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Android

Samsung Unveils Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra 154

Posted by msmash from the for-what-it-is-worth dept.
Samsung today will unveil three new flagship smartphones -- the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. Here are the specs of the new phones.

Galaxy S20 specs: Display: 6.2-inch Quad HD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X (563ppi), and HDR10+ certified. Refresh rate of 120Hz.
Camera: Rear: Triple camera setup. (12MP wide, 64MP tele, and 12MP wide. Hybrid optic zoom 3x. Front: 10MP.
Processor: Exynos 990.
Internal storage: 128GB, with support for microSD of up to 1TB.
RAM: 12GB.
Battery: 4,000 mAh.
Network: Supports LTE and 5G. Galaxy S20+ specs: Display: 6.7-inch Quad HD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X (525ppi), and HDR10+ certified. Refresh rate of 120Hz.
Camera: Rear: Quadruple camera setup. (12MP wide, 64MP tele, and 12MP wide and a depth sensor. Hybrid optic zoom 3x. Front: 10MP.
Processor: Exynos 990.
Internal storage: 128GB / 512GB, with support for microSD of up to 1TB.
RAM: 12GB.
Battery: 4,500 mAh.
Network: Supports LTE and 5G. Galaxy S20 Ultra specs: Display: 6.9-inch Quad HD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X (563ppi), and HDR10+ certified. Refresh rate of 120Hz.
Camera: Rear: Quadruple camera setup. (108MP wide, 48MP tele, and 12MP wide with a depth sensor. Hybrid optic zoom 3x and "super resolution zoom up to 100x." Front: 40MP.
Processor: Exynos 990.
Internal storage: 128GB / 512GB, with support for microSD of up to 1TB.
RAM: 12GB.
Battery: 5,000 mAh.
Network: Supports LTE and 5G. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra starts at $1,400, while the cheapest Galaxy S20 costs $1,000.
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Samsung Unveils Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra More

Samsung Unveils Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra

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  • Did they skip a few? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Tuesday February 11, 2020 @11:54AM (#59715600) Homepage Journal

    I had an original Galaxy S and I'm sure it hasn't been 20 years...

    Anyway, specs are nice but no headphone jack. Will wait for iFixIt to see how much of a pain the battery is.

    • I had an original Galaxy S and I'm sure it hasn't been 20 years...

      Marketing simply decided to go straight to plaid.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by leonbev ( 111395 )

        I guess that going to 11 for their latest model number like Apple did wouldn't sound as cool.

        Personally, I'm still waiting for the 9000SUX model.

      • Re:Did they skip a few? (Score:4, Insightful)

        by jellomizer ( 103300 ) on Tuesday February 11, 2020 @12:58PM (#59715906)

        Sales people seem to not like version numbers. Where the general population would want to see them so they can at least judge were we are compared to what is new.
        Sales people hate it when their competitors start giving a bigger number such as how Apple decided to skip the iPhone 7S and call it the 8, and what would be the iPhone 8 and call it the X (or 10) . So now Samsung has to make sure their number is just as big or bigger then Apple. Because they think their population is stupid enough to think.
        You have an iPhone 11 while I have a Galaxy 10 your iPhone must be better because it is version 11 vs 10.

        What sales people really love is giving the newest version cutesy names so unless you care enough to keep up with the naming history, they can sell you the old outdated phone without you knowing.

        • It's possible that another stupid thing might be going on:

          "Focus groups say that people see Galaxy S9 to Galaxy S10 is an evolutionary change, so they aren't as interested. However if you go from Galaxy S10 to Galaxy S20, people think there is a HUGE change between and want to buy!"

          This is completely marketing driven, practically guaranteed.

        • They could be like Microsoft and bounce back and forth between years and version numbers every other time or so.
    • I think they're changing the number to match the year. The Galaxy S20 is the 2020 model, the S21 will be released in 2021, and so on.

    • Re:Did they skip a few? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by JustAnotherOldGuy ( 4145623 ) on Tuesday February 11, 2020 @12:25PM (#59715766) Journal

      Yep, not having a headphone jack is a deal breaker for me, period.

      I won't even look at it if there's no headphone jack regardless of what else it does or doesn't have, it just instantly drops off the list of possibles.

      (Standing by for the incoming "okay boomer" and "settle down, grandpa" comments.)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        I'm sort of resigned to the fact that my next phone won't have a headphone jack. Apple screwed us and now it's hard to buy a decent phone with one.

        • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • It's Apple's fault that other companies aren't including a headphone jack now? If other manufacturers are dropping the jack and consumers aren't flocking to devices that still have one it just proves that Apple was correct and that it was a feature that most consumers don't actually care about. Maybe it's important to you, but there are dozens of features that are important to other people and trying to include them all in order to please every last person just results in a bloated design.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Pulzar ( 81031 )

            If other manufacturers are dropping the jack and consumers aren't flocking to devices that still have one it just proves that Apple was correct and that it was a feature that most consumers don't actually care about.

            It just means that it wasn't important *enough* to flock to other devices. The inconvenience of having to switch to Android and all that comes with that is much bigger than the inconvenience of a dongle.

            I don't know if that means that Apple was "right". Apple can do some deeply unpopular things

            • But Android has no similar problem. If people haven't been abandoning Samsung for a phone by LG, HTC, or one of the dozen or so other manufacturers it would seem to indicate that it's not actually important to most customers.

              I'm not sure if the keyboard is a good example either, because Apple actually went back to the old design. I'm assuming that had a lot to do with customer push-back, though the repair costs they agreed to eat on the laptops with the new design may have factored into the decision as w

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by torkus ( 1133985 )

          I'm sort of resigned to the fact that my next phone won't have a headphone jack. Apple screwed us and now it's hard to buy a decent phone with one.

          Now it's becoming almost impossible in fact.

          With that said, I've got a jack-less iPhone and a S10 (which sadly got broken recently). I've kinda gotten used to not having the headphones jack...it required changing to different headphones and bring a second pair when I fly for IFE among other things. I'll manage but it's still a nuisance and if Samsung offered even one of the models with a headphones jack, i'd buy that. IDK why they don't give that a try tbh - have a real comparison of how strongly people

      • Yep. No headphone jack, no sale. Bluetooth headphones universally sound like shit and often have latency issues, too. Perhaps the rest of consumers are going to embrace this headphoneless phone thing, but I absolutely will not. It's a huge inconvenience on a device that places convenience above all else. Time will tell if "everyone is doing it" or if it was just a terrible idea from the trendy folks at Apple. Either way, I knew the moment I saw Apple's "courage" that it was just another ploy to sell accesso
        • I'm with you on loathing the removal of the jacks, but you're flat out wrong regarding BT headphones universally sounding like shit.
          Read up on BT codecs. In particular these days, Android phones support LDAC for BT, which can be capable of higher bitrates and resolution than a phone's built-in DAC.
          Of course, nice BT headphone are expensive, and it'd still be nice to always have your CD-quality hard wired backup available.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Ksevio ( 865461 )

        But it does have a headphone jack - it's just USB type-C.

        Is it really that difficult for you to have a 3in adapter connected to your headphones?

  • how can a bigger screen with the same res... (Score:3)

    by gTsiros ( 205624 ) on Tuesday February 11, 2020 @11:55AM (#59715604)

    ... have a *higher* pixel density?? *confused*

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by oic0 ( 1864384 )
      Quad HD+ is just marketing bullshit. It doesn't imply an actual resolution.

      • We really need to start talking about screen resolution in megapixels, it bypasses all the marketing bulshytt (why it won't happen) and gives a much better idea across different aspect ratios.

    • ... have a *higher* pixel density?? *confused*

      It means the zeros are rounder and the ones are, like, more 1-ish. That way the customer-driven intermetric paradigm is crisper and engages a more relevant vertical audience channel. That's my interpretation.

  • Slashdot gets paid to post this?

    • It doesn't even link to a news article, so it's a little weird. However, it's a product launch for the most popular Android line of phones, so you'd expect it to get covered.

  • Stylus? (Score:3)

    by fluffernutter ( 1411889 ) on Tuesday February 11, 2020 @12:14PM (#59715690)
    I just want a stylus and a headphone port.

    • Get a Note9 then. That's what I (well my employer) bought before the brave jack-free craze strarted. Sadly the Note20 will probably be jack-less too.

      • I have a note 9 but it won't last forever. Wasn't planning on getting the 10 but, I just hope the 11 or 12 will have a headphone port.
  • What about 24/7 tracking and recording by Google and the cell provider? Is that included, too?
  • I don't understand why these are needed. Smartphone photography is already exceeds any reasonable point-and-shoot requirements. Is more better in this case?

    • It's because of size limitations within the phone, both with the camera (having a lens that can extend takes up much more space than having multiple lenses), and the sensors for the camera.

    • In the case of having a wide angle and telephoto lens, yes.

