You shouldn't have to pay much more for the Galaxy S20 Ultra, but it also is the better device of the two considering their specs.
It gives you better glass protection, a better display, and Google's services.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra also has a higher refresh rate, larger (+0.4") display, better peak brightness, and more RAM (12GB vs. 8GB). But the P40 Pro will give you faster wireless charging (27w vs. 15w) and Bluetooth 5.1.
If you're not considering subscribing to a service provider, it'll cost you around $156 more.
The P40 Pro isn't your best option in 2022. It's losing its security updates, and the Vivo X60 Pro is an overall better phone, for example, because then you'll get more storage, more security updates, and more RAM.
Don't let its age scare you. The Galaxy S20 Ultra still is a fantastic device as we go thru 2022. You'll love it for its good cameras, excellent glass protection, fast charging, tons of RAM, and 8K recordings. But keep an eye on the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max too.
Read on and find out more about them, how they differ from their competition, and how other specialists evaluate them.
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CONTENTS
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Once upon a time, there was a great battle.
That could be the beginning of a legendary tale, in which two kings fight against each other over each one's kingdoms.
That could also be the beginning of this story between Huawei's P40 Pro and Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra.
You're probably here because you definitely value picture quality in a smartphone's camera, but there's much more than that.
But I digress here. Let's start over from the beginning.
Samsung launched its Galaxy S20 Ultra in March 2020, while Huawei's P40 Pro arrived at stores one month later.
We've run down the specs, design, price, and much more in this guide to help you choose between the P40 Pro and the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Warning: Please, refrain from purchasing the P40 Pro, as it will be losing it's security updates sooner than later.
For additional information regarding our smartphone comparisons, check this FAQ.
to check who their rivals are.
Price* | vs. | ||
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Device | ![]() |
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Release Date | 2020, April | 2020, March | 0y. |
OS Updates | 2 years | 3 years | 1y. |
Security Updates | 2 years | 4 years | 2y. |
*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Geekbench 5 scores the P40 Pro 18% ahead of its rival in the multi-core ranking. You should notice that it is a bit faster if you test them side by side.
When it comes to performance, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is way under the average by comparing it with other smartphones from this price range. While they got a score of about 3396, it has 2698. That puts it 26% below them.
One can entitle the P40 Pro as high-end and the Galaxy S20 Ultra as a lower high-end.
PS: The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (with the Adreno 650 GPU) and the Exynos 990 (with the Mali-G77) are market-dependent. Click here for more info.
Some users did install the Google Play Store on recent Huawei phones, but please be aware that officially you won't get Google apps, and some essential apps may be missing too on the P40 Pro.
There's a performance increase of about 15% on the 865 for the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Performance* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
SoC | Hisilicon Kirin 990 | Exynos 990 | |
Graphics | Mali-G76 MP16 | Mali-G77 MP11 | |
Geekbench 5 Score | 3197 | 2698 | -499 |
OS | Android 10 and EMUI 10 | Android 10 and OneUI | |
Tek-Score | -0.8 |
*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13.
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The Galaxy S20 Ultra is the winner here, and that's as clear as glass.
Very few rivals share this maximum brightness. Usually, they stay in the ballpark of 788 nits, while the P40 Pro can only do 23% less.
Bearing in mind the P40 Pro, 96% of its rivals can play HDR content. Plus, all have an AMOLED screen, 84% have an Always-On display, and 76% have Gorilla Glass 6 or better.
Regarding the Galaxy S20 Ultra, all of its rivals can play HDR content and have an AMOLED screen, 84% offer you more than 60hz of refresh rate, and 79% have an Always-On display and have Gorilla Glass 6 or better.
Display Density (DPIs)* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
Size | 6.5 | 6.9 | 0.4 |
Screen Type | AMOLED | AMOLED | |
Resolution (px) | 1200x2640 | 1440x3200 | 1440000 |
Refresh Rate | 90hz | 120hz | 30 |
Dots per Inch | 446.14 | 508.56 | 62.42 |
Always-On-Display | Yes | Yes | |
Notch | Hole | Hole | |
Peak Brightness | 605 nits | 894 nits | 289 |
HDR | HDR10 | HDR10+ | |
Sub Tek-Score | 1.1 | ||
Protection | - | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | |
Tek-Score | 5.2 |
*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.
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You should note that the P40 Pro is in the neighborhood of 44% above other smartphones from its price range. That's why between these two, it should be your choice too.
The P40 Pro and the P30 Pro share the same ability to do 50x hybrid zoom. It isn't an optical zoom, but (thanks to AI) it is much better than digital zoom.
About the P40 Pro: DXOMARK has rated this camera with a score of 137. If you add the telephoto and wide-angle lenses, that will go up to 153. You can check their review if you click here.
