Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra specs vs. Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus: What’s new and what’s different

Samsung’s Galaxy S20 phones are available now. Here’s what’s different from last year’s Galaxy S10.

Samsung’s latest flagship phones, known as the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultraare available online and in retail stores. Since the company first announced the devices in February at Samsung Unpacked (where it also announced the novel Galaxy Z Flip foldable phone), CNET has tested the S20 Ultra’s incredibly impressive camera zoom and conducted drop tests (TL;DR: the camera survives).

The phones share high-end hardware and have new features that signal the direction of where current phones are heading — namely 5G connectivity (which all three phones have) and screens with a higher, 120Hz refresh rate. But they also have key differences among each other too. The 6.2-inch Galaxy S20 is the smallest of the bunch, followed by the S20 Plus and the S20 Ultra, which has a 6.9-inch display. In addition, the Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus both have a wide-angle, telephoto and ultrawide cameras, but the S20 Plus and the S20 Ultra have one extra camera. This fourth one is a time-of-flight camera that measures depth for AR applications. Because the phones belong to Samsung’s marquee line, they’re expensive. The S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra start at $999, $1,199 and $1,399, respectively. (They’re £799, £999, £1,199 in the UK and AU$1,349, AU$1,499 and AU$1,999 in Australia.)

As well as 5G and the higher refresh rates, the Galaxy S20 devices can hold more expandable storage compared to last year’s Galaxy S10 line, they shoot 8K video (rather than just 4K) and they run Samsung’s second generation of its One UI out of the box. 

For more on how the Galaxy S20 and S10 phones vary, check out the spec comparison chart below. And check out CNET’s Galaxy S20S20 Plus and S20 Ultra reviews. (Note the prices for the S10 and S10 Plus are as they were at launch, not today.)

GALAXY S20 PHONES VS. GALAXY S10

  Samsung Galaxy S20 Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Samsung Galaxy S10 Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
Display size, resolution 6.2-inch AMOLED 6.7-inch AMOLED 6.9-inch AMOLED 6.1-inch AMOLED; 3,040×1,440-pixels 6.4-inch AMOLED; 3,040×1,440-pixels
Pixel density 563ppi 525ppi 511ppi 550ppi 522ppi
Dimensions (Inches) 2.72 x 5.97 x 0.311 in 2.9 x 6.37 x 0.30 in 2.99 x 6.57 x 0.35 in 5.9 x 2.77 x 0.31 in 6.20 x 2.92 x 0.31 in
Dimensions (Millimeters) 69.1 x 151.7 x 7.9 mm 73.7 x 161.9 x 7.8mm 76.0 x 166.9 x 8.8mm 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8 mm 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams) 5.75 oz; 163g 6.56 oz; 186g 7.76 oz; 220g 5.53 oz; 157g 6.17 oz; 175g
Mobile software Android 10 Android 10 Android 10 Android 9 Android 9
Camera 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), time-of-flight camera 108-megapixel (wide-angle), 48-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), time-of-flight camera 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto) 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing camera 10-megapixel 10-megapixel 40-megapixel 10-megapixel 10-megapixel, 8-megapixel
Video capture 8K 8K 8K 4K 4K
Processor 64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5 GHz + 2.0 GHz) 64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5 GHz + 2.0 GHz) 64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5 GHz + 2.0 GHz) Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Storage 128GB 128GB, 512GB 128GB, 512GB 128GB, 512GB 128GB, 512GB, 1TB
RAM 12GB 12GB 12GB, 16GB 8GB 8GB, 12GB
Expandable storage Up to 1TB Up to 1TB Up to 1TB Up to 512GB Up to 512GB
Battery 4,000 mAh 4,500 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,400 mAh 4,100 mAh
Fingerprint sensor In-screen In-screen In-screen In-screen In-screen
Connector USB-C USB-C USB-C USB-C USB-C
Headphone jack No No No Yes Yes
Special features 5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; water resistant (IP68) 5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; water resistant (IP68) 5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; 100X zoom; water resistant (IP68) Wireless PowerShare; hole punch screen notch; water resistant (IP68); Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare; hole punch screen notch; water resistant (IP68); Fast Wireless Charging 2.0
Price off-contract (USD) $999 $1,199 $1,399 $900 $1,000 (128GB), $1,249 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB)
Price (GBP) £799, £899 (5G) £999 (5G) £1,199 (128GB), £1,399 (512GB) £799 £899 (128GB)
Price (AUD) AU$1,349, AU$1,499 (5G) AU$1,499, AU$1,649 (5G) AU$1,999 AU$1,349 AU$1,499 (128GB)

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