Galaxy S20 Ultra review: Samsung's AWESOME camera is just too expensive By CNET

The galaxy s, 20 ultra is Samsung's most advanced phone to date, but the biggest thing you need to know about is the camera, which is literally huge. Let me back up and set the stage for a minute. The galaxy s 20 ultra here is the biggest most expensive and most feature packed of all three new s: 20 phones, we've got the standard s 20, and you've got the s 20, plus the biggest difference is between. All of those phones is going to be the price tag size of the screen size of the battery and the cameras on the back. Samsung has redesigned the cameras on all three s: 20 phones, but the s 20 Ultra is the only one that has 100x Zoom Samsung calls it space zoom and a 108 megapixel main camera, there's also a 40 megapixel camera on the front, which is different from the other two phones. All the rest of the core specs are gonna, be pretty much the same, including Android 10 with Samsung's one UI version.2 you're also going to have a Qualcomm, snapdragon, 865 processors 5g on all phones. Although on the s20, it's a little different in the States, they all shoot 8k video, and they have an optional 120 Hertz screen refresh rate, which basically makes everything a lot smoother like gameplay and animations, and scrolling we're gonna talk about all that later, but right now, I want to get back to the most important part, which is the camera.

All you have to do is look at the back of this phone to see that Samsung means business. Now the main camera can take 108 megapixel photos, which is absolutely enormous, but Samsung is using something called pixel bidding which basically combines nine pixels into one pixel. So if you take a picture in the default automatic mode, you're actually going to get a 12 megapixel camera. If you do want to take 108 megapixel photo and from now on. Let's just call it 108, because it's easier to say if you want to take one of those, you have to go into the actual camera settings and select it.

Why do you want to take photos this big anyway? The idea is that you go. You take your picture and then, when you crop into it to just perfect the shot, you get a lot more detail than you would, if you just take a normal photo. So I tested this out again, I've taken over 100 photos and I found something fascinating. I thought that when I would take this 108 photo I could get really close, like the grain of my jeans or rope or like right in the middle of a flower and get like extraordinary detail. But I found it's a lot better.

If you don't try to use it as macro lens, the sweet spot seems to be taking a photo either in the mid-distance or a little further out and then cropping into it later. So it's not something you're going to use every single day for everything that you shoot. I actually got some really incredible photos shooting in 108 things that I didn't expect. For example, I leaned out the side of a taxi window shot this picture of sort of like this statue in San Francisco, then I wound up cropping all the way into it, like really, really far and I thought it was so beautiful. I wound up using it as my wallpaper and I loved it I can't stop staring at it.

I'm so proud of myself. Furthermore, I don't want to get attacked with poop. That's close enough for me. Now. Let's talk about the other hundred, which is of course 100 X zoom.

No Samsung is one of the few companies along with Google and Huawei, that's using such extreme zoom on its telephoto lens. Now. The purpose of this isn't necessarily to get an amazing shot from half a mile away and then frame if it's to get a shot that you wouldn't ordinarily be able to get I, always think about it. As closing a physical distance, you can't get it out into the middle of the ocean to shoot the cool birds on the rocks. If you're all the way down on the ground, you can't get all the way up to the top of a building to shoot the statue.

That's up there or a flag flying or whatever cool thing. It is when I first started using 100x zoom I was pretty disappointed with it. I was really confused, like with Samsung just showing off what was the point of it, because I don't think that the quality is that good, because at that distance, even if I'm holding the phone perfectly still even with a tripod, but then I spent a couple of days shooting around in places I really like, and I found that I was happy to have those shots, even if the quality was questionable. I think that most of the time, you're going to get better photos if you're using 4x, zoom, 10x zoom, even 30x zoom, but if your friend is paddleboarding in the middle of the ocean, and you're able to grab that shot and send it to them. You're going to be happier that you have it rather than not having it.

In the last couple of days, I've taken an uncomfortable number of selfies and I think that the quality is perfect. The can I really like that. There is an ultra wide-angle lens option. It just makes it a little more natural when I've got a buddy in the shot, or I'm trying to get more of my scene. There is one particular shooting mode that I need to call out.

