Samsung just unveiled its next major smartphone, the Galaxy S20 - here's how it compares to last year's Galaxy S10
The S20 is getting a big camera upgrade compared to last year's phone.
All variants of the Galaxy S20 support 5G.
The Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus, and Galaxy S20 Ultra all support 5G connectivity. That's a departure from last year's lineup, in which only the appropriately-named Galaxy S10 5G supported the next-generation wireless network.
The new phones also have larger screens than last year's Galaxy S10 family.
Samsung's newest Galaxy phones are getting a small bump in screen size as well. The Galaxy S20 has a 6.2 inch screen, while the Galaxy S20 Plus has a 6.7-inch display and the Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch screen.
The Galaxy S10, by comparison, has a slightly smaller 6.1-inch screen, while the Galaxy S10 Plus' screen measures 6.4 inches and the Galaxy s10 5G's display measures 6.7 inches.
And the displays on Samsung's newest phones have a higher 120Hz refresh rate, which should make the screen more responsive.
Last year, OnePlus and Google both released smartphones with screens capable of achieving refresh rates of 90Hz — higher than the average 60Hz refresh rate.
Now, Samsung is going one step further by bringing a 120Hz refresh rate to its new Galaxy lineup. That speedier refresh rate — which refers to the number of times the phone's screen refreshes per second — should make the screen generally feel smoother and more responsive.
Samsung isn't the only company that sells phones with 120Hz refresh rates. Gaming hardware company Razer also offers a smartphone with the same refresh rate.
The phones will also have larger batteries than last year's model.
Samsung's Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra will have batteries with respective capacities of 4000 mAh, 4500 mAh, and 5000mAh, making them considerably larger than the batteries in last year's Galaxy S10 lineup. The Galaxy S10, for example, has a 3400 mAh battery, while the Galaxy S10 Plus has a 4100 mAh battery and the S10 5G includes a 4500 mAh battery.
It's unclear if that will result in additional battery life, however, since that larger capacity is probably needed to power 5G connections and the screen's higher refresh rate.
All models will have much more RAM too, which should make them feel quick and snappy.
The Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus, and Galaxy S20 Ultra will all come with 12GB of RAM. That's a significant bump from the 8GB of RAM in the Galaxy 10, entry-level Galaxy S10 Plus, and Galaxy S10 5G. Last year's Galaxy S10 Plus is available in a configuration that has 12GB of RAM, but now the company has made this standard across the board.
RAM is short for "random access memory," and it's the short-term storage your phone uses to pull data for apps and other aspects of your phone's software while they're in use. This type of storage is considerably faster than your phone's main storage, where photos, apps, videos, and other content are stored. More RAM in a smartphone should make your phone generally feel faster.
Although that much RAM in a phone is somewhat rare, it's not completely unheard of. Other than the Galaxy S10 Plus, Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus also offers a 12GB RAM option, as does the OnePlus 7 Pro.
They come in new color choices too.
Samsung's Galaxy S20 is available in pink, blue, and gray, while the Galaxy S20 Plus will be sold in gray, blue, and black, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra comes in gray and black. Last year's Galaxy S10, comparatively, comes in black, green, blue, and white. The Galaxy S10 5G also came in gold.
Overall, the Galaxy S20 makes it clear that Samsung is focusing a lot of its efforts on developing better cameras when it comes to the smartphone experience. The S20 will also probably feel a bit faster thanks to its additional RAM and 120GHz screen, but the camera is really the center of Samsung's attention.
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