Phones Samsung Galaxy S20 / S20+ / S20 Ultra

[The Game 161]

sadly...software holds my 11 pro max back as well. IOS is too restrictive and well just too behind the times compared to Android. It lacks basic customization because Apple decided to keep a row of icons to distinguish their brand more than give people a choice. Apple decides what you phone should look like not the other way around. The hardware is great and refined...but the software holds it back.

Nah software is why iPhones are more dependable and why it’s hard to switch . Home screen you’re right it’s just rows which is boring but the software works and works with other devices.

I’ve never had issues with basic notifications coming through on iPhones ever while samsung devices it’s always been bad and for over 1k if it can’t do something that basic then what’s the point?

Clearly people aren’t that bothered about tons of rows as iPhones is still what people buy year in year out where they do get updates year after year if they decide to keep devices for a long time.

Customisations is great but it does slow the phone down and for me got to the point of well might as well just click the app if I want more detail.

 

[The Game 161]

Disagree....Samsung's One UI is better than it has ever been through testing and giving the customer what they wanted. Every review so far so far has praised the new look.

Then is Apple better? IOS is soooo buggy all the time! Even with all the beta testing bugs still persist. Do they not QA products at all? I mean everyone knows to not buy the new release iPhones and instead wait for the "s" model to comeout because they will have the bugs worked out
I think you're just being brand loyal to be honest.

I fail to see how this has anything to do with brand loyalty. If the product was that good for me and worked then I would have never needed to go back to Apple after 2 months but I did. The watch, tablet experience is far worse than what apple provides and quite frankly the software while improved is still an issue and it’s clearly still an issue with image processing never mind notifications still being awful arriving 20 mins late.

I’ve found apps do look worse on Samsung devices. Design quality just seems worse to me. They just feel like mostly blown up versions why I don’t know. They just look different. Text is always bigger than it needs to be right out the gate.

Samsung have always thrown features at the phone to see what works...their approach is different to Apple and likely always will be.

Bugs do Exist on iOS but I’ve never had many issues and when I do it’s fixed with an update very quickly

 

[mjschabow]

If Apple would allow me this kind of Home Screen setup, then it would be over. But this is one of the reasons I come crawling back to Android.

 

[jamezr]

Nah software is why iPhones are more dependable and why it’s hard to switch . Home screen you’re right it’s just rows which is boring but the software works and works with other devices.

I’ve never had issues with basic notifications coming through on iPhones ever while samsung devices it’s always been bad and for over 1k if it can’t do something that basic then what’s the point?

Clearly people aren’t that bothered about tons of rows as iPhones is still what people buy year in year out where they do get updates year after year if they decide to keep devices for a long time.

Customisations is great but it does slow the phone down and for me got to the point of well might as well just click the app if I want more detail.

They aren't as dependable though...I have been to the iPhone forums and people are complaining about the bugs that go unresolved year after year.

I have never had issue with notifications as well on a Samsung phone or other phones like my Pixel 4XL.
In fact I would say notifications are better on Android as a whole than IOS. I can customize more to my liking. Then the notifications can be seen on an Always On Display (AOD) that iPhones don't have. I can see my notifications without picking up my phones.

Then there is widgets on the home screen...more information right at the place you always end up easy to see and read. See customization is a good thing.


Oh so because a lot of people buy them that means they are better? Fast food is better too because well McDonald's sells more burgers than anyone else?

Clearly people aren’t that bothered about tons of rows as iPhones is still what people buy year in year out where they do get updates year after year if they decide to keep devices for a long time.

Then customization does not slow the phone down...that is what Apple would like you to believe. Don't buy into their excuses.


Apple made a great phone in my 11 PM. Love it! But i get bored with it very easily because the software holds it back.
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I fail to see how this has anything to do with brand loyalty. If the product was that good for me and worked then I would have never needed to go back to Apple after 2 months but I did. The watch, tablet experience is far worse than what apple provides and quite frankly the software while improved is still an issue and it’s clearly still an issue with image processing never mind notifications still being awful arriving 20 mins late.

I’ve found apps do look worse on Samsung devices. Design quality just seems worse to me. They just feel like mostly blown up versions why I don’t know. They just look different. Text is always bigger than it needs to be right out the gate.