It's called single tank. This is basically a mode where you press and hold on the shutter button for like 10 seconds, and it takes a series of photos up to 10 photos and up to 4 videos of whatever's happening. So the idea is that you press one button, and you get all of these great photos. I was not convinced at first, because I think that the composition of a lot of these photos is less precise than what I would actually want when I'm taking a photo plus, you have to be premeditated about using single, take, so you've got to switch over to that mode and then prepare and then take a shot. But what I realized is that it's actually pretty useful.

If you've got one opportunity to capture the moment capture, something cool all right, I'm ready example, I ordered this fancy drink at the bar I knew it was gonna, create a lot of smoke. A lot of drama didn't want to miss my moment. I used single, take, and I got photos and videos that I actually liked, and I actually want to share so single, take like 100, X, zoom and 108. It's not a feature that I think I'm gonna use every day, but knowing it's in my arsenal, I will at least reach for it. When the time is right, I can say the exact same thing for 8k video.

That is a feature that is on all the galaxy s: 20 phones and I used it. I was really excited at first because, like wow, 8k video super high-resolution, but I think that there are a few problems with it. So, first, it shoots at a lower frame rate, 24 frames per second. Usually video is pretty good at 30 or at 60. So that's not so great.

But one thing: that's kind of nice is that you can zoom in when you're editing the video it's very easy to trim now. Another problem with 8k video is great you're creating it. But what are you going to do with it now online platforms? Don't really support it, yet they're just starting out a MTV, czar expensive, and there just aren't that many of them, so you're creating this content. For what and most of the time, you're going to have to drop the resolution down to share it anyway. So, for example, I was at the aquarium, shooting these amazing creatures and if I wanted to share the video on Twitter I'd have to drop it down all the way to 1080p, but at the end of the day, the usefulness of 8k on a phone like this is going to be cropping in and retaining that detail, so camera quality overall really, really good.

This is an excellent camera. We're going to wrap it all up at the end, but let me tell you about a few more important features. First, we also have to talk about battery life because that's a really important part of this phone. It is the largest battery of all the galaxy as 20 devices, and actually larger than most phone batteries out there, five thousand William hours and that's supposed to take you from early morning to the wee hours, and it did for me with one caveat and that's refresh rate. So when you take the phone out of the box, it's got a default screen refresh rate of 60 Hertz, but you can also go into the settings and change that to 120 Hertz, and that makes everything so much smoother scrolling game play, and it's really beautiful, but in my experience and has sucked down the battery, so my advice to you is: if you want to retain that really great battery life just turn it on when you need it like for playing games and then turn it off again.

I want to talk for a little about what it's like to actually use this device. It has this big, beautiful, 6.9, inch screen and that's of course, really great for viewing. It was just really enjoyable. Furthermore, it's really easy to read articles to look at pictures to edit them and that's a real joy. Um I, don't love holding the phone and I, don't love using it.

It is really heavy it. A 7 point, 7 ounces. It feels like a brick, but it also just feels thick and heavy in my hands. I also have to admit I'm disappointed about the colors. There are only two colors for the s20 ultra you've got this cosmic gray, which I think looks just really muddy and kind of like putty.

It's just not very appealing or attractive. You also have blacked I would get the black, but I would also get a case for it because, in addition to covering up whatever color there is, it's also going to make the camera module flush with the rest of the case. So it's going to protect that area performance is nice and snappy on here with the Qualcomm snapdragon 865 processors. You also have two storage options: 128 gigabytes and there's a 512 gigabyte version for $1600. There is micros storage up to one terabyte, so basically go out, buy a storage card, and you'll have more room for all those 8k videos and all of those 108 photos now headphone jack on here.

Of course, USB-C charging wireless power share and wireless charging there's also a 25 watt, fast charger that comes in the box. That's great I charged up this whole thing from zero to full in about an hour. I think that the Galaxy S 20 ultra has amazing capabilities that are at the top of the class. Yes, Samsung is positioning the ultra 4 creators for photographers and for people who want a huge battery and a huge, beautiful screen. I do think that with this device, Samsung is pushing the envelope, and it's trying to create some space between it and the iPhone.

Do I think that ordinary people should get this phone over? Maybe the Galaxy, S, 20 or even another device. That's out there, no I, don't I think this is really specialized, get it if you want to, but if you're just looking for a very good phone to take you day to day, I, think you're, probably going to want to wait for the s20 thanks for watching. Let me know in the comments what you think about the photo quality on the s20 Ultra, don't forget to subscribe and make sure you check out my full review on CNET, calm.

Source : CNET