      Having something that can do 0.5x is surprisingly useful. Same with a real optical zoom of 3x.

  • Maybe it's just me but the screen size on these phones is getting crazy. 6.9" on the ultra? That's not a phone. That's a tablet that can make calls.

    Personally the only one of these I would want is the regular one with the smallest (6.2") screen, and even that is a bit too big IMHO. Right now I'm using the Galaxy S10e. At the time I bought it the regular S10 wasn't really that much more expensive but I specifically wanted the smaller screen because a phone is supposed to be portable.

    • Personally the only one of these I would want is the regular one with the smallest (6.2") screen, and even that is a bit too big IMHO.

      Same here. I find the screen on my S5 is too big to fit comfortably in most of my pockets. I don't want to watch movies on my phone, I just want to make calls, take calls, and snap a picture once in a while.

      • If you want to use a phone as a phone that also has a camera and that's about it, then don't buy a flagship device. You are not the target market, and that is ok.

        No device will ever be perfect for every single person. Accept that you are an outlier on this particular model and move on to one that is better suited for your needs. I don't know why this is such a hard god damn concept for people around here.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by kalpol ( 714519 )
        I actually regret getting rid of my S4 Mini. It was a great size. I liked the S3 a lot too and with Lineage it's still a good phone.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hey! ( 33014 )

      I studied all the review articles for the "best small smartphone", and the smallest phone that makes most lists is the Google Pixel 3a, which turns out to be larger than the two year old flagship phone I was looking to replace.

      It's like Detroit automakers were for many years: they assumed that anyone who was looking for a small car must be looking for a *cheap* car. If you wanted a good small car you had to go with a Japanese or German marque.

      If you want a first rate small phone, your choices are similarly

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by ranton ( 36917 )

      Maybe it's just me but the screen size on these phones is getting crazy. 6.9" on the ultra? That's not a phone. That's a tablet that can make calls.

      Personally I am hoping for a 7.1" model next year when I'm likely to upgrade again. Just like shirt sizes don't stop at Medium, I want there to be versions of flagship phones which couldn't even fit in the pocket of a 150 lb 5'8" person.

      I like how the largest phones are essentially tablets, and feel there is still room for growth. My guess is at around 7.5"-8" is when I wouldn't want anything larger.

      I still want there to be smaller phones for people who prefer that, and I'm glad those options still exist. S

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Misagon ( 1135 )

      The most ridiculous thing about newer smartphones with screens this big is that they tend to have a gesture for zooming out and making the active screen area smaller to make things easier to reach...

  • This article means nothing to me without price information. You may as well compare different models of cars without mentioning the sticker prices.

    If all you care about are the specs, tally ho, but some of us actually care what things cost when comparing products. Crazy, huh?

  • Ridiculous pixels (Score:4)

    by danbert8 ( 1024253 ) on Tuesday February 11, 2020 @12:20PM (#59715732)

    What the hell are you going to do with a 108MP cell phone camera, or a 40MP front camera? Pretty sure 90-95% of those pixels are just noise. If a full frame sensor is good enough with 12.1 MP. Anything more than 5-10MP in a phone camera is useless considering the sensor size and the glass. Plus it's going to immediately get compressed into sub 10MB JPG anyhow.

    • Re:Ridiculous pixels (Score:4, Interesting)

      by crow ( 16139 ) on Tuesday February 11, 2020 @12:29PM (#59715796) Homepage Journal

      If the pixels are real, then having more means you can do a better digital zoom. But what is really needed for phone cameras is better low-light imaging. They've worked great in sunlight for ages, but they've only slowly been progressing in indoor quality.

      • They've worked great in sunlight for ages, but they've only slowly been progressing in indoor quality.

        Apple's Deep Fusion has greatly improved low light indoor shots. I think Android has something similar.

        For even lower light shots both Apple and Android have some really useful Night Shot modes that work extremely well.

        In the last year or two cell phone cameras have taken a huge leap in low light image quality.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by nwaack ( 3482871 )
        My Pixel 3 takes incredible low light shots. Check out some of the newer phones and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Misagon ( 1135 )

      Indeed, the megapixel count on a smartphone camera is pretty meaningless. It is an "e-penis count" used to sell phones with numbers on the spec sheet (just like with several other things in the smartphone business...)
      Most smartphones with high-MP cameras do pixel binning anyway - filtering every four adjacent pixels into one.

      The biggest differentiator between smartphone cameras these days is the software. Good software takes multiple pictures quickly at different settings to feed various filters to provide

    • If a full frame sensor is good enough with 12.1 MP.

