The S10 was incredible. Here’s what Samsung’s doing to improve for 2020.
Samsung’s Galaxy S series is always one of the most anticipated smartphone releases year after year. Following a modest upgrade with the S9 series, 2019’s Galaxy S10 lineup shook things up with an all-new Infinity-O design for the display, triple rear cameras, and even a third “budget” model.
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In the coming months, it’ll be time for Samsung to take the wraps off of the Galaxy S20 (Samsung’s expected to ditch the Galaxy S11 name). The phone has big shoes to fill, but knowing Samsung, it’ll be up to the task.
Without further ado, here’s everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy S20!
- There will probably be three versions
- The S20’s design has been revealed
- Here are the specs we’re anticipating
- Why isn’t it called the S11?
- Expect a high price
- It’ll be announced on February 11
- Don’t count out the Galaxy S10 just yet
Flagship in every way
Samsung Galaxy S10
From $900 at Samsung
Samsung’s 2019 flagship is still worth a look.
The Galaxy S20 is bound to be a great phone, but if you need a handset right now, the S10 is more than worth picking up. It continues to have a stunning display, blazing-fast performance, and very capable triple rear cameras.
How many models are we expecting?
Most years, Samsung’s Galaxy S lineup has consisted of two releases — the regular model and a Plus one. With the S10, however, Samsung shook things up by launching the Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e. Looking forward with the Galaxy S20, we’re expecting Samsung to stick with that three-phone release — kind of.
On November 9, 2019, tipster Evan Blass shared three screen sizes for the different S20 phones — inlcuding 6.4-inch, 6.7-inch, and 6.9-inch ones. Then, on December 30, another report suggested that Samsung will be dropping the “e” variant in 2020 and instead offer the regular Galaxy S, a Plus, and an Ultra model.
Most recently, on January 12, Max Weinbach released a heap of info regarding the Galaxy S20 lineup, including the various models Samsung is releasing.
Samsung Galaxy S20Samsung Galaxy S20 5GSamsung Galaxy S20+Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5GSamsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) January 12, 2020
While there will technically be five versions of the phone, the core models are the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra 5G. With the S20 and S20+, you’ll just have the option of getting 5G connectivity or not.
What will it look like?
In regards to the S20’s design, it’s shaping up to be a modest change compared to the S10. The latest and best renders were shared on January 23, courtesy of 91Mobiles and Ishan Agarwal. The display once again has a hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera, but this time it’s centered at the top of the screen similar to what we saw on the Note 10.
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Around back, Samsung changed up the rear camera housing quite a bit. Instead of a horizontal bump in the top-center of the phone, we now have a chunky vertical one towards far left side. The S20 appears to have three camera sensors, with the S20 Plus and S20 Ultra having more.
The render also reinforces the 6.2-inch screen size, along with there being no 3.5mm headphone jack.
Moving along to the S20+, it’s a mostly similar design. The display still has a centered hole-punch cutout, but it should be larger at 6.7-inches. There’s also an additional fourth camera on the back, which we suspect to be a time-of-flight sensor.
Speaking of the Galaxy S20+, January 12 is when we got the best hands-on images yet of it.
The S20+ in these photos lines up exactly with the CAD renders, indicating that this is the final design. Also, while the display is technically curved, it supposedly feels a lot flater in-person compared to something like the Galaxy S10.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3318yIY6_Bc?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
In addition to the hands-on pictures, we also have a short hands-on video that gives us another look at the S20+. The camera bump on the back certainly is large, and as noted by Max Weinbach over at XDA, “The Galaxy S20+ is a massive device, coming in much taller than the Galaxy S10+.”
A hands-on picture of the S20+ next to the S10+ has also been shared, and as you can see, it sure is quite the difference. For folks that aren’t fans of large, tall smartphones, you might want to look elsewhere.
Finally, let’s gawk over the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The design around front is mostly the same, with the largest display of the bunch at 6.9-inches. The rear camera housing is also different, with Samsung touting its “100X Space Zoom” branding right on it.
The S20 Ultra will be Samsung’s tour de force for camera tech, and it’ll be especially interesting to see how the S20 Ultra stacks up against the Pixel 4 and iPhone 11 Pro.
Any idea what the specs will be?
The Galaxy S20 series will be Samsung’s first lineup of flagships for 2020, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that they’re chock-full of high-end internals.
