New Phones: Samsung S20 and S20+

At the five year mark, we decided it was time to replace our old Samsung cell phones that we bought in July 2015,  as discussed in this old post.   The old phones had held up remarkably well and were still functional, but some of the newer capabilities were missing - such as auto-scanning of  QR codes.  As restaurants are converting to QR code menus due to the pandemic, this was getting to be a bigger issue.  On top of that,  we were starting to get warning messages about software incompatibility for other capabilies.

So we kept our eye on the S20 series, and when a two-for-one offer was extended, we pounced.   My wife opted for the Samsung S20 and I got the S20+ for the extra screen size and better camera.

 In this photo, the S20 is on the left and the S20+ is on the right.  The S20+ is just slightly larger.  Since my wife likes to carry her phone in her pocket, we thought the smaller size might be better for her.

 Here is my old Samsung Note Edge next to my new Samsung S20+.   Funny, my Note Edge didn't feel dated until I started using the S20+!   Everything transferred over pretty well (contacts, photos, etc) from the old phone to the new phone, though I am having to re-learn a few things that work differently now like the camera and web browser.

One thing that I absolutely LOVE with the new phone is the wireless charging capability.  That is the greatest new cell phone feature in a long time!  That alone was worth the upgrade.

 Here is my wife's old Samsung S6 next to her new S20.   She's of a similar opinion - didn't notice her phone was dated until she received the new one.  So far so good, she's happy with the upgrade!

Finally, the one thing that concerned me about the S20 series is that the camera lens sticks out farther than the rest of the case.  I would imagine this would lead to premature scratching of the camera lens.   usually I'm not a fan of phone cases but I opted to purchase a leather case for my new S20+ just to protect that lens - the case now sticks out farther than the lens.

An unexpected side benefit of the case is that it gives my hand something to hang on to - the S20+ case is very slippery and I began to fear I would drop in regularly.  The case is much more supple and feels secure in my hand.  Nice!