Before I start, yes, I am an American. I just thought it'd be nice to share my thoughts here as well as on the American forum.
I am never one to gush over Samsung devices. In fact, you can check my post history and you'll find me complaining about Samsung a lot. That said, having owned three 2020 Samsung flagship devices, I thought it would be nice to give credit where it's due and discuss what Samsung has done right.
For reference, the three devices I own are the Galaxy S20+, the Tab S7+ and the Galaxy Watch 3. Sprint's lease deal early last year meant I can own the S20+ for a total of $426 if I keep their service for a total of 18 months (which is a no-brainer since it's also T-Mobile now and so coverage doubled). Additionally, I was able to reduce the price on the latter two devices with Samsung's student discount and a trade-in of my 4 year old Gear S3 in exchange for the Watch 3 (they actually credited it at $200 even though I bought it for $350 new back in 2016; talk about a deal) Without these benefits, I can see why the prices would be a tough pill to swallow for most, but given how the situation worked out, I am not complaining.
The big things I wanted to touch upon include:
Great AMOLED. I mean, it normally goes without saying, but I am really happy with the AMOLED displays on each device. They're bright enough for viewing on a sunny day (a definite surprise for the Tab S7+); the colors are vibrant as always and the 120hz refresh rate is really cool. I can't say it's life changing, but it does help make the devices feel more premium and help them flex their high-end SoC's. iPhone users really don't know that they're missing.
Genuinely good software and software support.Had you told me in 2014 that I would prefer Samsung software over Google's more vanilla Android experience, I'd have called you insane, but here we are. One UI 2.0 has been an absolute treat to use with it's plethora of customizations due to Good Lock and various optimizations. One UI 3.0 is looking good so far (especially in regards to face unlock), so I expect this trend of improved software to continue. On the update side of things, I am glad Samsung has leveraged Project Treble properly and has been providing consistent monthly security patches to my S20+ and Tab S7+ (at least thus far, it may finally be trailing off to the dreaded quarterly cycle they promised, or they may be busy updating it to One UI 3) and have pledged OS updates up until Android 13. This is important, because Google is planning big things for Project Mainline (aka Google Play System Updates) in terms of security patches, and if things pan out, may make OTA updates generally unnecessary for security by Android 13, meaning the S20 series and Tab S7 series should remain secure well after Samsung ceases monthly/quarterly OTA updates. As for the Watch 3, Tizen may not have as many apps as Wear OS, but at least it's not hot garbage. Every app works like it should, battery life is decent and the device is speedy, so no complaints from me.
Build quality and hardware.Truthfully, I never found anything all that wrong with my previous S9+ and Tab S4 (save for the glass back, which was odd), but I am really glad that Samsung has refined their smartwatch assembly. I treated my Galaxy Gear S3 well but the glass on the bottom that faced my wrist somehow cracked, giving me much trepidation in ever using it around water. Thankfully, the Watch 3's build is much tougher and even more water resistant. As for hardware, the ultrawide and enhanced zoom cameras on my S20+ have come in handy so many times, and the fact that the S7+ is rocking proper flagship specs for this year (compared to my Tab S4 that was more like a Note 8 rather than the Note 9 it released with) makes me feel more certain about the device's longevity as apps become more powerful and leverage the system's resources.
Where in the past I was certain that I'd fall prey to the upgrade cycle on a new Samsung device within a couple years, I think I might daily drive these three devices well past 3 years, knowing that they can handle the beating life will bring and will still get software support that adds helpful features and keeps them secure from exploits. So, while just about everything was overpriced, I'll give credit where it's due. Good job, Samsung. Please keep it up.
Funny you say that because if you had bothered to check my post history, it's comprised of complaints towards Samsung. I just believe for all the crap I give them, I ought to give praise where appropriate.
Been using Note 5 for more than 5 years, and it's a used one. One's gotta be smart in terms of using the phone. Many don't even know what features their phone has, they just become sheep and follow the herd. 😁