Based on the latest leaks and rumors, here’s what we’re anticipating.
| Operating System | Android 10 One UI 2.0 | Android 10 One UI 2.0 | Android 10 One UI 2.0 |
| Display | 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 120Hz 3200 x 1440 20.9 aspect ratio | 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 120Hz 3200 x 1440 20:9 aspect ratio | 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 120Hz 3200 x 1440 20.9 aspect ratio |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 |
| Memory | 12GB | 12GB | 12GB 16GB |
| Storage | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB 512GB |
| Expandable Storage | Up to 1TB | Up to 1TB | Up to 1TB |
| Rear Camera 1 | 12MP main | 12MP main | 108MP main |
| Rear Camera 2 | 64MP telephoto 3x optical | 64MP telephoto 3x optical | 48MP telephoto 10x optical |
| Rear Camera 3 | 12MP ultra-wide | 12MP ultra-wide | 12MP ultra-wide |
| Rear Camera 4 | ❌ | Time-of-flight sensor | Time-of-flight sensor |
| Front Camera | 10MP | 10MP | 40MP |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh 25W charging | 4,500 mAh 25W charging | 5,000 mAh 45W charging |
| Water Resistance | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
Right now, we know the most about the highest-end Galaxy S20 Ultra. Some highlights for that phone should include up to 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, 108MP primary camera, and a massive 5,000 mAh battery. We’re also expecting a ton of new camera features, including a new “Smart selfie” mode and “Single take photo” that’ll automatically capture a few different angles of a photo in rapid succession. Unfortunately, it’s also rumored that Samsung is getting rid of its dual aperture feature starting with the S20.
The S20+ is said to have a slightly smaller 4,500 mAh battery with 12GB of RAM, and it’s also been confirmed that the phone has an ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensor. Something you won’t find however, is a 3.5mm headphone jack.
On January 17, a spec sheet leaked to confirm the above information, along with providing details on the base Galaxy S20.
Hold on — why isn’t it called the ‘Galaxy S11?’
If you’re reading through this and are a little confused about why this phone is the Galaxy S20, we don’t blame you. Being the successor to last year’s Galaxy S10, doesn’t it make sense for Samsung’s next handset to be the Galaxy S11?
While this is the next phone to be released after the S10, Samsung’s going with the S20 name for a couple different reasons.
For one thing, being a new decade and with it now 2020, the name “Galaxy S20” just sort of fits in better and is a nice tie-in with the current year. Along with that, and likely a bigger driving force behind the name-change, the S20 lineup is expected to bring a lot of big changes and upgrades to the S-series. Samsung apparently feels so confident in this new trio of phones that it thinks the jump from S10 to S20 is warranted.
We’ve seen other companies do this before, like Huawei going from the P10 to the P20. Companies like to do branding changes every now and then to bring more interest and meaning to device names, so that’s why you’ll be buying an S20 this year rather than an S11.
How much with the different S20 versions cost?
Next, let’s talk about everyone’s favorite subject — price.
For comparison’s sake, here’s the retail pricing of the S10 series:
- Galaxy S10e — From $750
- Galaxy S10 — From $900
- Galaxy S10+ — From $1000
- Galaxy S10 5G — From $1300
Phones tend to get more expensive with each year that passes, and that’ll probably be the case for the S20 series.
On January 23, Ishan Agarwal shared pricing information for all three phones. Here’s what we’re expecting:
- Galaxy S20 4G — €899
- Galaxy S20 5G — €999
- Galaxy S20+ 5G — €1099
- Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G — €1349 – €1549
We don’t have U.S. pricing info quite yet, but in any case, you can expect the entire S20 lineup to be very expensive.
When will the phones be released?
For the last two years, Samsung’s announced its Galaxy S phones in late February right before MWC. The Galaxy S10 was revealed on February 20, and the S9 had its unveiling on February 25.
On January 4, Samsung sent out press invites for the Galaxy S20’s unveiling, which is taking place on February 11. That’s a week before MWC, and it’ll be held in San Francisco.
As for when you’ll be able to buy the phones, that part remains unclear. Samsung typically opens sales just a matter of days following an Unpacked event, but Frandroid reports sales for the Galaxy S20 in France won’t begin until over a month later on March 13. We don’t know if this also applies to the S20’s launch in the U.S. or not, but it will be something worth keeping an eye on.
What about the Galaxy S10?
While it’s fun to get excited about what the Galaxy S20 will have to offer, that doesn’t mean you should already be counting out the Galaxy S10.
The S10 is still one of the best Android phones that money can buy, and now that it’s been out in the wild for a few months, it isn’t uncommon to find some pretty sweet deals for it.
You can certainly wait a few more months and hold out for the S20 if you prefer, but if you’re in the market for a new phone right now, we absolutely still recommend picking up the S10.
Flagship in every way
Samsung Galaxy S10
From $900 at Samsung
Samsung’s 2019 flagship is still worth a look.
The Galaxy S20 is bound to be a great phone, but if you need a handset right now, the S10 is more than worth picking up. It continues to have a stunning display, blazing-fast performance, and very capable triple rear cameras.