Samsung have always thrown features at the phone to see what works...their approach is different to Apple and likely always will be.

Bugs do Exist on iOS but I’ve never had many issues and when I do it’s fixed with an update very quickly

You are brand loyal...in threads about Samsung you always post how great Apple and the iPhone is and point out the negatives you feel about Samsung......
You switched back to Apple because that is what you prefer! Nothing wrong with that. You liked one platform over another great! But why then after having made that choice feel the need to always post the negative things about the choice you didn't make? Clearly you are not going to buy another Samsung phone. You have made that very clear.
Yet you post things that paint Samsung in a negative light and praise Apple...in a Samsung thread.

 

[The Game 161]

I have never had issue with notifications as well on a Samsung phone or other phones like my Pixel 4XL.

In fact I would say notifications are better on Android as a whole than IOS. I can customize more to my liking. Then the notifications can be seen on an Always On Display (AOD) that iPhones don't have. I can see my notifications without picking up my phones.

That’s great you haven't had issues with notifications but it’s a known problem with android doze and it’s that bad it’s kind of put me off android for life as my main driver at least.

Then there is widgets on the home screen...more information right at the place you always end up easy to see and read. See customization is a good thing.

Yeah it’s very good I agree, however for me it did slow my phone down and likely played a factor in my bad battery life over time.

Oh so because a lot of people buy them that means they are better? Fast food is better too because well McDonald's sells more burgers than anyone else?

Never said that, obviously all the android phones out are very good and I can see why people love them but there’s a reason why iphones are more popular and it’s not due to the logo. If something sells then that company is doing something right. I mean the S10 and Note 10 were great but wasn’t anywhere near the top sold smart phones last year. That is surprising but does say a lot about their pricing should not be near what apple charges that’s for sure and it’s why these won’t sell either. Their phones cost too much to compete with the likes of apple.

Then customization does not slow the phone down...that is what Apple would like you to believe. Don't buy into their excuses.

Nothing to do with apple, I’m basing it off personal experiences. Widgets slowed myphone down a lot.

Apple made a great phone in my 11 PM. Love it! But i get bored with it very easily because the software holds it back

It’s great you can justify having 2-3 phones at once but 90% of people can’t and won’t do this. In an ideal world people would have two flagships but that’s not normal for the average person.

 

[Awesomesince86]

Don't Samsung count units shipped from factory to retailers etc as sales too?


I don’t get the whole hardware is great? Their all big slabs of glass now with camera bumps and buttons, especially no different when a case goes on.

Compare the hardware on the newest Galaxy line to any other phone and the S20’s line comes out on top, especially the Ultra. Best screen, giant battery, most ram, best camera hardware, etc. Samsung’s hardware is the top of the mountain for phones. It’s their software that can still be lacking at times, especially when it comes to the cameras.

So for MKBHD the Ultra Camera is still Third Place behind Pixel and iPhone and even after Software Updates will close the gap, still third place he said.

This is not what i expected for the Ultra and it's high price.

I think Samsung will never overtake Google and Apple because of the of their lack in Software Optimization.
They had a 6 months lead and are still behind the 2019 Camera Flagships.

This is sadly not enough to leave my iPhone 11 Pro for...

That’s not what MKBHd said. He said it currently sits in 3rd but he expects software updates to close the gap. He didn’t say it would still be in 3rd after that. We have no idea how much or little Samsung will improve the camera on the Ultra with updates. But the fact that the hardware is there to support better quality photos than anything we’ve seen on a mainstream phone camera is promising and very Samsung. We just have to hope Samsung can improve the software enough.
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Let’s not have this turn into another android vs iOS thread. Especially right as everyone starts getting their phones.

 

[Harthag]

I like that I can keep my most frequently used apps excluded in memory management. Added my office VOIP phone and fax app and it opens almost instantly all the time now.

Battery has drained 6% over the last 20 mins just using Chrome at minimum brighness and the keyboard has frozen twice while typing this post. Switched to SwiftKey instead of default Samsung keyboard and it seems fine now.

Also notice uneven brightness on some dark gray screens at low brightness which is annoying. I see "LTE+" status go off and on frequently, could be a SIM issue / unlocked phone issus / don't yet have a 5G SIM.

