150-photo Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra test: 100x zoom, 108MP camera, 40MP selfies

Update 4: We now have in excess of one hundred fifty shots in our Samsung Galaxy S20 Extremely digicam examination with photo samples spanning all modes: 100x zoom, 108MP resolution, and 40MP selfies. Is it worth Samsung’s ‘ultra’ substantial asking rate? You can choose for oneself. We have a new comparison tool so that you can slide between S20 Extremely shots and people of Samsung’s leading opponents, all in the direct up to our Galaxy S20 Extremely evaluate.

Completely ready for the initial of one hundred fifty shots? This is the S20 Extremely (at 108MP) vs Iphone 11 Professional Max, followed by a collection of portrait shots from seven distinctive smartphone cameras commencing with Samsung’s new handset (extra portrait shots on Webpage 4) and a comparison between 40MP selfies and a 12MP selfie in Reside Emphasis (portrait method).

Galaxy S20 Extremely digicam examination: how we did it

We will not have to notify you that the Samsung Galaxy S20 Extremely digicam is outstanding – the one hundred fifty shots we are which includes in this digicam deep dive discuss for on their own.

We tested the S20 Extremely 100x telephoto lens, which Samsung phone calls ‘Space Zoom’, and have up-to-date this website page with photo samples from taking pictures on a tripod as properly as whilst handheld most importantly, we set the phone’s shots aspect-by-aspect with people shot by leading opponents (the likes of Apple, Google, OnePlus).

As you can notify, we are having our Galaxy S20 Extremely digicam pretty significantly:

The photo comparison gallery is beneath, on the other hand, if you have particular requests for a comparison or shot state of affairs, request us about it on Twitter. We are going to attempt to update this ongoing S20 Extremely digicam evaluate with solutions. Certainly, we are going to contain the S20 and S20 Additionally as comparisons when we get people telephones in for evaluate, way too.

We are showing the effects of the pursuing S20 Extremely digicam modes:

• 100x ‘Space Zoom’ telephoto lens with a tripod + rival cell phone comparisons
• Night time time photo comparison from 1x to 100x when shadows creep in
• 108MP shots and 40MP selfies – does it genuinely make a variance? It depends
• Reside Emphasis portrait method and all of its pleasurable filters
• The upgraded selfie digicam and automatic group selfie UI (this is  the most effective selfie digicam we’ve ever tested)
• Extremely-extensive shots (and how they assess to standard extensive shots)
• Handheld 100x ‘Space Zoom’ telephoto tries

Now onto the Galaxy S20 Extremely photo comparison gallery beneath.

Galaxy S20 100x: What is actually it like in ‘Space Zoom’?

What is actually it like in ‘Space Zoom’? That is the No. one query we received asked when we initial did our Samsung Galaxy S20 Extremely unboxing and fired up the digicam. In a couple words: outstanding, but not usually useable at the utmost 100x instances zoom degree.

Samsung’s folded lens, related to the Huawei P30 Pro’s periscope lens, sits sideways within the smartphone to give it more area and uses a mirror to flip 90 levels and just take photographs out of the again of the cell phone. Usually, you wouldn’t be acquiring to excessive zoom concentrations with a skinny smartphone.

Using a tripod for this initial examination, below are the effects, commencing with 1x (no zoom) and going to 2x, 10x, 30x and 100x, then again down to .5x for the extremely-extensive.

Edit: We went again and re-did our tests to contain equally day and evening to see what happens when extra shadows creep in. The evening shots are now on website page 2.

S20 Extremely photo gallery

S20 Extremely: 1x (no zoom) vs 100x (max zoom)

All of the Galaxy S20 Extremely zoom concentrations

The S20 Extremely digicam at 100x just isn’t one thing you’d publish to Instagram – it really is just about a stylized hand-drawn variation of what New York City’s Grand Central Terminal clock appears like. But this is close to what 10x digital zoom appears like on Samsung’s opponents.

Basically, Samsung’s digicam is earning 10x optical hybrid zoom rather useable when that’s the utmost digital zoom on lots of of its rivals (and its possess prior cameras). Even 4x and 30x (which are preset zoom concentrations on the digicam UI) are usable in the appropriate situations (browse: fantastic lights ailments and with a regular hand or tripod), whilst the 100x zoom feels like a neat tech demo and related to the excellent of 10x digital zoom on other telephones cameras.

Moreover the S20 Extremely, here’s what we’ve integrated

Searching at the Galaxy S20 Extremely camera’s shots is practical, but analyzing them by yourself just isn’t fantastic plenty of for our tests. So we’ve integrated various of Samsung’s rivals and two of previous year’s Samsung telephones in lots of of the situations.

This is what we’ve integrated and why:

• Samsung Galaxy S20 Extremely: simply because… usually this is pointless, appropriate?
• Iphone 11 Professional Max: the S20 Ultra’s chief competitor from Apple
• Google Pixel 4: just one of the most effective digicam telephones in our guide
• Samsung Galaxy S10: how significantly has the S20 Extremely enhanced items?
• Samsung Galaxy Take note 10: some people are selecting between the S20 Extremely and Take note 10 (and have emailed us, so this is for you)
• OnePlus 7 Professional: a flagship at a mid-range rate, now one/three less expensive vs S20 Extremely
• Google Pixel 3a: a cell phone that’s $one,000 less expensive than the S20 Extremely

Iphone 11 Professional Max

Galaxy S20 Extremely vs Iphone 11 Professional Max (10x zoom)

All 11 Professional Max shots to assess to S20 Extremely

Google Pixel 4

Galaxy S20 Extremely vs Google Pixel 4 (~10x zoom)

Take note: the Google Pixel 4, would not go to 100x zoom like the S20 Extremely – and it would not go to 10x, both. It maxes out at an 8x zoom. So, for the slider tool at least, we had to crop in on the Pixel variation to get a far better feeling of how they assess.

All Google Pixel 4 shots to assess to S20 Extremely

S20 Extremely vs previous year’s big Samsung phones 

Galaxy S10

All Galaxy S10 shots to assess to S20 Extremely

Galaxy Take note 10 Additionally

Galaxy S20 Extremely vs Galaxy Take note 10 Additionally (10x zoom)

All Galaxy Take note 10 shots to assess to S20 Extremely

S20 Extremely vs significantly less expensive telephones

OnePlus 7 Professional

Galaxy S20 Extremely vs OnePlus 7 Professional (10x zoom)

All OnePlus 7 Professional shots to assess to S20 Extremely

Google Pixel 3a

Galaxy S20 Extremely vs Google Pixel 3a (~10x zoom)

As we stated with the Pixel 4, The Google Pixel 3a is an additional Google telephones that maxes out at an 8x zoom, and since the S20 Extremely digicam can do a 10x hybrid optical zoom, we can do crop the Pixel 3a variation to far better overlay the impression. The originals (before cropping) are embedded beneath this aspect-by-aspect comparison photo set.

All Google Pixel 3a shots to assess to S20 Extremely