• S20: The S20 will have a 64MP pixel camera, 3x hybrid optic zoom, up to 30x super-resolution zoom and a 10MP front camera. It also features a 1/1.76-inch image sensor size, about 1.7 times larger than the Galaxy S10. Its battery life is the lowest of the three at 4,000 milliamp-hours (mAh).


• S20+: The S20's older brother will feature the same camera specs with the addition of Samsung's DepthVision camera. Its image sensor size is also the same. The battery life is slightly longer, at 4,500mAh.


• S20 Ultra: The S20 Ultra's biggest difference is in its camera capabilities, which we'll discuss in more detail below. Aside from that and its monster screen size of nearly 7 inches, it offers more RAM and the longest battery life of the new line at 5,000mAh.

All phones will feature impressive dynamic AMOLED displays with Gorilla Glass 6 and an IP68 rating for waterproofing. They will all have Space Zoom, which includes a hybrid optic and digital zoom supported by artificial intelligence (AI), optical image autofocus and tracking autofocus features. Charging options include wireless charging, Fast Charging and Wireless PowerShare, which allows you to charge other wireless-capable devices on the back of a Galaxy phone. All phones will have 5G capabilities. They will also use Samsung's Knox security platform and the Bixby AI assistant.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 line of phones will be available for pre-order on February 21 and released on March 6.

As far as configuration goes, here are your options:

• S20: The standard base model with 128 gigabytes (GB) of storage is the most memory you can get, and it will run you $999.99. Color options include Cosmic Gray, Cloud Blue and Cloud Pink.


• S20+: For a little more, you can grab the S20+ with 128GB of memory for $1,199.99 or 512GB for $1,349.99. It will come in Cosmic Black, Cosmic Gray and Cloud Blue.


• S20 Ultra: Finally, the Ultra comes in at $1,399.99 for the 128GB model and $1,599.99 for the 512GB model. Your color options are only slightly more limited as you won't get any of those lovely pastels offered for the S20 and the S20+. Instead, the S20 Ultra's subdued color palette comes in Cosmic Black and Cosmic Gray.

Some of the most significant changes within Samsung's newest lineup lie in the camera. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra boasts a quad-camera setup with robust lenses and stellar imaging features more impressive than that of most phones on the market. We'll get into more detail on the Ultra in the upcoming sections, but know that it steps out into a league of its own compared to the S10/S20 and S10+/S20+. Between the two generations, some of the notable comparisons include:

The cameras are the most significant change to the Galaxy lineup, especially when you look at the S20 Ultra. It now has a quad-camera setup with a 108MP wide-angle camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 48MP telephoto camera and a DepthVision camera. Aperture can reach as low as f1.8. The 108MP camera allows for incredibly high-quality images that you can zoom into over and over and still get impressive results. This amount of megapixels is something that many consumer-grade stand-alone cameras don't even support. In addition to that, the Ultra has a 40MP front camera for crystal-clear selfies.

Another standout feature of the Ultra's camera is that it can do 8K video — an incredibly high-quality option unique to Samsung at the moment. A handy benefit to this video is the ability to pull 33MP stills right from the footage. You can record 8K video at 24 fps and 4K at 60 fps. Samsung's already had impressive camera features with its previous phones, but it took another leap into the mobile photography game with the S20 Ultra. Of course, we'll still have to wait to hear what the real-world results are, but on paper, it looks like an absurdly good camera. 

If you care about the resolution of your screen, you'll be glad to know the iPhone 12 is likely to use an OLED display.

All phones in the Galaxy S20 line will have an option for optical image stabilization, great for those with shaky hands.

All phones in the Galaxy S20 line will have an option for optical image stabilization, great for those with shaky hands. It'll keep your footage smooth and minimize blur like an action camera would. The S20s will also contain tracking autofocus, so you can keep your subject sharp and clear even as they move around in the frame.

While the S20 and S20+ lack the beefiness of the Ultra's camera, they still bring an impressive 64MP to the table. Their front cameras offer 10MP, which should be plenty for all of your selfies.

The cameras on the S20s also feature a slew of interesting features to help out. These include:

• Single Take: This new option from Samsung works a little like burst mode. You hold down the shutter for up to 10 seconds to take a group of pictures, but what you get back is photos in a variety of formats and layouts. You might get different crops and filters on the images or a few short videos, including looping ones and hyperlapses.
  


• Ultra Bright Night: With this beefed-up night mode, the S20 phones can take photos in very low light in much higher quality. Bright Night mode takes several pictures at once and uses AI to merge them into one image with less noise and blur.


