Phone Comparisons: Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S20+

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S20+ comparison should be an interesting one. Users who are making a jump from the Galaxy S10+ to a new Samsung flagship may be more interested in the Galaxy S20+, than the S20 Ultra. The Galaxy S20 Ultra may be the most powerful handset in the lineup, but it’s not only huge, it’s also extremely expensive.

The Galaxy S20+ is not exactly cheap, by any means, but it may be a better choice for some of you. The S10+ is still a great device, and many of you probably won’t be looking to upgrade this year. If you are, however, we’ll do our best to compare these two smartphones for you, to see if it’s worth the jump, or not.

As it’s usually the case when it comes to our comparisons, we’ll compare the two phones across a number of categories. We’ll kick things off with the spec comparison of the two phones. Following that comes the design, display, performance, and so on. Having said that, if you’re interested in seeing our Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S20+ comparison, read on.

Specs

Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S20+: Design

The Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S20+ will have a similar in-hand feel. Both phones are made out of metal and glass, and both are quite slippery. You’ll notice that back sides on both phones are curved. The Galaxy S20+ is a bit heavier than the Galaxy S10+, though. It’s about 13 grams heavier, which is something you may feel in your hand, but the difference is not that big, if we’re being honest.

Despite the fact the Galaxy S20+ includes a larger display than the S10+, it is narrower. All this thanks to thinner bezels, and a higher display aspect ratio. The Galaxy S20+ is a bit taller, narrower, and equally as thick as the S10+. The S20+ has thinner bottom bezel than the S10+, while the rest of its bezels are ever so slightly thinner as well. The Galaxy S20+ surely looks better from the front, as it includes a small display camera hole. That camera hole is centered, and a lot smaller than the Galaxy S10+’s pill-shaped display hole which is placed in the top-right corner.

The Galaxy S10+ includes three cameras on the back, and those cameras are vertically-aligned. The Galaxy S20+ sports four cameras, and they are both vertically and horizontally aligned, depending on the sensor. Its camera module is placed in the top-left corner of the phone’s back side. The Galaxy S20+ has even more rounded edges than the S10+, but not by much. It’s also worth noting that the Bixby physical key is gone on the Galaxy S20, but so is a 3.5mm headphone jack. Samsung did a great job designing the Galaxy S20+, and it’s hard to deny that it looks better than the S10+. Build quality is on the same level, however, great, as you’d expect.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S20+

Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S20+: Display

Both of these phones have curved displays, though the Galaxy S10+’s is more curved than S20+’s. The Galaxy S20+ has a larger display than its predecessor, however. It comes with a 6.7-inch WQHD+ (3200 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED panel with 20:9 aspect ratio. The Galaxy S10+, on the other hand, offers a 6.4-inch QHD+ (3040 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED display with 19:9 aspect ratio.

Both of those displays are protected by a sheet of Gorilla Glass 6. Both displays support HDR10+ content, and content on both looks phenomenal. You’ll get great contrast on both of these displays, while saturated colors are also a part of the package. Both displays are vivid, and the colors are very well represented as well. You also get some additional settings for both displays, so that you can fine-tune them for your preference.

The Galaxy S20+ does have one major advantage over the Galaxy S10+, however. While the Galaxy S10+’s display is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, the Galaxy S20+’s offers a 120Hz refresh rate. At the moment, however, you can use 120Hz refresh rate setting with fullHD+ resolution only, but support for WQHD+ is coming. All in all, the Galaxy S20+ wins this round, mainly due to the refresh rate, even though the panel itself also has a slight advantage over the S10+’s display.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S20+

Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S20+: Performance

In terms of performance, both of these phones are great. The Galaxy S10+ still holds up great, while the Galaxy S20+ is one of the fastest phones we’ve used. Truth be said, the vast majority of users won’t even notice the difference, even though the Galaxy S20+ is a bit faster. That is to be expected, as not only does it come with a newer chipset, but it also has a generation newer / faster RAM and storage (LPDDR5 and UFS 3.0).

On top of all that, Samsung did its best to optimize this phone’s software, which sits on top of Android 10. Both phones will perform great when it comes to everyday tasks. Opening up apps, multitasking, consuming multimedia, and even gaming are a breeze on both phones. All of that feels even smoother on the Galaxy S20+, though. Not only because the phone has more powerful hardware, but also because of that high refresh rate display. It simply makes things look extra smooth on that gorgeous display.

