Samsung S20 Ultra Review: It’s A Pocket Computer with Impeccable Camera Skills
May 31, 2020Samsung S20 Ultra is the most powerful phone on the market but is it able to tick all the right boxes?
Performance: Exynos 990, 12GB RAM
Display: 6.9-inch AMOLED (1440 x 3200)
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 5000mAh
Rear Camera: 108MP wide, 48MP periscope telephoto, 12MP ultrawide, 0.3MP depth sensor
Front Camera: 40MP
Special Features: 8K Video Recording, Wireless and reverse wireless charging
Rating: 9/10
Price: RM4,999, USD1,199
Since its launch, the S20 Ultra has caused quite a stir, and rightfully so. Its has outstanding hardware specifications, most notable of them being the 108MP camera setup. But those who consider this as a superfluous decision on Samsung’s end, fail to understand its significance.
The ‘balls to the wall’ S20 Ultra was introduced to send a message to Samsung’s rivals, that when you mess with the bull, you get the horns. Xiaomi’s endeavors with its own 108MP phone, hasn’t gone unnoticed, and the same is true of several other rivals who are vying for the spotlight. But Samsung doesn’t plan on being outshined by these upstarts.
The Looks
The S20 Ultra is a beautifully crafted slab that exudes excess. The sizable AMOLED screen engulfs the entire front end, leaving little evidence its thin bezels. Thankfully, the screen doesn’t truly spill over to the sides of the curved glass, which was considered as a misstep with previous flagships.
It’s extremely responsive and displays a wide gamut colours, which make it the perfect phone for high quality media consumption. Netflix, gaming, photo taking – the S20 Ultra does it all with such elegance, that you’d be hard-pressed to find a situation where it trips over itself. The Exynos chipset, despite the stigma, is adept at its job.
The Performance
All things considered, you won’t notice the performance deficit of the Exynos 990 compared to the Snapdragon 865. But the grievance is warranted, because for the price, one can’t help but feel shortchanged. This is due to certain benchmarks pegging the Snapdragon 865 as being 20% faster than Samsung’s home-brewed offering. A staggering feat.
But one area where the S20 Ultra shines as the undisputed king of the hill is in the camera department. The mechanics between hardware and software, allow this phone to achieve spectacular results for taking photos and videos. The system works flawlessly in the background to capture shots with immense detail and clarity in good lighting conditions. At night, the results aren’t that great.
The Camera
However, the same can’t be said of the 100x zoom. Though we understand the appeal, at its maximum zoom range, photos look pixelated and blurry. Admittedly the software does a decent job at smoothening certain imperfections, but this science requires further refinement.
It records videos with similar fervor, capturing crisp footage with minimal camera shake and distortion. Mind, it’s still no match for finely tuned cinema cameras, but for casual videos and vlogs, the S20 Ultra is a competent sidekick. But keep this mind, continuous photo and video taking sessions cause the phone to heat up significantly.
And depending on the situation, temperatures can reach levels that render it uncomfortable to hold. Sometimes it can feel a little troubling, especially when it comes to battery health. We wished that Samsung incorporated a beefier thermal solution to circumvent the hardware’s demanding power requirements.
Zoom Function
The camera’s UI is tuned for better convenience especially when using the zoom function. But the star of the show has to be the Single Take function. When selected, a single click of the capture button, sets in motion several different tasks. Within a span of a few seconds, the S20 captures several shots and videos and animates them.
It makes the idea of ‘capturing the moment’ a less cumbersome affair. The act is relatively seamless, but you are required to hold the phone steady for a few seconds, while it does the work. This isn’t an Ultra only feature, but we hope that it eventually trickles down to less expensive models in the company’s line up.
On paper, the phone is considered to have a large battery. But with real world usage, you should expect slightly more than a day’s worth of use. It’s a respectable achievement considering that it is required to service a large screen and equally demanding chipset and cameras.
Should I Buy One?
If you have an S10 or Note 9, then the answer is a solid, no. As good as the S20 Ultra is, it’s only an incremental upgrade over the aforementioned phones. But if you’re upgrading from an older flagship or a mid range device, and want the best phone on the market, then this is the device for you.
Though the S20 Plus is more than enough for anyone, the Ultra takes the idea of excessive innovation to a whole new level. Its powerful hardware coupled with an improved DeX system, make it an extremely competent pocket computer and semi-professional camera.
