There's no denying that the Galaxy S20 Ultra is something bold. Something special. It exists to show off its camera features. There's the 108-megapixel sensor, capturing scenes for detailed crop-ins that invariably make you say "wow!" Then there's the 100x zoom lens that reveals lettering, faces and architectural details you can't see from afar with the naked eye. And the beautiful 40-megapixel selfie camera that won't spare your feelings when you turn off beauty mode.

The most advanced (and expensive) new flagship undeniably pushes boundaries. Samsung wants you to see these photos and crave this phone. Facing the iPhone 11 Pro, Pixel 4 and Huawei Mate 30, the world's largest phone-maker is playing to win. Does it succeed? Yes… and also no.

On paper, the S20 Ultra is unbeatable. It has that insanely colorful 6.9-inch edge-to-edge display. An enormous 5,000-mAh battery. Plus all the waterproofing, fast charging and reverse wireless charging you'd expect from a top-tier Samsung phone.

But in my real-world tests, the Ultra doesn't play like the all-around superstar I want it to be, especially for $1,400 (£1,199, AU$1,999). Its photography is mostly superb, but unignorable hardware and software drawbacks dampen my enthusiasm for the device as a whole.

I never got over my distaste for its thick, heavy design. And I can't ignore its uneven battery performance, especially when the superfast screen refresh option -- which makes scrolling, animations and some content liquid-smooth -- appears to slash battery reserves.

Despite the S20 Ultra's camera prowess, I find myself reaching for the more refined Galaxy Note 10 Plus and more interesting Galaxy Z Flip foldable phone. For me, the Ultra is simply less fun to use.

Here's another conundrum. Without being able to fully test the S20 Ultra side-by-side with the cheaper, smaller Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus, it's hard to say which one is the "best" overall. Samsung sent journalists the S20 Ultra for review first, leading with its priciest model. The three phones share core software and hardware, but they have different camera specs and battery reserves. 

At the time of writing this review, the S20 and Plus are still days away from going on sale. I can't yet speak to how performance compares, but I can say that the S20 Ultra leaves the door open for the standard Galaxy S20 ($999) or S20 Plus ($1,199) to be the smarter buy for most.

Comparisons with the other S20s and with top rivals such as the iPhone 11 Pro Max and Google Pixel 4 XL are still to come. For now, I'll leave you with my Galaxy S20 Ultra highs and lows. If you're on the fence about buying Samsung's priciest model, my advice is this: wait. The best S20 for you may not be quite so Ultra.

Learning to love the S20 Ultra's 108-megapixel camera setting

First things first. The Ultra's 108-megapixel camera is its most enticing feature. It promises wildly detailed photographs with bright color that you can crop for maximum detail. 

You won't take most of your photos in 108 (let's call it 108 for the sake of simplicity). This is a photography setting you have to choose, and these images take up to eight times the amount of storage space as a default photo, at least in my experience. In automatic mode, photos resolve to 12-megapixel shots.

What? How? Through a long-extant concept called "pixel binning," every nine "pixels" becomes a superpixel. The idea is to make photos brighter and sharper by making each of the 12 "pixels" larger and therefore able to draw in more light. In theory, more light means better photos.

I was largely impressed with pictures I took in 108, especially once I learned this mode's sweet spot. Some photos taken in 108 made photos unnaturally saturated and flattened shadows and details -- both when viewed on the phone and on the computer.

Mid-distance and far-away shots produced more detailed imagery when I cropped in, but I got a lot less detail when trying to use the setting too close up. If you want to simulate a macro, getting as close as you can to the center of a flower, fascinating knot of wood or brand logo is just as likely to introduce more image noise, not less, when you crop in tight or zoom in on the phone or laptop screen.

But use it with the mindset of "shoot now, edit later" and you may find yourself ecstatic with the results. You can (and should) check out some of my favorite sample photos.

Again, I wouldn't recommend using 108 for every photo, but when you do -- like when I grabbed that photo hanging out the car window, or when you don't have time to get closer to the thing you want to shoot -- you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.

