The differences are more slight when you compare the wide-angle images, however. Both pictures are filled with detail, although they both struggle a bit when it comes to distortion in the far corners of the frame. The S20 range also breaks new ground with the introduction of 8K video recording, and anti-roll correction (up to 60 degrees) as part of Samsung’s Super Steady stabilization feature. The arrival of the Galaxy S20 in shops ushers in the beginning of smartphone launch season, and with the Novel Coronavirus outbreak looming large across the industry, by sheer coincidence Samsung may have won big by being one of the first out of the gate. As on the S10 range, the fingerprint scanner is embedded in the display. We found this to be faster and more reliable than the option on the Galaxy S10, but it isn’t perfect with us regularly having to retry our digits on the reader to be able to access the phone. The Galaxy S20 also gets things right when it comes to battery life, provided you make sure to choose the right settings. Fully draining the 4,000mAh battery from full in our video rundown test, I found that the Galaxy S20 lasted 18hrs 28mins before needing to recharge, which is rather good considering this was performed at the phone’s default WQHD+ screen resolution – although only at 60Hz.

Samsung Galaxy S20 5G review - Which? Samsung Galaxy S20 5G review - Which?

The 5G variant of the phone we tested comes with 12GB of RAM. It may be that some tasks will run a little slower on the 4G version, as that only has 8GB of RAM, but plenty of flagships ‘only’ offer 8GB, and we’d still expect strong performance from that phone. Here’s the bad news: there’s no Galaxy S10e sequel (that was the smallest, and cheapest, of the S20 range) to offer those with smaller hands a 5.8-inch display size.

Haven’t you heard? 20 is the new 11 – the basic Galaxy S20 is Samsung’s best-value flagship yet

We think it’s best if you take the plethora of number-heavy camera specs with a pinch of salt, and instead consider what they mean in terms of the photos you can capture. Otherwise the S20 cameras could look like a downgrade compared to previous Samsung devices, and that’s far from the case. You’re limited to just 128GB of storage on the Galaxy S20 – there isn’t a more capacious option. This should be more than enough space for the average user, but if you’re planning to shoot lots of 4K video you’ll likely want to make use of the microSD card slot.

Galaxy S20 5G review: Top-shelf specs, but plenty of room for Galaxy S20 5G review: Top-shelf specs, but plenty of room for

It'll feel too small for some, which is the S20 Plus' main benefit. You also can't get a 512GB configuration, and most carriers "only" support the slower 5G bands known as Sub-6. ( The Galaxy S20 Plus and Ultra both have a time of flight sensor that is missing from this phone. Even without it, the S20 is well capable of taking some fantastic-looking photos. You can’t, however, use both this higher resolution and Samsung’s advanced stabilization tech at the same time – Super Steady is still strictly a 1080p affair (it doesn’t even work in 4K).

However, Samsung has increased the size of individual pixels here, from 1.4 microns to 1.8 microns. Combined with the larger sensor, you should be able to capture more detail and more light with the Galaxy S20’s main snapper, and we found that to be the case when shooting in darker scenarios.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review | TechRadar Samsung Galaxy S20 review | TechRadar

Despite thin bezels and an edge-to-edge display, the S20 still feels rather bulky. Angela Lang/CNET Galaxy S20 camera is nearly as good as the S20 Ultra It’s a positive result overall, allowing for 3x lossless zoom that’s the best we’ve seen on a smartphone so far. There’s also 30x digital zoom if you need it, and while this isn’t lossless we found it to be useful in some scenarios. Likewise, rather than placing the three rear cameras in a neat vertical strip like last year, the Galaxy S20’s trio of cameras are instead squished into an upright oblong in the top left corner of the phone. It’s certainly not as brutish as the S20 Ultra and its gigantic telephoto zoom sensor, but I still wouldn’t say it’s particularly nice to look at. Those in the US and Australia are only able to choose from the Cosmic Gray, Cloud Blue and Cloud Pink options at launch, but you may also be able to find the others at a later date. Those in the UK are able to get all three colors above, and the Cloud White version came to that market at a later date. So while the S20 is fast (although we’ve not yet been able to hook up to a 5G connection while testing the phone, so we’ve not been able to run our own speed tests), its bigger siblings will be faster if your carrier supports mmWave.Because, as it turns out, while the Galaxy S20’s suite of cameras excel in a few areas, they don’t quite match the sheer excellence of the iPhone 11’s image and video captures. While I was self-isolating due to the ongoing coronavirus threat, I snapped a few gloomy scenes of London from my balcony and I found that the Galaxy S20 did a better job at suppressing visual noise, with slightly more contrast than its Apple rival. Samsung is still offering a default resolution of Full HD+ (2220 x 1080), which looks more than sharp enough for most tasks, and saves battery; you’ll need to head into the settings to switch to the higher resolution. That’s a debate to be held for another time, and I’m pretty impressed with all of the new stuff Samsung has brought to the table this year. These new phones feel like much more of an upgrade than ever before and since the Galaxy S20 is the cheapest of the bunch, it earns my recommendation more so than the rest. The telephoto lens is even better than the one on the Galaxy S10 too, allowing you to shoot high-quality 3x optical zoom shots or stretch all the way to a 30x digital zoom. The Galaxy S20 Ultra has higher camera specs overall, but most people will be more than satisfied with the shooter on this phone. The resulting images at maximum zoom are a bit mixed, but there’s no denying that this tech is quite impressive. I can’t see there being many use cases for zooming that far into the frame – you certainly won’t be putting the pictures on a cushion at Snappy Snaps – but when you consider that the iPhone 11 doesn’t zoom at all, the advantage goes to Samsung here.

Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Cheapest and the best - Expert Reviews Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Cheapest and the best - Expert Reviews

We found all the cameras to work brilliantly well, and if you’re shooting in the automatic mode you’re sure to be impressed with the results. You can see some of the shots we’ve taken below: This is the case with a lot of flagship phones now, and while it may disappoint some, the feature is less of a deal-breaker with more and more of us using wireless and true-wireless headphone and earbuds – and of course Samsung has you covered with its own Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Buds Plus. Instead, If you directly compare with the next phone along the price spectrum – the Galaxy S20 Plus – then you might spot that the experience remains largely the same. Aside from the size and battery differences – as well as an option for 4G – the Galaxy S20 uses a near-identical combination of internal components. That’s the new Exynos 990 processor, 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage, if you weren’t aware.

5G, a 120Hz display and more debut on the Galaxy S20

Of course, the Samsung is currently unmatched when it comes to sheer detail capture at 8K, but when the resulting footage is a shaky mess, it’s simply not pleasant to watch – a tripod or gimbal is absolutely essential in this instance. Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Verdict