Will charge it up to 100% and let adaptive battery start to work. Hopefully...

 

[jamezr]

That’s great you haven't had issues with notifications but it’s a known problem with android doze and it’s that bad it’s kind of put me off android for life as my main driver at least.


Yeah it’s very good I agree, however for me it did slow my phone down and likely played a factor in my bad battery life over time.



Never said that, obviously all the android phones out are very good and I can see why people love them but there’s a reason why iphones are more popular and it’s not due to the logo. If something sells then that company is doing something right. I mean the S10 and Note 10 were great but wasn’t anywhere near the top sold smart phones last year. That is surprising but does say a lot about their pricing should not be near what apple charges that’s for sure and it’s why these won’t sell either. Their phones cost too much to compete with the likes of apple.


Nothing to do with apple, I’m basing it off personal experiences. Widgets slowed myphone down a lot.


It’s great you can justify having 2-3 phones at once but 90% of people can’t and won’t do this. In an ideal world people would have two flagships but that’s not normal for the average person.

See you have proven my point....you prefer Apple and their suite of products. Great for you! You think they are better than what Samsung or Android has to offer. Great that you found products that you like and are good products.
You tried Android and it was not for you. There is nothing wrong with finding what you like and works and fits your lifestyle.

But not all of us feel the same way you do about Samsung and or Android.
Some feel the same way you do about Apple...about other brands.
But we don't feel the need to justify those choices by posting negative things about the brands we didn't choose.

I am not in the iPhone threads posting how another brand does something better than Apple or an iPhone.
I respect that others are there to discuss the products they are excited about.

 

[The Game 161]

Compare the hardware on the newest Galaxy line to any other phone and the S20’s line comes out on top, especially the Ultra. Best screen, giant battery, most ram, best camera hardware, etc. Samsung’s hardware is the top of the mountain for phones. It’s their software that can still be lacking at times, especially when it comes to the cameras.

That’s not what MKBHd said. He said it currently sits in 3rd but he expects software updates to close the gap. He didn’t say it would still be in 3rd after that. We have no idea how much or little Samsung will improve the camera on the Ultra with updates. But the fact that the hardware is there to support better quality photos than anything we’ve seen on a mainstream phone camera is promising and very Samsung. We just have to hope Samsung can improve the software enough.
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Let’s not have this turn into another android vs iOS thread. Especially right as everyone starts getting their phones.

Agreed, this is about the S20/ultra. Sadly when a comment is made it suddenly is made about Samsung vs apple when it doesn’t need to be. People don’t need to get defensive by stating a negative where a company needs to improve.

 

[mjschabow]

I like that I can keep my most frequently used apps excluded in memory management. Added my office VOIP phone and fax app and it opens almost instantly all the time now.

Battery has drained 6% over the last 20 mins just using Chrome at minimum brighness and the keyboard has frozen twice while typing this post. Switched to SwiftKey instead of default Samsung keyboard and it seems fine now.

Also notice uneven brightness on some dark gray screens at low brightness which is annoying. I see "LTE+" status go off and on frequently, could be a SIM issue / unlocked phone issus / don't yet have a 5G SIM.

Will charge it up to 100% and let adaptive battery start to work. Hopefully...

That's a very underrated new feature. I'm thinking about trying that with Samsung Browser. Just not sure if thar would crush battery.

 

[The Game 161]

See you have proven my point....you prefer Apple and their suite of products. Great for you! You think they are better than what Samsung or Android has to offer. Great that you found products that you like and are good products.
You tried Android and it was not for you. There is nothing wrong with finding what you like and works and fits your lifestyle.

But not all of us feel the same way you do about Samsung and or Android.
Some feel the same way you do about Apple...about other brands.
But we don't feel the need to justify those choices by posting negative things about the brands we didn't choose.

I am not in the iPhone threads posting how another brand does something better than Apple or an iPhone.
I respect that others are there to discuss the products they are excited about.

