Unlike competitors, the Galaxy S20 Ultra integrates the 108 Megapixel resolution (12000×9000) as one of the resolutions in the “auto mode”, so users can set it as the default maximum resolution. It’s really interesting because it’s the first time we’re going to use the full resolution of the sensor in our tests.
Other phones treat their maximum resolution (40/48/64/108 megapixels) as a special “mode” that users have to switch to, making their use much less likely. By default, they run at 1/4 resolution which goes from 10 to 27 megapixels.
Key Camera Specifications + What’s New
Rear Camera System (3 cameras + ToF sensor)
Ultrawide: 13mm 12-MP f/2.2 ultrawide
Primary: 25mm 108-MP f/1.8 wide (Primary)
Zoom: 103mm 48-MP f/3.5 zoom long
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra represents a major escalation of the Samsung Galaxy S camera hardware setup. The Galaxy S10 and Note 10 primary camera was the ultimate evolution of the Galaxy S9, which was a derivative of the Galaxy S8 camera but with a much better lens.
The primary sensor is nearly 3X larger as the Galaxy S10’s and we estimate that the lens gathers ~2X more light. Only the recently reviewed Mi Note 10 camera boasts such a sensor, likely because it is the same one, designed and manufactured by Samsung, the Samsung S5KHMX (Samsung has not confirmed this, but it’s the only one that matches).
The S20 Ultra comes with a new long-zoom (80mm+) with a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 91mm. That’s not the craziest we’ve seen (Huawei P30 Pro camera has a 135mm zoom) but for zoom-lovers, 91mm is a huge boost from last year’s 52mm.
The 12 Megapixel ultrawide camera keeps a 13mm lens, but although the resolution went from 16MP down to 12MP, the sensor size has increased by nearly 50% since Galaxy S10/Note 10.
You can find more detailed camera specifications and general technical data on our Galaxy S20 Ultra specs page.
Image Quality Analysis
Important: let’s clarify some terminology we’ll be using:
Image processing : software work that improves the image data quality
Image filtering : software work that changes the aesthetic of the photo.
Context photo : a great approximation of what the user sees
Including how dark the scene actually is
Only to provide the context of the shot.
Not a quality benchmark
A note about the Uber-G Camera IQ benchmark: our camera scoring system is based on four “Pillars” or sub-scores that provide much-needed nuance: day, night, zoom, and ultrawide photography.
