Samsung Galaxy S11/Galaxy S20: Launch date, pictures, rumors, and everything else – ZDNet

Rumors are starting to heat up regarding Samsung’s Galaxy S11 series of smartphones. Actually, we don’t know if they will be called Galaxy S11. It’s looking more like Samsung is going to skip 11 and go straight to 20. The Galaxy S20, that is. Alongside the rumors, we’re beginning to see leaks trickle in as Samsung ramps up for production and continues testing its latest hardware.

Samsung has also sent out invites for an Unpacked event on Feb. 11 in San Francisco, where we expect the company to announce the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy Fold 2. 

Keep in mind, until Samsung makes an official announcement, any of the information below can (and some of it will) change. That said, leaks of Samsung phones leading up to a launch tend to pick up pace as the launch gets closer, so we should have more reliable information as we head into 2020.

Release date

• Samsung has sent out invites for a Feb. 11 event
• It will once again be in San Francisco
• A March 2020 release date is likely 

For the past few years, Samsung has announced the next Galaxy S model in February and released it a few weeks later. Samsung’s invite for a Feb. 11 event was sent out just prior to CES in early January. 

What will it be called?

• Our previous guess was that Samsung would stick to a pattern — with the Galaxy S11e, S11, and S11 Plus
• However, all signs are pointing toward a big change 
• Samsung could go with Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Plus 5G

Originally, it made sense that Samsung would follow its previous naming scheme, and the next Galaxy S-series phones would be called the Galaxy S11 line. However, a rumor surfaced stating that Samsung was going to skip S11 and go with Galaxy S20 instead. At first, it was simply a rumor — but now, thanks to a recent batch of hands-on photos (more on this below), it appears the Galaxy S20 name is legit. 

What will it look like?

• A lot like the Note 10, but flatter
• There’s a new camera arrangement, though

We’re starting to see photos of the Galaxy S20 posted, with the first batch showing off the S20 Plus 5G in the last few days. The trio of photos posted by XDA Developers contributor Max Weinbach matches the render from @OnLeaks published on 91mobiles posted above. 

From the photos above, we can see the front is all display, save for the camera hole punch centered at the top of the screen. The back has a four-camera setup, and the overall design has a flatter look than previous generation Galaxy devices, which boasted a curved display. 

Camera improvements

• A primary camera of 108 megapixels is possible
• There could be as many as five cameras on the back

As you can see in the above photo, the Galaxy S20 may very well end up with five rear-facing cameras. But outside of the growing number of lenses on the back of phones, perhaps the bigger story with the Galaxy S20 is that XDA Developers found code in the Samsung Camera app that indicates the S20 could have a 108-megapixel camera. That report was backed up by Twitter user Ice Universe, who has accurately leaked specs and features for phones in the past but only mentions the Galaxy S20 Plus. 

5G across the lineup?

• Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 865 processor comes with 5G
• But it needs to be paired with a 5G modem

We may see 5G connectivity in every Galaxy S20 that Samsung announces next year, but if that’s the case, that also means the price for each model will go up. I’d wager that we’ll see Samsung release LTE models alongside a 5G variant of the S20 and 5G standard in the S20 Plus.

In addition to more expensive hardware, 5G coverage isn’t there yet to justify forcing every customer into paying for a technology they likely won’t even have coverage to use for awhile.

Specifications

• Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865
• 120Hz refresh rate for the screen
• Bigger display, bigger battery

Samsung tends to be one of the first phone makers to use Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon processor with its S series each year, and we don’t expect that trend to end. The new processor supports display refresh rates of up to 120hz, which leads to smoother scrolling through apps and improved gaming.

Another leak from Ice Universe points to a hidden settings menu found in Note 9’s One UI 2 beta that adds an option for a 120hz refresh rate, which isn’t possible in Note 9. It appears Samsung left some code intended for the S20 in the Note 9 build. 

According to Evan Blass, who goes by Evleaks on Twitter, the S20 (he refers to them as the S11) display sizes will be 6.4 inches, 6.7 inches, and 6.9 inches for the S20e, S20 and S20 Plus, respectively. There’s a chance the smallest S20 will have a 6.2-inch display.

A 5G device with more cameras and larger displays is going to chew through batteries much faster, but it appears Samsung is increasing the S20’s battery size to offset it. A picture posted by Ice Universe is supposedly the battery that Samsung will use in the Galaxy S20 Plus, and it’s a whopping 5,000mAh.