• Space Zoom: In addition to the powerful lenses, Samsung has added impressive zooming features. With the S20 and S20+, you can use their hybrid optic zoom for up to three times the magnification and even reach a digitally-assisted 30x magnification. When you bump up to the Ultra, you'll see 10x hybrid optic zoom and a whopping 100x digitally-assisted zoom. This kind of zoom is unheard of in a smartphone and allows you much more flexibility when shooting far-away objects. It works with the help of a unique folding lens design and smart AI functionality.
  


• Intelligent features: Since these are mobile phones, after all, Samsung offers plenty of help in automatically adjusting camera settings for on-the-fly photography. Shot suggestions can help you compose your shot in aesthetically pleasing ways, and flaw detection can find problems like a blinking person or a smudge on the lens. Scene optimization can identify the type of subject you're shooting and automatically adjust settings for the best results. Some of these 30 available scenes include food, person, waterfall, stage, flowers and sunset.

With the newer Snapdragon 865 processor and up to16GB of RAM, this phone holds its own. It should be lighting-fast, even during gaming and intensive applications. Plus, that new processor enables 5G, which offers faster service and downloads from your carrier.

One notable advancement in the Galaxy S20 is in its battery life. While the S20s will have higher battery capacities than their predecessors, they will also be using AI technology to make it last longer. These "intelligent" batteries will adjust to your mobile habits and try to make your phone last longer per charge. Plus, Samsung's fast-charge and wireless charging options aren't going anywhere, so if you do need to add some juice, it won't take you long. They'll also be keeping Wireless PowerShare, which allows you to charge compatible wireless devices via your Galaxy phone.

If you care about the resolution of your screen, you'll be glad to know the iPhone 12 is likely to use an OLED display.

While the S20s will have higher battery capacities than their predecessors, they will also be using AI technology to make it last longer.

PERFORMANCE

iPhone

Apple released some impressive phones last year, including an iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and an iPhone 11 Pro Max. The Max has the largest screen at 6.5 inches, close to the 6.7-inch screen of the S20+, but it is still dwarfed by 0.4 inches by the S20 Ultra. The base models are more similar in size.

• The iPhones offer OLED screens, a slight step down from the Galaxy's dynamic AMOLEDs.
  


• All iPhones feature 12MP cameras on the front and back, so while the front-facing camera is slightly better, the Galaxy easily trumps it with the rear cameras. In terms of photo processing software, we'll have to see how the S20 holds up against Apple's performance in low-light, portrait and slow-mo results.


• Apple's A13 Bionic chip is incredibly powerful, but with the new Snapdragon 865 processor, Samsung might give them a run for their money in terms of performance. It's bound to be a close call.
  


• The face ID option is a little less secure on the S20s since it doesn't use a 3D sensor as Apple does.


• Both phones offer wireless and fast charging.


• The iPhone does not support 5G service.


• The iPhone 11's memory is not expandable, so you're limited to what you initially purchase, but there are more options there, including 64GB, 128GB and 256GB.

The iPhone 11 base model starts with just 64GB of internal storage and will run you about $699.99. That's quite a difference from the $999.99 of the S20 and may be enough to sway purchasers toward the iPhone. The iPhone also comes in more colors.

Google Pixel 4

Like the S20 line, the Google Pixel also offers an XL version with slightly beefed-up characteristics. The Pixel 4 is a smaller phone with a 5.7-inch screen compared to the S20's 6.2 inches.

• The Pixel's cameras top out at 16MP — significantly lower than the S20's 64MP.
  


• Both share stellar AMOLED displays, along with image stabilization and fast charging.


• Samsung's higher battery capacity — 4,000 mAh vs. 2,800 mAh for the base models — combined with its AI power management, makes the S20 stronger on battery life. 
  


• Performance-wise, the Pixel 4 and 4XL are still running on last year's Snapdragon 855 processor and just 6GB of RAM, so the Galaxy line should outperform them.
  


• The Pixels don't support 5G.

Many enjoy the software of the Pixels, with its unique Google-powered features, but Samsung is a clear leader in the hardware battle when looking at specs.

The Verdict

Overall, Samsung made some big moves with their newest release. With a massively powerful quad camera and processor upgrades, it's a significant improvement from the S10 line and a solid competitor to the iPhone 11. The iPhone 11 and the Google Pixel 4 were released in 2019, so we might see more powerful 2020 versions that compete with the Galaxy S20s. They'll have to launch some premiere features to meet the standard set by Samsung this year.

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