Last (but not least), all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization. However, only 8% of them feature a macro lens.
Despite only having an optical zoom of 4x, thanks to its AI, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is also known for its impressive 100x hybrid Space Zoom. While better than a digital zoom, that's still far from a pure optical zoom.
About the Galaxy S20 Ultra: DXOMARK's gurus gave this shooter a score of 128. By considering the telephoto and wide-angle lenses, we'll get to the final score of 144 points. If you want to know more about every tidbit, check it here.
Lastly, just like the other device, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization, and 84% feature a telephoto lens. Moreover, none of them feature a macro lens.
One can place these two as high-end.
If you love it, the P40 Pro zoom lens is 41mm above what you usually see on similarly priced devices.
Picture Quality* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Primary Camera | ![]() |
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|
Megapixels | 50 | 108 | 58 |
Aperture | 1.9 | 1.8 | -0.1 |
Lens | 23mm | 26mm | 3 |
Lens Type | Wide-Angle | Wide-Angle | |
Flash | 1 | 1 | 0 |
HDR | Yes | Yes | |
OIS | Yes | Yes | |
Video | 2160 | 4320 | 2160 |
Score | 153 | 144 | -9 |
*Reference: 100: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
Extra Camera(s) | ![]() |
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vs. |
---|---|---|---|
Megapixels | 12 | 48 | 36 |
Aperture | 3.4 | 3.5 | 0.1 |
Lens | 125mm (5.4x zoom) | 103mm (4x zoom) | -22 |
Lens Type | Telephoto lens | Telephoto lens | |
Megapixels | 40 | 12 | -28 |
Aperture | 1.8 | 2.2 | 0.4 |
Lens | 18mm | 13mm | -5 |
Lens Type | Wide-Angle | Ultra-wide-Angle | |
Megapixels | - | 0.3 | |
Lens Type | Depth Sensor | Depth Sensor | |
Score | 16 | 16 | 0 |
Selfie Camera | ![]() |
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vs. |
---|---|---|---|
Megapixels | 32 | 40 | 8 |
Aperture | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.0 |
Lens | 26mm | 26mm | 0 |
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vs. | |
---|---|---|---|
Tek-Score | -0.5 |
I'd go for the P40 Pro for its weight and the number of color options. But the Galaxy S20 Ultra is also pretty decent.
The P40 Pro weighs 209 g. (7.37 oz), while its rival is 13 g. (0.51 oz) heavier. If you're looking for a lightweight device, the "weight to display size" score of the P40 Pro is 3.1, which suggests it's kind of weighty for a 6.5 inches display. In the meantime, the Galaxy S20 Ultra has 3.1, which suggests it's considerably hefty too.
The P40 Pro truly is water-resistant. It can be submerged 1 to 3 meters deep, much like the Galaxy S20 Ultra. It should be for less than 30 minutes, in standby mode, so no underwater photos.
Looks* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Body | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Size | 158 x 72 x 9 mm (5.57 x 2.54 x 0.32 in) |
166 x 76 x 8 mm (5.86 x 2.68 x 0.28 in) |
-1456 |
Weight | 209 g. (7.37 oz) | 222 g. (7.83 oz) | 13 |
Build | Front and back glass | Front and back glass | |
Colors | Silver Frost, Deep Sea Blue, Blush Gold, Ice White, and Black | Cosmic Grey and Cosmic Black | |
Screen To Body Ratio | 90.26% | 91.11% | 0.85 |
Disp.Size To Weight Score | 3.1 | 3.1 | 0.0 |
Looks | 10.0/10 | 9.1/10 | -0.8 |
Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 | |
Biometrics | Under Display Fingerprint | Under Display Fingerprint | |
Tek-Score | -0.5 |
*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.
At 4200 mAh, the P40 Pro is the owner of the smallest battery, while the Galaxy S20 Ultra features 5000 mAh. But by GSMArena's standards, both should theoretically get the same battery life.
So, the Galaxy S20 Ultra doesn't have the best battery life out there. Samsung should've put a bigger battery and/or energy-efficient hardware on it. It got a rate of 1.8 for the "battery to device size" ratio.
Fast wireless charging on the P40 Pro is likewise a nice plus. You won't find many phones as fast at about its price.
The Snapdragon 865 also has better battery efficiency (about 10% more screen-on-time) when you compare it to the Exynos 990.
Battery* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Capacity (mAh) | 4200 | 5000 | 800 |
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video | 83% left | 82% left | -1 |
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video | 70% left | 65% left | -5 |
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video | 72% left | 70% left | -2 |
Bat. To Phone Size Score | 4.7 | 1.8 | -2.9 |
Sub Tek-Score | -0.3 | ||
Fast Charging | 40w | 45w | 5 |
Wireless Charging | 27w | 15w | -12 |
Reverse Charging | 27w | 9w | -18 |
Tek-Score | -0.6 |
*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A42.