I'm not sure why you got so defensive about the software comment. My comment was never about Samsung vs apple. My comment was about what I was replying to where Samsung still needs to improve on as it’s still an issue clearly. I wasn’t the one who brought apple into this discussion which is something you didn't need to do which basically took this thread off track when it didn't need to. Apple have plenty of areas that they need to improve on. Nothing wrong with stating where Samsung are lacking as well which is my whole point.

this is about the S20 so no point going over apple in this thread any longer. Talking about apple was not something I plan to do in here anyway.

 

[jamezr]

Agreed, this is about the S20/ultra. Sadly when a comment is made it suddenly is made about Samsung vs apple when it doesn’t need to be. People don’t need to get defensive by stating a negative where a company needs to improve.

Like I said before...Then it is not about stating things that could be improved or trying to be constructive.
It is respecting the context I am in and then balancing things out
You are obviously not going to buy a Samsung phone. Your obvious choice are iPhones.
You obviously want to point out all the things that need improvement...all the negative things about Samsung.
Sadly some just want to justify their choices by casting other brands in a bad light.

 

[The Game 161]

Like I said before...Then it is not about stating things that could be improved or trying to be constructive.
It is respecting the context I am in and then balancing things out
You are obviously not going to buy a Samsung phone. Your obvious choice are iPhones.
You obviously want to point out all the things that need improvement...all the negative things about Samsung

Not at all, I have posted plenty of positive things about the ultra and would be tempted by the note with similar features. I pointed out where they need to improve. I never said I wouldn't buy a Samsung phone again. I wouldn't be in this thread if I wasn't interested in these phones. I'm not a troll I like all tech and seeing people's views on these devices. There's quite a few of these features I would love to see on the iPhone.

The iPhone is great for me but I'm certainly not going to bypass where it needs to get better

 

[jamezr]

My S20 is still at the FedEx sort facilityi n my city! C'mom Fedex...lets get moving here! lol

 

[Harthag]

That's a very underrated new feature. I'm thinking about trying that with Samsung Browser. Just not sure if thar would crush battery.

It is nice. LastPass also benefits from this feature. I can't imagine letting Chrome stay in memory all the time, even if not open, surely it'll suck as much battery as possible! I'll switch to Brave or Samsung browser later today and disable Chrome altogether.

Watched some YouTube videos as I was waking up earlier and 120hz looks so great. I didn't notice the 90hz as much during video playback as much on the Pixel 4 XL. Could be placebo / excitement effect too here, not sure.

The phone is SO much lighter than the 11 Pro Max, it's crazy. I have the screen set to natural and colors really pop still.

Keyboard froze yet again while typing this. Maybe it's a Chrome issue, not cool.

 

[jamezr]

It is nice. LastPass also benefits from this feature. I can't imagine letting Chrome run all the time, surely it'll suck as much battery as possible. I'll switch to Brave or Samsung browser later today and disable Chrome altogether.

Watched some YouTube videos as I was waking up earlier and 120hz looks so great. I didn't notice the 90hz as much during video playback as much on the Pixel 4 XL. Could be placebo / excitement effect too here, not sure.

The phone is SO much lighter than the 11 Pro Max, it's crazy. I have the screen set to natural and colors really pop still.

Keyboard froze yet again while typing this. Maybe it's a Chrome issue, not cool.

Did you get a software update right out of the box?

 

[Awesomesince86]

It is nice. LastPass also benefits from this feature. I can't imagine letting Chrome run all the time, surely it'll suck as much battery as possible. I'll switch to Brave or Samsung browser later today and disable Chrome altogether.

Watched some YouTube videos as I was waking up earlier and 120hz looks so great. I didn't notice the 90hz as much during video playback as much on the Pixel 4 XL. Could be placebo / excitement effect too here, not sure.

The phone is SO much lighter than the 11 Pro Max, it's crazy. I have the screen set to natural and colors really pop still.

Keyboard froze yet again while typing this. Maybe it's a Chrome issue, not cool.

I’ve always hated the Samsung keyboard. It’s trash and constantly lags. One of the first things I’ll do is switch to Gboard.

As for Chrome, I haven’t used it in a while on desktop or android. It’s too resource intensive and there are enough alternative built on chromium that don’t have those issues. Desktop I use the new edge chromium browser and on android Samsung beta.

 

[Harthag]

Did you get a software update right out of the box?

Yep!

