Check out the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra's huge camera bump, 48MP periscope zoom included

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By David Lumb
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Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra could do with more phone on its camera

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
(Image credit: 91Mobiles)

A succession of Samsung Galaxy S20 leaks have given us some good looks at the upcoming phones, but we've not seen anything quite like this: images that are said to be press renders showing the so-called Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (more on that '5G' later) – including its distinctive camera bump.

Unlike leaked images of the other S20 phones, which show a domino-style vertical camera block on glossy black glass, this one – courtesy of leaker Ishan Agarwal and 91Mobiles (all the leaked info is at that link) – shows a split block with three lenses in the glossy top section, and the purported periscope zoom lens nestled in its own matte-finish section at the bottom of the array.

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Obviously this is drawing attention to the much-rumored telephoto lens, which it's been said could pack a 5x optical zoom, a 30x hybrid ‘lossless’ zoom and a massive 100x digital ‘Space Zoom’ feature. The top glossy glass section is likely filled with the lenses we’ve previously heard are coming to the other S20 phones: a 108MP lens, a 12MP ultrawide one, and a time of flight sensor.  

Another design feature suggested in the 91Mobiles report is that the curved edges, typical of the S-series of phones, will be slightly less curved here. Also, according to the leak, the S20 Ultra will come in two colors: Cosmic Grey and Cosmic Black.

  • The Ultra 5G could be the next king of the 5G phones
  • The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra could likewise top our best Android phones list
  • Don't forget the standard Galaxy S20, which could contend on our best US phones ranks

Otherwise, this leak suggests a lot that we’ve already heard, including a colossal 6.9-inch display, a center-aligned punch-hole for the selfie camera, and a maximum 120Hz screen refresh rate.

The other surprise with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G is, of course, the name - we haven’t heard this top-tier phone with the 5G label appended to it before today. Sure, there could be a 4G version we don't know about, but that's unlikely. We're betting it's just Samsung trying to throw around the fact that it has a 5G flagship phone and that there's no iPhone 5G... yet (see iPhone 12).

It’s also likely that Samsung wants to distinguish the Ultra as the inheritor of the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G mantle. The company would be giving its highest-specced version of the S20 lineup a properly audacious title to reflect its power.

What's curious is that Agarwal does mention Galaxy S20 prices and, in that same tweet, lists the Galaxy S20 4G among the new Samsung phones. Yet we know that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, likely to be what powers the S20 series of phones in the US, requires a 5G modem. We're waiting to see how this shakes out.

Analysis of Samsung Galaxy S20 price leak

The Samsung Galaxy S20 leak includes prices in Euros along with a warning not to convert them and assume the converted price will be accurate in any other currency. It's a reasonable assertion given Samsung's habit of setting round prices instead of equivalent ones. But just to give you some idea of possible prices, they are:

  • Galaxy S20 4G: €899 (around $993 / £757 / AU$1,452)
  • Galaxy S20 5G: €999 (around $1,104 / £841 / AU$1,613)
  • Galaxy S20 Plus 5G: €1,099 (around $1,215 / £926 / AU$1,775)
  • Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, 128GB: €1,349 (around $1,491 / £1,136 / AU$2,179)
  • Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, 512GB: €1,549 (around $1,712 / £1,305 / AU$2,502)

Oh yes – there are S20 and S20 Plus renders too

The leak also showed off purported press renders for both the standard Samsung Galaxy S20 and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, giving us a clear view of both phones – assuming of course that the images are the real deal.

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There's also info that supports what we’ve heard before: the S20 will pack a 6.2-inch display, while the S20 Plus will have a larger 6.7-inch screen. On the back of each is the same glossy glass camera block with a 12MP main camera and larger 64MP zoom (but only 3x telephoto); only the Plus model has a time of flight depth sensor.

Color-wise, both phones are said to come in Cosmic Grey and Cloud Blue, though they get an exclusive hue apiece: Cloud Pink for the Galaxy S20 and Cosmic Black for the S20 Plus. More colors could be available at launch, of course, but this is a neat tidbit.

In other words, there's nothing terribly new here regarding the two phones we’ve already seen, but any info that backs up what we've already heard is certainly worth taking note of.

Via PhoneArena

David Lumb
David Lumb

David is now a mobile reporter at Cnet. Formerly Mobile Editor, US for TechRadar, he covered phones, tablets, and wearables. He still thinks the iPhone 4 is the best-looking smartphone ever made. He's most interested in technology, gaming and culture – and where they overlap and change our lives. His current beat explores how our on-the-go existence is affected by new gadgets, carrier coverage expansions, and corporate strategy shifts.