So, the bottom line is, if you really don’t need the latest and greatest, the Galaxy S10+ is still a great performer. If you really want a high refresh rate display, and everything that comes with it, the Galaxy S20+ is a great choice. We have to give an advantage to the Galaxy S20+ in this regard, it’s simply a more powerful smartphone, and it shows.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S20+

Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S20+: Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S20+ does include a larger battery than the S10+, but it also comes with a larger display, and a display with higher refresh rate. Well, it seems like that 4,500mAh unit inside the S20+ is more than enough for the device, though. We have had far more time to use the Galaxy S20 Ultra which we’re currently reviewing, but during the time we got with the S20+, we’ve realized that the phone handles battery life almost as good as the S20 Ultra.

Based on that, it is safe to assume that it will do a better job than the Galaxy S10+. The Galaxy S10+ offered excellent battery life in the beginning, but that quickly changed. Don’t get us wrong, battery life that it was able to provide was really good, but not up to par with the best up there. Well, we can safely say that the Galaxy S20+ should be able to get you over 6-7 hours of screen on time without major issues, though that will depend on your usage, of course.

If you’re big on gaming or other power-intensive tasks, the battery will die sooner than it did for us. The Galaxy S20+ does support fast battery charging, and it comes with an included 25W charger. It also supports 15W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging (9W). The Galaxy S10+ matches it in both wireless and reverse wireless charging segments, but it caps out at 15W when it comes to wired charging. That means the S20+ chargers faster as well, overall.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S20+

Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S20+: Cameras

Samsung made a considerable step forward with the Galaxy S20 series in terms of cameras. The company has been making minor improvements for a while now, until the Galaxy S20 came to the scene. The Galaxy S20 Ultra does have an advantage over the Galaxy S20 and S20+ in terms of cameras, but the smaller two phones are almost as good. The Galaxy S20+ is simply a better camera smartphone than its predecessor, the Galaxy S10+.

The device comes with newer sensors, and on top of that, excellent software backup on Samsung’s part. Images from the Galaxy S20+ cameras look better in almost every way. The phone is lighter on processing, or at least it seems like it, so the images look more realistic. The dynamic range is noticeably better, and so is white balance. Images taken with the Galaxy S20+ also offer more detail.

The Galaxy S20+ offers much better results in low light. It allows for more light to creep into an image, and it does a better job to balance everything out. It is capable of pulling more detail from the shadows, and it balances everything better than its predecessor. Video recording is also less shaky on the Galaxy S20+, if that is something you care about. All in all, the Galaxy S20+ is a better choice in terms of cameras.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S20+

Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs Galaxy S20+: Audio

Both the Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S20+ offer really great audio. Both phones come with stereo speakers. The main speaker is placed on the bottom of both phones, while the secondary one is included above the display. To be quite honest, there’s not much difference between those speakers, as far as audio output is concerned. Speakers on both phones get plenty loud, while they remain quite crisp at all times. Distortion is present on high volumes, but it’s very minimal.

Audio via headphones is really good. The Galaxy S20+ may offer slightly better highs, but it’s too close to tell. As long as your headphones are good, and the same goes for the audio quality you’re reproducing, both of these phones will be able to handle it with ease. Do note that, however, the Galaxy S20+ does not include a headphone jack. If that is something you need out of your phone, the Galaxy S10+ should be your choice.

That being said, we’ll give this section to the Galaxy S10+, simply because of the 3.5mm headphone jack. The two phones are almost identical in every other way, so that is what makes the difference here. If you don’t need it, then consider these two phones to be equal in terms of audio.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S10+

The overall winner

The Samsung Galaxy S20+ is a clear winner here. The phone is better in almost every way than its predecessor. They are basically equal in the audio department, save for the headphone jack. The Galaxy S20+ does offer a more appealing design, better display, better performance, and considerably better cameras. So, if you don’t mind spending over $1,000 to get the Galaxy S20+, we recommend it without a problem. If you’d like to save quite a bit of cash, however, the Galaxy S10+ is still a great choice.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S20+