | 8GB | 8GB, 12GB |
| Expandable storage | Up to 1TB | Up to 1TB | Up to 1TB | Up to 512GB | Up to 512GB |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh | 4,500 mAh | 5,000 mAh | 3,400 mAh | 4,100 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Special features | 5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; water resistant (IP68) | 5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; water resistant (IP68) | 5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; 100X zoom; water resistant (IP68) | Wireless PowerShare; hole punch screen notch; water resistant (IP68); Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 | Wireless PowerShare; hole punch screen notch; water resistant (IP68); Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 |
| Price off-contract (USD) | $999 | $1,199 | $1,399 | $900 | $1,000 (128GB), $1,249 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB) |
| Price (GBP) | £799, £899 (5G) | £999 (5G) | £1,199 (128GB), £1,399 (512GB) | £799 | £899 (128GB) |
| Price (AUD) | AU$1,349, AU$1,499 (5G) | AU$1,499, AU$1,649 (5G) | AU$1,999 | AU$1,349 | AU$1,499 (128GB) |
Originally published last week.