Samsung started rolling out a new firmware update for their Galaxy S20 series to improve the camera and gestures. This is the 2nd update the device has received even though it still has not been officially released yet.
Despite being impressive on paper, reviews for the Galaxy S20 series have been mixed. The camera has some flaws that have left some reviewers scratching their head. Basic tasks like auto-focus taking way longer than it should are plaguing the lineup. With the camera being a key upgrade, these bugs left most early users with a lukewarm taste in their mouths.
Firmware Fix Needed
Samsung, aware of these complaints, has promised to fix these issues with a software firmware update. Initially released in Korea, Samsung responded quickly to complaints with a 253 megabyte update. The hope is that Samsung is likely racing to get the update out globally shortly.
During their Unpacked 2020 event Samsung released 3 versions of their Galaxy S series. Samsung only released two models at launch, usually the standard S model and a Galaxy S+ model.
This year Samsung went all in with an Ultra model of their phone with some super high-end specs. The Ultra included specs like an industry leading camera with 108 megapixels and 100x space zoom. For good measure the phone also comes with a 40 megapixel selfie camera and a 5,000mAh battery.
All three models included upgraded cameras with the Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus coming with a 64-megapixel telephoto lens. In addition to the now standard 4K video recording, the full lineup now comes armed with a future proofing 8K recording ability.
Galaxy S20, Impressive but Flawed
Camera execution is not the only issue tarnishing the flagship lineup. The design of the new phones is also controversial. Unlike the beautiful curves on the Galaxy S10 series, the S20 series is much flatter.
Price has been a major issue with consumers. The price of all three models have gone up significantly across the board. Sales of the Galaxy S20 series have been down since pre-orders started which Samsung blames on coronavirus.
Samsung has ignored all complaints thus far around price. They have heard however the complaints about the camera quality. Thankfully they have been relatively quick to react and come up with some improvements before release.
Currently the Galaxy S20 series in on pre-order through carriers and Samsung directly. March 6th, 2020 is the release date globally for all models of the Galaxy S20. Once unboxed, there will already be two firmware updates waiting.