100x zoom grew on me, but it isn't essential

I feel the same way about Samsung's 100x "Space Zoom" as I do about 108. A mixture of optical and digital zoom, it's a cool tool when you need it, but I'm not sure I'd yearn for it if it didn't exist. Or rather, I would, just not often. 

Over the last few weeks, I've described 100x zoom as the photography tool you need when you can't physically get close to your subject. So you could use it to capture the detail of a domed roof hundreds of feet above you, or a performer dozens of rows away on the stage. 

In one testing example, I used zoom to capture the drama of waves spectacularly crashing against the rocks. In another, the stoic face of an ocean kayaker battling the choppy sea.

Samsung's attempt is impressive. Image quality typically isn't good at such extreme distance, but that's not what the feature is for. It's there to get a picture you probably wouldn't otherwise get. If the subject matters to you, you'll be happier to have it than not. My favorite zoom shots were typically at 4x, and sometimes 10x or 30x depending on what I was trying to show.

I sent a 100x zoom photo of birds to an avid birder friend. She flipped when she saw it, impressed that I was able to give her enough detail to identify the species. That's a win, even if it did take many attempts to keep the phone still enough to center on the motionless flock.

That relentless jumpiness is the most maddening aspect of 100x zoom. To really get the object positioned in frame, you'll need a steady hand, patience or something to brace the phone against, like a railing or bench. I almost fumbled the phone into the San Francisco Bay when it slipped from my grasp while trying to stabilize it against a pier. 

Even with a tripod, I had to dig deep into a well of patience I scarcely possess to capture a photo of a flag flapping high in the air and several blocks away.

100x zoom is cool to have if you've got it, but it's hard to name it a must-have feature.

The only place the S20 Ultra camera falters

Camera quality is excellent overall, with sharp detail and rich color. Photos were a joy to shoot, and I think the knowledge that I'd get so many great pictures spurred me to take more of them than I normally might.

Night mode was also great. I'm thrilled that Samsung added a countdown clock so you know how long to hold the device still when taking a photo with this setting (3 seconds). 

My one complaint is that in redesigning the cameras, the focal lengths appear to have changed in a way that makes true macro mode impossible. I suspect this is what the emphasis on 108-megapixel photography and zoom try to overcome. I could get pretty close to objects, but when I leaned in enough to see those fine details, macro mode never kicked in. 

Instead, I could see images blur out of focus the closer I got. Backing up to take the shot and then cropping in gave me better results. This isn't necessarily bad, but it meant I had to retrain myself to use the camera.

Single Take mode isn't a slam dunk, but it can be useful 

Samsung has been talking up a feature called Single Take, which shoots a set menu of up to 10 photos and four videos when you select the mode then press and hold the shutter button. The more you move around, the more varied your photos and videos become.

I'm not going to sugar-coat it -- this mode is a gimmick. Most of the time, I don't love the photos it takes using AI algorithms and my camera roll winds up littered with images and videos I don't want or need. Nine times out of 10, I'd rather compose the shots myself.

However, there's one time it does come in handy: when you only have one opportunity to capture a moment and you want to get as much out of it as you can. But you still need to think to select Single Take, and then remember how to use it for the best results.

Examples where I had success:

• A street performer I happened to see in a square.
• Wild ground squirrels crawling over people who should definitely not have been feeding them people food.
• A gifted bartender making and pouring an extravagant cocktail that unfurled smoke into my glass.

I still wound up deleting a bunch of the Single Take images and videos, but there were enough that I could use to get my point across. Still, not a reason to buy the S20 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip or other S20 phone that has it built in.

8K video recording is cool, but doesn't matter

The S20 phones all capture videos in 8K resolution. These files are huge. Samsung says every minute shot will take up 600MB of storage. You also have to stand alarmingly far away from your subject to fit it into frame. 

8K video is the future, but there are few platforms available right now, like TVs (even Samsung's) and social media sites, where you'll be able to view the content. YouTube has technically supported 8K video since 2010. 

The main benefit is about the same as 108 photos. It'll let you retain detail when cropping into a video. This will give you the same effect as zooming in. I tried it on several videos I shot. Samsung made editing 8K video easy on the S20. It's also easy to drop the resolution down small enough to share on, say, Twitter, which allows videos of up to 1080p. 

