Galaxy S20 Ultra with 100x zoom, Galaxy Z Flip: Samsung unwraps 2020 flagships

MANILA -- Samsung unveiled a trio of Galaxy S flagship smartphones on Wednesday, in a challenge to the iPhone 11 Pro, and its second smartphone with a folding display that ditched the tablet for a clamshell form factor.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra, with a smoother display and 4 rear cameras with up to 100x optical zoom, headlines the 11th generation of the Galaxy S. The S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra succeed the S10e, S10 and S10+ from 2019.

The Galaxy Z Flip, which was teased in an Oscars telecast commercial 2 days prior, succeeded last year's Galaxy Fold, whose release was delayed due to display problems.

Samsung touted the AI-powered cameras of the S20 line cameras, which will compete against excellent shooters on the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and Pro Max; Google's Pixel 4; and Huawei's P30 and Mate 30 series.

The S20 Ultra can zoom up to 100x with AI while the S20 and S0+ have up to 30x zoom. The S20 phones have screens that refresh at 120 hz, double the current standard. This means images on the screen appear to move smoother.

The Galaxy Fold was the first smartphone with a folding display and Samsung is seeking to keep its lead. The Galaxy Fold unfolds into a tablet, unlike the Z Flip, which reveals a tall, slim display.

The S20 Ultra has the biggest display at 6.9 inches, followed by the S20+ with 6.7 inches and the S20 at 6.2 inches. The 2019 iPhones came in 3 sizes: the 6.5-inch 11 Pro Max, the 5.8-inch 11 Pro and the 6-inch iPhone 11.

The S20 Ultra packs a 5,000 mAh battery that fast-charges at 45 watts. The S20+ has a 4,500 mAh cell and the S20 has 4,000, both with 25-watt fast charging.

All start with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of on-board storage. Depending on the market, the S20 range will run on either Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 or Samsung's own Exynos 990 in some markets including the Philippines.

The Galaxy Z Flip has a 6.7-inch tall primary display and a small display on the exterior when the handset is closed. It runs on Snapdragon 855+ with 8GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage.

Half open, the Galaxy Z Flip stands upright and displays 2 4-inch screens. Samsung said it worked with Google for a custom user interface in this "flex" mode.

The display is made of flexible glass, instead of plastic as in its predecessor, the Galaxy Fold. The Z Flip has two cameras, both 12 megapixels, and with ultra-wide.

"Galaxy Z Flip is an important next step as we look tom build the foldable category by bringing customers a new form factor, new display and most importantly, a new kind of mobile experience," said TM Roh, Samsung Electronics President and Head of Mobile.