Even though it is a budget phone, the sleek Samsung Galaxy A20 is loaded in such a way that it doesn’t appear like those “cheap phones.” It has a brilliant Super AMOLED display, battery life that can take you through an average day, and smooth performance.
Well, the Galaxy A20 is not too shabby for a device that sells for a wallet-friendly price tag. But the big question is: does the A20 match the hype of being unbeatable? Or, does it cut a few too many corners due to its affordability? That’s what we’re going to examine.
In this review, we’ll be examining Samsung’s budget-friendly Galaxy A20 and its specs to determine its worth. From the design and display, to the camera, software, price, battery, and more, we’ll be looking at the Galaxy A20 through many lenses.
Table of Contents
Galaxy A20 Specs: General Overview
Here is a general overview of the Samsung Galaxy A20 specs:
CPU Speed
1.6GHz, 1.35GHz
CPU Type
Octa-Core
Screen Size (Main Display)
162.0mm (6.4″)
Weight (g)
169
Processor
CPU Speed
1.6GHz, 1.35GHz
Display
Screen Size (Main Display)
162.0mm (6.4″)
Resolution (Main Display)
720 x 1560 (HD+)
Technology (Main Display)
Super AMOLED
Color Depth (Main Display)
16M
Camera
Rear Camera – Resolution (Multiple)
13.0 MP + 5.0 MP
Rear Camera – F Number (Multiple)
F1.9 , F2.2
Rear Camera – Auto Focus
Yes
Rear Camera – OIS
No
Front Camera – Resolution
8.0 MP
Front Camera – F Number
F2.0
Front Camera – Auto Focus
No
Front Camera – OIS
No
Rear Camera – Flash
Yes
Front Camera – Flash
No
Video Recording Resolution
FHD (1920 x 1080)@30fps
Connectivity
ANT+
No
USB Interface
The USB Type-C
USB Version
USB 2.0
Location Technology
GPS, Glonass, Galileo
Earjack
3.5mm Stereo
MHL
No
Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4+5GHz
Wi-Fi Direct
Yes
Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth v5.0 (LE up to 2 Mbps)
NFC
Yes
PC Sync.
Smart Switch (PC version)
Storage/Memory
Memory_(GB)
3
Storage (GB)
32
Available Storage (GB)
21.6
External Storage Support
MicroSD (Up to 512GB)
Network/Bearer
SIM size
Nano-SIM (4FF)
Network/Bearer (S/W Enabled)
2G GSM
GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G UMTS
B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850)
4G FDD LTE
B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B12(700), B13(700), B17(700), B20(800), B28(700), B66(AWS-3)
4G TDD LTE
B38(2600), B40(2300), B41(2500)
OS
Android
Sensors
Accelerometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Proximity Sensor
General Information
Form Factor
Touch Bar
Physical specifications & size
Dimensions (HxWxD, mm)
158.4 x 74.7 x 7.8
Weight (g)
169
Battery
Internet Usage Time(3G) (Hours)
Up to 12
Internet Usage Time(LTE) (Hours)
Up to 13
Internet Usage Time(Wi-Fi) (Hours)
Up to 13
Video Playback Time (Hours)
Up to 21
Battery Capacity (mAh, Typical)
4000
Removable
No
Audio Playback Time (Hours)
Up to 82
Talk Time (3G WCDMA) (Hours)
Up to 26
Audio and Video
Video Playing Format
MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM
Video Playing Resolution
FHD (1920 x 1080) @60fps
Audio Playing Format
MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
Services and Applications
Gear Support
Galaxy Watch, Gear Circle (Manager Support), Gear Fit, Gear Fit2, Gear Fit2 Pro, Gear Sport, Gear1, Gear2, Gear2 Neo, Gear S, Gear S2, Gear S3, Gear IconX, Gear IconX (2018)
S-Voice
No
Mobile TV
No
Samsung Galaxy A20 Specs culled from samsung.com
Galaxy A20 Specs: Design
Even though the A20 is slim and looks sleek, it is mostly made of plastic. It’s the standard for low-cost smartphones. Thus, the glossy rear plate is more prone to scratches. While this is bothersome, you’ll probably not feel too awful about it getting scratches since it’s a cheap phone.
Additionally, there is a sizable portion of “chin bezel” beneath the screen, but this is typical of low-cost phones. The front of the phone is still primarily dominated by the screen. And the responsive fingerprint sensor is positioned above the discreet Samsung logo on the back.
Whereas, the small camera module is situated in the upper left corner. Besides the thin-feeling rear plastic, the Samsung Galaxy A20 has a solid long-lasting feel. But compared to other phones of the same price as the Galaxy A20, there isn’t any water resistance certification.
The bottom houses a 3.5mm headphone port beside the USB-C charging port. This smartphone also has a 32GB internal storage, which can be increased with a microSD card up to 512GB.
Display
The A20 features a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with an aspect ratio of 19:5:9, similar to the A30. But it maintains the same HD+ resolution as the Galaxy A10, which gives a pixel density of ~268 PPI. Furthermore, it possesses a v-shaped water drop notch for the front camera. And Samsung in its marketing materials calls it the infinity-V design.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy A20’s camera is a combination of that of the A10 and A30. It features a single camera on the front and a dual camera on the rear side.
Further, its front camera comprises an 8-megapixel f/2.0 camera, which is a downgrade of A30’s 16-megapixel sensor and an enhancement from Galaxy A10’s 5-megapixel shooter. Then, the dual camera on the back is derived from the A10’s 13-megapixel f/1.9 primary camera and the A30’s 5-megapixel f/2.2.
Software
Similar to other newest Galaxy A smartphones, the A20 features a Samsung One UI and an Android 9 Pie out of the box. So, you can see that the recent A series enjoys this advantage over the M series which usually comes with Samsung experience UI 9.5 and Android 8.1 Oreo.
Given that Samsung often releases at least one major Android update for all Galaxy smartphones, we can predict that the A20 will also get the Android 10 update sometime in the future.
The Samsung Galaxy A20’s software features are quite typical of what you should expect from a budget Galaxy smartphone operating on One UI.
Battery
With a 4000mAh battery pack, you can rest assured of enough battery life to sustain you throughout an average day. Although it has a weak processor and low resolution screen, this battery capacity isn’t enough to sustain you for an entire 48 hours except when you use it very minimally.
Galaxy A20 Price
You can still get the Galaxy A20 at the same price—$250, from the Korean company’s website. And we wouldn’t advise you to purchase this phone at such an amount.
Hence, you can get the recent Galaxy A21 for the same price from Samsung too. And this model is expected to have at least an enhanced performance. Moreover, there are several other better smartphones within $200-$300 price range.
For instance, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G is way better than the A20 in almost every aspect. The OnePlus Nord N100 whose price is $180 is even a better smartphone than buying the Samsung Galaxy A20 at $250.
Fortunately, you might get the A20 for less than $100 (with a service plan) from some carriers. And we think this is a perfect price for a budget smartphone like this. We don’t see any good reason for you to purchase it at even $150+.
Bottom Line
The A20 model comes with impressive specs and features. However, it is not without its share of downsides. Its processor can get bogged down under intense workloads and it lacks camera low-light.
The A20 model may not be a total package but it’s impressive in its budget-friendly way. This smartphone is a knockout value for bargain buyers and deserves serious considerations.