It's nice that edits and resolution changes create a new file that doesn't overwrite the original footage. You can tweak to your heart's content. 

Here's more on the pros and cons on the Galaxy S20 and why it's important to the future of phones. 

Samsung's 120Hz screen: Ultrafast battery slayer

In addition to the camera, the Galaxy S20 phones have a standout feature in the 120Hz screen. This number refers to the screen pixels refreshing 120 times a second, which doubles the standard speed of 60 times a second, or 60Hz.

Flagship phones from OnePlus and Google, and gaming phones from Razer and Asus, all have 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rates as an option, especially one that's intended to make scrolling and gameplay much smoother.

I'm an atrocious gamer, but I could immediately tell the difference with the 120Hz screen turned on. Even wiping out at nearly every turn on Riptide GP2: Renegade, I still managed to come in first place against a bunch of game bots, on a harder level than I'd ever attempted (cough, level 2, cough). 

It felt as if time slowed down. I was Neo in The Matrix, dodging bullets by manipulating my surroundings. I was a time bandit, and it felt good.

Unfortunately, keeping 120Hz on full-time also drained battery like a thirsty vampire. One day, I went from 100% to 15% in a mere nine hours, admittedly after heavy use that included three hours of Google Maps navigation. Another day, battery life drained from 100% to 12% in 10.5 hours after use that included tethering to my laptop for an hour and streaming Netflix for three hours. But keeping the phone on 60Hz gave me better than all-day life regardless of what I did.

On 4G, the S20 Ultra is a 5,000-mAh battery beast

With the screen on its default mode, I got the all-day longevity I expected from the S20 Ultra's massive 5,000-mAh battery. For reference, the Galaxy Note 10 Plus has a capacity of 4,300 mAh and lasts me from 6 a.m. through 2 a.m., with more to spare. I don't even get nervous until I'm down to at least 12%. 

By comparison, the S20 has a 4,000-mAh capacity and the S20 Plus comes in at 4,500 mAh.

In CNET's looping video drain test of a 1080p video on 120Hz in airplane mode, the battery lasted 24 hours, which is dramatically different than my real-world experience. This video test isn't the best example because the video itself doesn't play back at 120 frames per second, so I suspect it isn't triggering the screen's doubled refresh rate, which will affect battery life. We have more lab tests to come that will better simulate real-world performance. 

Tom's Guide also found that the S20 Ultra's 120Hz took off three hours of battery life from its usual testing protocol, compared to running the same test at 60Hz. With 120Hz engaged, the Ultra's 5,000-mAh battery lasted just over nine hours in a continuous 5G drain test. 

I have to note that all my real-world testing occurred over 4G, though the S20 phones are all 5G-ready. (Buyers in the UK and Australia will have to pay extra for 5G versions of the phones.) AT&T, my usual carrier, wasn't done with 5G certification at the time of testing, but the network says it will be by the time the Galaxy S20 phones hit the market on March 6. 

A SIM card T-Mobile provided never connected to the 5G network where I was in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. We'll follow up with 5G testing from New York, so we can evaluate if and how 5G might affect battery life.

S20 Ultra design: Thick and heavy

The Galaxy S20 Ultra's features are its main draw, but you can't discuss them without acknowledging what it's like to actually pick up and use the device. True to its name, the Ultra is big. And heavy. And, for my hands, unwieldy. 

With a 6.9-inch screen, a 7.76-ounce (220-gram) heft and thicker sides than the more lithe Galaxy Note 10 Plus, the S20 Ultra is a pocket-busting, arm-tiring phone. Coming off a week with the Galaxy Z Flip (which has a similar height, but a slimmer build and lighter weight), the Ultra is a cumbersome brick that could do some serious damage if used in self defense.

Some of my coworkers liked the softer rounding on the sides, and I can see why. A less dramatically curved screen makes the edges feel less pointy, and keeps your finger from sliding off the side of the edge-to-edge display. But it also makes the phone feel thicker, and my fingertips were more aware of the edges of Samsung's built-in plastic screen protector than they were on the Note 10 Plus. 