It's a tie.
Storage* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
![]() |
|
RAM (GB) | 8GB | 12GB | 4 |
Internal (GB) | 128GB | 128GB | 0 |
Micro SD | Nano Memory (shared SIM slot) | microSDXC (shared SIM slot) | |
Tek-Score | 0.0 |
*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).
The P40 Pro is your better option, as it features Bluetooth 5.1.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra has two network variants: LTE or (LTE and) 5G.
Connectivity | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Network | 5G | 5G (also available in LTE) | |
Bluetooth | 5.1 | 5.0 | |
NFC | Yes | Yes | |
3.5mm jack | No | No | |
Tek-Score | -0.5 |
Here are the best prices that we've found:
Reference: $799
Huawei P40 Pro
Reference: $955
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
I earn a small fee from qualifying purchases. It doesn't affect the price you pay nor my opinions, but it will mean a lot if you click on one of these buttons before purchasing your next phone (or whatever else you end up buying). You'll be helping to take this to the next level.
Prices on eBay are in $US but Europe-based. You can click to check the prices in your country.
Prices marked with ! are from renewed/refurbished/carrier-locked phones (except eBay prices that, as a last resort, can be from bids or used devices).
How much of a "phone" can your money buy?
That's how much "score" you can get with $100 based on the global score that you'll see in the next section (higher is better).
Have you found better prices elsewhere? The formula is simple: score/price*100.
Value for money | P40 Pro | Galaxy S20 Ultra | VS |
---|---|---|---|
Amazon | 0.87 | 0.77 | -0.09 |
eBay | - | - | - |
Best Buy | - | - | - |
Walmart | - | - | - |
Also, don't forget to check the latest deals from these four stores, and the state of the art on mobile technology, if you don't want to overpay on your next smartphone.
Related articles:
The Best Unbiased Smartphones For All Budgets
Smartphone Specs Statistics: The State Of The Art (Q1 2021)
Are you also considering other options? The global score can help. For reference purposes, I'll tell you where most of its rivals average. They're at 7.2 (for the P40 Pro) and 7.6 (for the Galaxy S20 Ultra).
Just like the P30 Pro at its time, the P40 Pro could've been one of the best overall smartphones around (despite lacking the 3.5mm audio jack), if Huawei opted for a Gorilla Glass 6 glass protection. Not only that, but they also don't publicly disclosure what (if any) kind of protection they went for, so it's fair to assume it has none, which is terrible for a full glass body at this price range.
That said, performance-wise, let's say that the S20 Ultra is too slow for its price and it's camera while being one of the best around, isn't as good as Huawei's.
When it comes to battery life, the P40 Pro is one of the best smartphones around, despite having only 4200mAh of capacity.
If you're going to spend over one thousand dollars on a new smartphone, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is the safest bet, despite not standing out anywhere else.
Pros | ![]() |
![]() |
---|---|---|
#1 | Performance | Performance |
#2 | AMOLED | AMOLED |
#3 | Always-On-Display | Always-On-Display |
#4 | Cameras | Cameras |
#5 | Battery Life | Fast Charging |
#6 | Fast Charging | Wireless Charging |
#7 | Wireless Charging | MicroSD Slot |
#8 | MicroSD Slot | Glass Protection |
Cons | ![]() |
![]() |
---|---|---|
#1 | Weight | Weight |
#2 | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack |
#3 | Price | Price |
#4 | Glass Protection |
Relative Score* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Global Score | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Gaming Score | 0.8 | ||
Tek-Score | 0.46 | ||
Your Score |
*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
Scroll the sliders down below to get your own personalized score. Let's suppose you value performance and battery life, and you don't really care about anything else. Then, just set the "Performance" and the "Battery" sliders up to 5 (5+5=10), and then the other sliders down to 0. You'll know what's the best phone for you.
Performance | 1.9 | |
Display | 1.7 | |
Cameras | 1.4 | |
Frame | 0.9 | |
Battery | 1.9 | |
Storage | 2.0 | |
Connectivity | 0.4 | |
Total | Should be 10 or as close as possible: | 9.6 |
For suggestions and bug reports, click here. Your help is appreciated. Thank you.
About me
Hello!
My name is Luis Silva, and I have a degree in computer management. Ever since I was a teenager, I've loved everything to do with tech. Music, pictures, video editing, I've done it all! This site is a place for me to share some of the knowledge I have, as well as keep up-to-date with current trends. This is a wonderful place for tech-geeks and everyone else that just want to learn more about tech and smartphones in general.
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