In the smartphone market, there are few devices whose screen size does not exceed 6.5 inches. In fact, in the “small” format sector, Apple, Google and Samsung seem to us to be the last manufacturers still truly committed.Read our Samsung Galaxy S20 review to discover more.
Galaxy S20: happiness in hand
In fact and apart from their diagonal, there are very few differences between the Galaxy S20 (6.2 inches) and the Galaxy S20 + (6.7 inches). The “small” S20 presents the only differences between the use of a smaller capacity battery (4000 versus 4500 mAh) and the absence of a ToF sensor, but we will come back to this later.
In hand, few smartphones offer as good an experience as this Galaxy S20. In fact, its limited width of 6.91 cm makes it the second easiest mobile to hold behind the Google Pixel 4 (6.88 cm). The Galaxy S10e (6.99 cm), Galaxy S10 (7.04 cm) or other iPhone 11 Pro (7.14 cm) does not offer such a pleasant grip. We have here a smartphone really cut for lovers of small formats … and without sacrificing the display surface, very comfortable.
By opting for a screen in 20: 9 format rather than 19: 9, Samsung succeeds in proposing a larger screen than that of the Galaxy S10 (6.1 inches) in a smartphone that is however easier to handle and not only to because of its compactness. The absence of curved edges also improves usability, the palm of your hand no longer coming into unintended contact with the screen.
Its featherweight of 163 grams is also an advantage at a time when mobiles have the annoying tendency to exceed 200 grams (we think in particular of the Galaxy S20 Ultra). If this is a little more than a Galaxy S10 (158g) or S10e (150g), we can only recognize that the device is easily forgotten in hand.
As you can see, the category of small smartphones has a new champion. Until all phones fold like a Galaxy Z Flip, the Galaxy S20 is a perfect compromise for fans of compact devices.
A very significant 120 Hz refresh rate
Like its two big brothers, the Galaxy S20 screen offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz. If by default, it is set to 60 Hz, this option, when activated, allows you to double the number of images displayed per second to improve the fluidity of navigation. We really fell in love with this technology as we use it. Truth be told, going back to a regular smartphone really feels like going back to the Stone Age.
The only flaw, the 120 Hz option has a significant impact on autonomy. According to our measurements, there are two hours of difference between the 60 Hz mode and the 120 Hz mode. It is enormous. Given the small endurance of the smartphone (which we will come back to in a few lines), it is perhaps wiser to stay at the maximum on 60 Hz. It is a shame.
A very bright screen
Without going into details (our review of the Galaxy S20 + develops this part at greater length), the screen of the Galaxy S20 is one of the best on the market. Its maximum brightness of 864 cd / m2 makes it usable in all circumstances (it is also the second best smartphone of the moment, behind the S20 Ultra) while its colors prove to be of exemplary realism. By opting for the “natural” display mode, we opt for a Delta E of 2.04 according to our laboratory. This measurement, which shows the difference between reality and the colors displayed, really satisfies us. Too bad that, by default, Samsung’s “vivid” display only has a 4.88 Delta E. Remember to change this setting if you acquire this smartphone.
Performances at the rendezvous …
In France, it’s the Exynos 990 processor that powers Samsung’s Galaxy S20. We would have preferred to take advantage of the Snapdragon 865 like our American friends (especially for questions of autonomy), but, in terms of power, there is not much to criticize the device. Everything works smoothly on the Galaxy S20, including the most resource-intensive games. The Galaxy S20 is a powerhouse and one of the smartphones that dominate the Android world.
On almost all points, the Galaxy S20 is there. Wi-Fi 6 has it. Micro SD extension port, it has it. Drawer with two Nano SIM and eSIM, it has it. 5G compatibility, it has it (in the appropriate version, of course). Samsung ticks all the boxes again, again offering a very successful smartphone. Special mention for the haptic feedback of the device, they are really of excellent precision.
… But a very disappointing autonomy
We told you earlier, the Galaxy S20 has a 4000 mAh battery. This capacity was impressive a few months ago, but a little less so with 5G and 120 Hz screens.
Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy S20 is not a tough smartphone. By default, its versatile autonomy is 10:27 according to our laboratory, which places it in the low average of smartphones. In fact, it is even the second least enduring high-end smartphone on the market, just behind the Pixel 4 (9:05 am). All categories combined, it is the 12th the least enduring smartphone in our ranking. In 120 Hz, it is of course worse, the versatile autonomy measured is … only 8:09. This is, for once, the worst autonomy recorded by the laboratory of parispapa.com in recent years.
In use, we immediately notice the autonomy problems of the S20. We often had to recharge the smartphone at the end of the afternoon (around 5 p.m.), which is obviously not a satisfactory behavior, especially for a high-end mobile.
In ehealth streaming, the S20’s 11:30 battery life just puts it in the middle. In communication, the smartphone turned off after 4:30 p.m., again in low average.
A recharge in less than 1h15
To compensate for this poor autonomy, there is fortunately the ultra-fast recharging, very efficient. The 25W charger of the smartphone fully charges it in 1 hour 13 minutes according to our measurements and allows it to recover 20% in just 10 minutes.
An exceptional camera
Once is not custom, the photo part of this Review will be shorter than usual. Indeed, due to the confinement imposed by the French government during the coronavirus pandemic, we have had very few opportunities to Review the photographic capabilities of the smartphone. Note that the Galaxy S20 has a camera module almost identical to that of the S20 +, which allows you to get a fairly precise idea by reading the Review dedicated to this terminal. The only difference is that the S20 does not carry a ToF sensor.
Thus, there are three cameras on the back of the smartphone. The first of them uses a 12 Mpix sensor similar to that of the S10, but with a lens, an equivalent 26 mm, devoid of the variable aperture of the S10 (it is f / 1.8). It offers an image quality similar to that of its predecessor even if, at night, competing smartphones like the Huawei P30 Pro and the Google Pixel 4 do, in our opinion, better. The second camera on the Galaxy S20 is the most amazing. It is a 64 Mpix sensor associated with a 27 mm equivalent opening to f / 2.0. It therefore offers a field of vision almost identical to that of 12 Mpix. This second device is used in particular for zooming, Samsung promising a digital enlargement without loss of quality up to x3. We wonder why the brand did not prefer a telephoto lens. Finally, the latest camera of the Galaxy S20 is an ultra wide-angle attached to a 12 Mpix sensor.
In photos, the Galaxy S20 is undoubtedly among the best. As we mentioned in our Review of the S20 +, the sensor dual pixel of 12 Mpix has proven itself and still works as well today. We are happy to see Samsung play the card of maturity rather than that of the gadget, as with the S20 Ultra.
The Galaxy S20’s 64 Mpix sensor not only allows you to photograph, it also gives the possibility of taking 8K videos. In this quality, we note some degradations in terms of optical stability even if this first draft is more than encouraging. We imagine that, in the future, the 8K will improve and finally become mainstream. At the moment, it is rather superfluous, not to say a gadget.
