The Galaxy S20 Ultra is fabulous and frustrating in equal measure

March 09, 2020
Technology

The Galaxy S20 Ultra supports both main types of 5G used in the U.S.: mmWave, which Verizon supports and other carriers will eventually launch, and Sub6, which all other carriers support and Verizon will eventually launch. See what I mean?

Using the S20 Ultra with Verizon 5G isn’t the full-on experience I was hoping for, far from it. As it uses mmWave, Verizon Ultra wideband 5G (UWB as it’s displayed on the phone) works in very specific locations, and only outdoors (or in a moving car in that exact area). It’s only available on specific street corners and lasts for a couple of blocks. While better than other cities, it definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

That said, the inner geek in me lights up every time I see UWB on my phone. The speeds vary widely, with a low of 461 Mbps and a high of a massive 1.961 Gbps. The latter is ludicrously fast, but I found it by going deep into Verizon’s 5G map to find a specific street corner in Greenpoint. The only time I didn’t intentionally travel to test 5G was when I picked up 5G UWB in Battery Park and achieved speeds of 1.6 Gbps.

While UWB is very spotty, the speeds are much much better than the low and mid-band Sub6 networks used by the other carriers. (Sprint does have 5G UWB as well, but it’s not available in NYC). When using Sub6, you’ll see the 5G symbol a lot of the time, but my tests on T-mobile in NYC yielded much slower speeds around 150 Mbps.

Someone ask for mmWave 5G? Here’s the true #5G speeds I’ve been waiting for! @verizon #Verizon5G @SamsungMobileUS #GalaxyS20Ultra

All I can say is Wow!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/byOSZ2JthT

— Nirave 尼拉夫 (@nirave) February 21, 2020

In the U.K., I’ve used EE’s Sub6 5G network, which consistently delivered 200Mbps+ speeds in the entirety of a two-mile radius, with a peak of 462Mbps. All that to say that 5G can be useful, but the practical applications of it are not the reason to buy a 5G phone.

Regardless of which carrier you choose, the S20 Ultra has 5G for everyone. Of all the 5G phones sold in the coming months, the Galaxy S20 series will make up a large portion. With the Ultra, you have a phone that supports every 5G network now, and will continue to be more useful as the networks mature.