      What modern FF cameras are you looking that that ONLY have 12MP?

      I would guess it would have to be the lowest of low end out there....?

    • Pixel binning (Score:4, Informative)

      by HalAtWork ( 926717 ) on Tuesday February 11, 2020 @01:44PM (#59716148)

      Instead of a 12MP sensor having long exposure, it will have short exposure at 108MP and combine the values of 9 pixels into 1, giving you a 12MP image with short exposure so you have less blurriness in low light, and more detail in general.

      Digital zoom will look better as well.

    • I'd be more worried about the quality of the lens. The biggest advantage that most people won't use is the ability to do large prints. I love my Nikon D750 with it's 24.93 megapixels when I shoot in raw format. Yet, I've only ever done one big print which was a collage of my son's first year that I gave to my mom and now ex-wife, at the time I only had a Nikon D3000 and I can see the drop in quality due to the size I printed. It's pretty much a full size poster.
    • The extra pixels aren't noise. Each pixel has an area A, and captures n photons in a given exposure to come up with a brightness value for that pixel. A larger DSLR sensor has a larger pixel with area c*A, which captures c*n photons in the same exposure. So the DSLR achieves its cleaner image by collecting c times more photons per pixel.

      But on the smartphone sensor, you can just take the brightness value measured for c of the smaller pixels, and average them together. That's equivalent to taking c*n p

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by J-1000 ( 869558 )

      What the hell are you going to do with a 108MP cell phone camera, or a 40MP front camera? Pretty sure 90-95% of those pixels are just noise. If a full frame sensor is good enough with 12.1 MP. Anything more than 5-10MP in a phone camera is useless considering the sensor size and the glass. Plus it's going to immediately get compressed into sub 10MB JPG anyhow.

      Who even cares at this point? They need an easy way to communicate "phone take pictures real good", and the only thing they can come up with is the wo

  • Nice. My S12 will now sell for bank on Ebay since it's suddenly so retro.

  • so they have dropped 3G support? there are still some areas where that is all you can get. Seems nuts to lose this ability.

  • Now all they gotta do is make them portable.

  • Meh (Score:2)

    by sremick ( 91371 )

    I'll keep my S10e with its headphone jack, thanks.

    Show me a phone with comparable specs but removeable battery and unlocked bootloader, and I'll happy leave Samsung altogether. They've stopped catering to the advanced/power user.

  • > The company will share the prices later today.

    An arm and a leg.

  • Can you replace the battery and does it have a headphone jack?

    If either of them is answered in the negative, you can save a lot of your time and mine by stopping right there.

  • If it comes with crapware, I won't buy it. My guess is because it's a Samsung product, it does.
  • Is it the same pathetic software/bloatware combination that has become Samsung's trademark, or have they decided to stop being dicks?
  • Just keep rerolling that threadbare form-factor.
  • Does anyone really care about the specs on yet another smartphone that looks like every other smartphone these days? Asking for a friend...
    • The specs matter when you don't buy every year. I've bought every 4 models (G1, G4, G8 currently) so it's pretty cool for me.
  • Now Apple just has to one-up them and go to the iPhone XXX

  • I gave the Pixel 2XL a try to see if I could get by without a headphone jack. Over the two years I used it, I purchased about 9 adapters because they kept going faulty, and I needed an adapter for every pair of headphones and car adapter. Any time I tried to use bluetooth in my other vehicle or bluetooth speaker, it was not seamless. I always had to fidget with things, tell it to try connecting again, or other nonsense. With the headphone jack, I always plugged it in and I never had to worry about wheth

    • Agreed. I have had a iPhone XS for about a year now and I can't wait to sell it and run away. The lack of a headphone jack is a tremendous pain in the ass. The bluetooth headphones have categorically *awful* sound quality compared to my nice collection of wired cans and buds. It's not a small difference, it's a big OMFG to my ears and unacceptable. The fact that you can't add photos, videos, or music to your Music or Photos app on the phone except via iTunes also blew my mind. Really? Still. In 2020? I get

  • Much more interested in the XCover Pro and XCover Field Pro.

    Removable battery. Headphone socket. microSD slot. Latest Android. Plus all the stuff you'd normally want.

    Supposed to be "released" in the UK already, but there is literally one available on Amazon, and that's it.

  • Hey, they forgot the most important spec, free hardware Bixby button that can't be reprogrammed to something else! Every time you accidentally bump it, the Bixby interface takes over the screen! Woooo!

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