Galaxy S20: What makes Samsung’s flagship phones important for everyone

Samsung will launch its new smartphone flagship series in a few hours. Here’s why Samsung’s flagship phones have mattered over the years.

Samsung Galaxy S20 series will feature 5G models as well. (EVLeaks/Twitter)

The flagship Samsung Galaxy S series smartphones are often placed on the same shelf against Apple iPhones when we talk about Android counterparts. Yes, Google Pixels are the ones that pose a more logical rivalry here but the Samsung Galaxy S lineup always had a 'mass appeal' to them, something that stays intact despite being in the premium category.

Now, in a few hours we are about to see the Galaxy S20 range of smartphones, which as is the case, will be the first and most powerful series by Samsung launched this year. What's expected is nothing less than beautiful AMOLED screens, glass and metal build, beastly performance under-the-hood and top of the class cameras. And like every year, they might just influence the smartphone market in one way or the other.

One of the glaring examples here is the punch-hole display. Samsung introduced its own version of punch-hole screens calling it the 'Infinity' displays back in 2018, something that resulted in an inflow of several mid-rangers with similar screens throughout 2019. Even the AMOLED panels that are being used in majority of the devices, come from Samsung. We are not even talking about the curved glass back design, which was also made popular by the Galaxy S series.

So with Samsung updating its Galaxy S lineup every year, a major question that one may pose here is if they are still worth it? We think it does, at least in the 'features' department.

One of the trends that we see shaping into a massive wave is the rectangular rear camera setup. It has been there in latest iPhones and Pixel handsets but with Samsung coming into the mix; it might not be long before we see this in upper-mid range or mid-range smartphones. And what may come as a benchmark here is the 108-megapixel rear camera. One can imagine customers comparing this with the 48-megapixel and 64-megapixel laden smartphones in the near future. And who knows, by the end of 2020 there could be a couple of brands following this trend.

 

Okay, one more.

In all it's potato quality glory.

That S20 Ultra tho... pic.twitter.com/ODnBddDDK7

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) February 5, 2020

The second trend that is also 'undeniable' is the inclusion of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 processor. We are likely to see this coming in other handsets later this year as well. However, like previous years, Samsung could launch the variant with Exynos counterpart of Snapdragon 865, in India. But even if you get this processor in other smartphones, it's just the sheer performance and the hardware+software optimisation by Samsung that makes it more 'premium'. What we mean is that any other OEM can pull off a smartphone with Snapdragon 865 and launch it at lower prices but for those who have used a Samsung premium smartphone before, the experience is different.

As rumours and leaks suggest, this year we are also expecting the Galaxy S20 series to sport curved glass back panel with a mix of metal, in terms of build and design. Yes, it is not a brand new design and we have seen this in several smartphones by now. However, the fact that this was started by Samsung as a trend a few years ago and is still seen in many handsets, carries a lot of weightage on its own. It's the in-hand experience that makes all the difference. Also, Samsung sticking with this design indicates that it's going nowhere for now.

 

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G Covers. When your silicone cover has an extra lip to accommodate for the massive camera bump. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/yIDLJUCuuy

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) February 8, 2020

Also, we usually don't see Samsung hoping-on to the specs game with the Galaxy S series. But if you sit back and look at the overall spec package that is being delivered by Samsung Galaxy S20 series, it will definitely be the benchmark if nothing else. Take Galaxy S20 Ultra rumours for instance: up to 16GB RAM, AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 40-megapixel front-facing camera, 108-megapixel rear camera and 5000mAh battery with 45W fast charging tech, all of this will assure the handset stays on top of the chain for at least next few months.