Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs S20 Plus vs S20: Charging speed comparison
The Galaxy S21 series phones are now joining us! If you want to know more about the battery life of the newest and most powerful of Samsung's flagship phones, check out our Galaxy S21 Ultra battery life article.
In our Galaxy S20 series charging comparison we test all three phones with the included charger in the box, and we measure the charge levels at equal intervals.
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All three new Samsung Galaxy S20 series of phones come with a very fast, 25-watt charger included in the box, but since there is a difference in the actual size of the battery, you might be wondering which Galaxy S20 phone actually charges faster.You might be surprised with the results, but before you see them, here is a quick overview of the battery specifications for each Galaxy S20 model:
- Galaxy S20 Ultra: 5,000mAh battery, 25 watt charger in the box, max charging speed is 45 watts (you need a separately purchased charger to achieve it)
- Galaxy S20 Plus: 4,500mAh battery, 25 watt charger in the box, max charging speed is 25 watts
- Galaxy S20: 4,000mAh battery, 25 watt charger in the box, max charging speed is 25 watts
With this in mind, we have plugged all three Galaxies completely drained, and it's time to see which one is the fastest to recharge.
Galaxy S20 Ultra vs S20 Plus vs S20 Charging Speed Comparison
| Time / Charge level (all use 25W Samsung charger) | Galaxy S20 Ultra | Galaxy S20 Plus | Galaxy S20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| in 15 minutes | 32% | 28% | 28% |
| in 30 minutes | 62% | 54% | 54% |
| in 45 minutes | 89% | 80% | 79% |
| 1 hour | 100% | 97% | 95% |
| 1 hour 6 minutes | x | 100% | 100% |
And there you have the results with a surprise: even though all three phones use the same 25-watt charger, the Galaxy S20 Ultra which has the biggest battery which should theoretically take longer to recharge, it actually finishes first in just seconds short of 1 hour.
Throughout most of the test, the Galaxy S20 Plus and S20 run at the exactly same pace with some minor difference towards the end, but both finish a full, 100% charge in exactly 1 hour and 6 minutes.
Overall, these are very fast speeds that will allow users to get a quick 30 minute top up during the day and have enough juice for the rest of the day in case they forgot to charge their phone overnight.
We have seen Chinese companies push the charging speeds to the extreme and some recent phones already charge up fully in less than 40 minutes. The new Galaxies are not quite as fast, but if you are looking for a more secure charge that won't tax the battery as much, Samsung's solution might be preferable. We are yet to see long-term studies showing the effect of extremely fast charging on long-term battery health.
Galaxy S20 Ultra Charging Speed Comparison
| Time / Charge Level | S20 Ultra with 45 Watt Super Fast Charger | S20 Ultra with 25 Watt Fast Charger (in the box) | S20 Ultra with 15 Watt Samsung Wireless Charger |
|---|---|---|---|
| in 15 minutes | 37% | 32% | 11% |
| in 30 minutes | 70% | 62% | 28% |
| in 45 minutes | 92% | 89% | 45% |
| in 1 hour | 100% | 100% | 61% |
| 1 hour 15 mins | x | x | 77% |
| 1 hour 30 mins | x | x | 92% |
| 1 hour 45 mins | x | x | 100% |
Lastly, we have also run one other test with the Galaxy S20 Ultra alone. This phone supports 45 watt charging speeds and for that you need to buy the Samsung Super Fast Charger for $50 in order for this to work, plus keep in mind that charger only works with the thicker cable included with it. We have tested that super fast 45W charger against the 25W charger included in the box, and we have also compared these two to the 15W Samsung Wireless Charging Stand, which is slower but doesn't require you to deal with cables.
The benefits of using a 45W charger are mostly seen if you give your phone a quick top up for less than 45 minutes, if you are looking for a full 100% charge, the difference in speeds is basically non existent as the 45W charger and the 25W charger both slow down towards the end of the charging cycle and finish in the same amount of time.
So there you have it, your ultimate guide to the Galaxy S20 series charging speeds.
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