I’ve always hated the Samsung keyboard. It’s trash and constantly lags. One of the first things I’ll do is switch to Gboard.

As for Chrome, I haven’t used it in a while on desktop or android. It’s too resource intensive and there are enough alternative built on chromium that don’t have those issues. Desktop I use the new edge chromium browser and on android Samsung beta.

I think my freezing is a Chrome issue, as it happened with Samsung keyboard and SwiftKey a moment ago. I couldn't scroll either. Had to minimize Chrome and come back, and it responded again.

I haven't used Samsung browser regularly, will have to give it a fair shake now.

 

[Awesomesince86]

Yep!



I think my freezing is a Chrome issue, as it happened with Samsung keyboard and SwiftKey a moment ago. I couldn't scroll either. Had to minimize Chrome and come back, and it responded again.

I haven't used Samsung browser regularly, will have to give it a fair shake now.

It’s great and supports ad blocking. Also has dark mode.

 

[5105973]

It is nice. LastPass also benefits from this feature. I can't imagine letting Chrome stay in memory all the time, even if not open, surely it'll suck as much battery as possible! I'll switch to Brave or Samsung browser later today and disable Chrome altogether.

Watched some YouTube videos as I was waking up earlier and 120hz looks so great. I didn't notice the 90hz as much during video playback as much on the Pixel 4 XL. Could be placebo / excitement effect too here, not sure.

The phone is SO much lighter than the 11 Pro Max, it's crazy. I have the screen set to natural and colors really pop still.

Keyboard froze yet again while typing this. Maybe it's a Chrome issue, not cool.

I wonder if it’s the forum and how they work in browsers. On iPhone or Samsung on each phone’s native browsers, I sometimes have problems typing posts. Sometimes there are slowdowns or failure to respond. Selecting text can go wonky. This can happen on different forums. I very extremely rarely have any difficulty typing emails or texts.

 

[jamezr]

I’ve always hated the Samsung keyboard. It’s trash and constantly lags. One of the first things I’ll do is switch to Gboard.

As for Chrome, I haven’t used it in a while on desktop or android. It’s too resource intensive and there are enough alternative built on chromium that don’t have those issues. Desktop I use the new edge chromium browser and on android Samsung beta.

Gboard is the best imho. How do you like the new edge browser? I haven't tried it yet.

 

[Harthag]

I wonder if it’s the forum and how they work in browsers. On iPhone or Samsung on each phone’s native browsers, I sometimes have problems typing posts. Sometimes there are slowdowns or failure to respond. Selecting text can go wonky. This can happen on different forums. I very extremely rarely have any difficulty typing emails or texts.

You may be right. On my Pixel I know that typing on this forum can be a nightmare. No issues for me either with emails or texts.

 

[PaddyFowler]

Not at all, I have posted plenty of positive things about the ultra and would be tempted by the note with similar features. I pointed out where they need to improve. I never said I wouldn't buy a Samsung phone again. I wouldn't be in this thread if I wasn't interested in these phones. I'm not a troll I like all tech and seeing people's views on these devices. There's quite a few of these features I would love to see on the iPhone.

The iPhone is great for me but I'm certainly not going to bypass where it needs to get better

Have to admit - the "doze" part of Android which delays notifications is what absolutely bugs the hell out of me. Samsung make amazing phones - but it's the one thing that keeps me switching back to iPhone for main use.

 

[Awesomesince86]

Gboard is the best imho. How do you like the new edge browser? I haven't tried it yet.

Edge chromium for PCs is great. It’s fast, lightweight, and has extension support. Anything built on chromium will be similar in speed to chrome but edge manages to do so without the bloat.

 

[drinkingtea]

Have to admit - the "doze" part of Android which delays notifications is what absolutely bugs the hell out of me. Samsung make amazing phones - but it's the one thing that keeps me switching back to iPhone for main use.

It was one of the reasons I switched back to iOS. My Galaxy S8 was receiving (vital) notifications hours after my iPad received them. I could not find a solution for this problem (turning off Adaptive Battery did nothing nor did the other suggested methods for this issue). The same problem persisted when I had a Pixel 3 XL (I returned it after the two week trial). It boggles my mind that Google thinks this is acceptable.