I appreciate that the Ultra never slipped off my nightstand and that finger grease is less apparent. What I didn't like was the constant feeling that the Ultra always was on the precipice of toppling out of a pocket and crashing to its doom. I should note, though, that a colleague said it fit into all his pockets except the one on his shirt. 

That massive camera bulge is why you need a case

The thick, heavy build makes the phone more of a drop risk, especially with that protruding camera bump on the back. It exists because Samsung redesigned the S20 Ultra's camera sensors, which makes the entire module larger. 

I don't fault the company for that, but it does mean that if you drop the Ultra without a case, the glass along the back is more likely to break, and broken glass can downgrade your photo quality. I unfortunately know this firsthand from the time my Note 10 Plus review unit lost an argument with poured concrete. Wide-angle and portrait photos have never been the same.

A case will solve the practical problems. I've tried two that Speck kindly sent me. They rise up from the surface just a hair over the camera bump, which makes that module essentially flush with the phone. 

The two cases I tried also make the phone feel bulkier and heavier. If you're buying a $1,400 phone, a case is worth the cost to protect your investment. But it also compounded the problem of the Ultra being thick and unwieldy to use.

A minor complaint about the colors: I wish Samsung had made the S20 Ultra flashier than the Cosmic Gray and Cosmic Black choices. I got the grey model to review, which to me looks like putty or modeling clay. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the color design team and I are clearly on different wavelengths.

Processor, storage, Android 10 and everything else

Headliner features such as the camera and battery define the Galaxy S20 Ultra, but there's a lot more going on beneath the hood. In the US at least, all the S20 phones run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 processor, which was fast in benchmarking tests. In some regions, you might get Samsung's house Exynos chipset.

I enjoyed using Android 10 and Samsung One UI 2, which made the S20 feel fresh, including dark mode and little finds throughout, such as setting a warm, cool or neutral color tone for selfies. 

Samsung also added fun tidbits: I liked turning a Spotify song into a morning clock alarm (and thank goodness for new alarm sounds) and dialing Google Duo's video chat app straight from the phone dialer. These are cool additions, but not why you'd buy a Galaxy S20 in the first place. 

I also wanted to try Quick Share, which is Samsung's answer to Apple's AirDrop. It lets you easily zip photos and files from phone to phone. But there's a catch: The device you're sharing with has to be another Samsung model, and it also has to have the Quick Share feature, which means, right now, you can only use it with another Galaxy S20. I haven't been able to test this yet, but will be able to try it out when the S20s I've ordered arrive.

Who the Galaxy S20 Ultra is for today -- and should you buy it?

After I get a chance to review the Galaxy S20 and S0 Plus, I'll be able to give you some practical advice on which S20 to buy. That's difficult to assess right now, since the phones all have slightly different camera systems and battery capacities. 

I wish I were so blown away by the Galaxy S20 Ultra that I could tell you without hesitation that this is the model you want. After a week of concentrated testing, I'm not sure that's the case. 

Photography enthusiasts will no doubt have a blast incorporating the Galaxy S20 Ultra's 108-megapixel setting and 100x zoom into their repertoire, but for most of the people I talk to, these extra settings are academically interesting, but not at all sought-after.

$1,400 is a truckload to spend on a phone. If the lighter, smaller $1,000 variant winds up taking pictures that are nearly as good, the argument for the Ultra will rapidly diminish.

Galaxy S20 vs. S20 Plus vs. S20 Ultra

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• February 28, 2020 7:36 am

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	Samsung Galaxy S20 5G	Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus 5G	Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
Display size, resolution	6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X	6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X	6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Pixel density	563 ppi	525 ppi	511 ppi
Dimensions (Inches)	2.72x5.97x0.311 in	2.9x6.37x0.30 in	2.99x6.57x0.35 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)	69.1x151.7x7.9 mm	73.7x161.9x7.8 mm	76.0x166.9x8.8 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)	5.75 oz; 163g	6.56 oz; 186g	7.76 oz; 220g
Mobile software	Android 10	Android 10	Android 10
Camera	12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)	12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), time-of-flight camera	108-megapixel (wide-angle), 48-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), time-of-flight camera
Front-facing camera	10-megapixel	10-megapixel	40-megapixel
Video capture	8K