As before, the Galaxy S20 uses one of Samsung’s own Dynamic AMOLED panels, which has a native resolution of 3,200 x 1,400 (Quad HD+) but can be dipped down to FHD+ or HD+ in the phone’s display settings if you want to squeeze out a bit more battery life. 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. Under the hood is a powerful chipset, either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 or Exynos 990 (where you live will determine which you’ll get) as well as either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, depending on whether you buy the 4G or 5G phone. And some people will only be able to buy the 5G phone – you can read on below to find out which versions are available in your region.

Samsung Galaxy S20 5G - 128GB | Studio Samsung Galaxy S20 5G - 128GB | Studio

However, pictures looked a touch candy-coloured for my liking, and the iPhone 11 did a better job at capturing more neutral-looking images. The S20 was also insistent on overexposing most images. The differences between the two are night and day as soon as the light begins to fade, too: the S20 looks drab when placed side-by-side with the positively vibrant images from the iPhone 11. The S20 is scoring far higher than the S10 5G from 2019, which returned an average result of 2197, and the OnePlus 7T Pro, which scored 2584. These scores won’t mean a lot for the average user, but it’s a positive result for the Galaxy S20, and we found that it was reflected in day to day use.

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

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. 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.

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

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. Alas, Samsung seems to have taken a pared-down approach when it comes to the Galaxy S20’s design. In an era of foldable phones, the S20 lineup looks rather utilitarian in comparison, with the usual chrome-tinted edges – which still look nice by the way – and pearlescent finishes on the rear glass panel failing to offer anything particularly new or groundbreaking. Still, this silky-smooth screen will be for nothing if the quality of the display isn’t up to scratch. According to my tests using a display colourimeter, the Galaxy S20’s Dynamic AMOLED screen covered 94% of the sRGB colour gamut, with an overall volume of 96% and an average Delta E of 2.64 in the phone’s ‘Natural’ display profile. 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.All phones go down in price over time though, and the Samsung Galaxy S20 is no exception - while Samsung still charges full price, other retailers often sell it at a discount. 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. 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. Samsung’s fast-charging feature works well – if you have the right charger setup you can get from zero to 100% in under an hour. There’s also 15W wireless charging on offer, and while it’s not as fast as the wired variety it’s always a useful option to have.

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

Where Samsung really comes into its own, however, is in the S20’s zooming capabilities, with what it calls ‘Space Zoom’. This is a silly marketing phrase, of course, but the S20 is capable of using a combination of optical and AI-digital techniques to magnify up to 30x. For the record, the much more expensive Galaxy S20 Ultra is capable of delivering 100x zoom. Another highlight of the Galaxy S20 is its 4,000mAh battery. It’s larger than the cell in the S10, and we’ve found the battery life to be strong with typical use – this phone isn’t going to last you much longer than one day of normal use, but what smartphone does?

Galaxy S20 camera is nearly as good as the S20 Ultra

The main camera, which remains 12MP, has an f/1.8 aperture. That’s theoretically inferior to the S10’s f/1.5 + f/2.4 dual aperture, which changes to suit the lighting conditions with the ‘wider’ f/1.5 setting pulling in more light for improved low-light shots.

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

As you might expect – or hope, given the price – the Galaxy S20 storms through our usual suite of performance benchmarks. It doesn’t quite match the superior levels of performance we’ve seen from the iPhone 11’s A13 Bionic chipset in the past, but it’s certainly fast enough that you shouldn’t have to worry about a sluggish experience, no matter which application you decide to throw at it. As Android handsets go, it’s as good as it gets.New here is Single Take mode, which cycles through all three rear cameras over the course of 10 seconds to capture a variety of photos and videos. It answers the ‘Should I take photos or a video?’ dilemma with ‘Why not take both?’ This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this on a smartphone - both the Asus ROG Phone 2 and Razer Phone 2 feature similar tech - but this is arguably the first time we’ve seen it on a mainstream device. 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.