The Galaxy S20 Ultra is a big, ugly brick of a phone that does its best to make up for it in sheer specs. It almost succeeds too, with best-in-class display, phenomenal performance, and a compelling camera offering that’s let down only by its inconsistency. Factor in rubbish battery life on the Exynos variants available in the UK and Europe, and the S20 Ultra is really only for the specs-obsessed.

Samsung has the S20 and S20 Plus for the mainstream, and it now has the S20 Ultra for those who want more and aren’t willing to sacrifice certain skills for a lower price. The Galaxy S20 Ultra is a no-compromise device: it might not be the ‘best’ in every area, but you couldn’t say Samsung skimped...

Zooming up to 10x is fantastic; Screen is a delight; Samsung’s software has never been better; Very fast charging

The price; Battery life; on the Exynos model; can struggle running the 120Hz display; It’s just so big

There's definitely a uncouth, almost brutal way in which the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra assaults the Android phone market in my mind, with it wielding hyper premium hardware, connectivity and camera specs like a barbarian warlord in the midst of battle.

Huge; buttery smooth 120Hz screen; Hyper-premium internal hardware spec; Versatile; feature-packed camera system; Supports all 5G standards (sub-6; mmWave; NSA); Impressive Geekbench 5 and 3DMark scores; Capacious 5,000 mAh battery stack

Obviously; the price; which is very high; Turn 120Hz on and battery life is affected; Would you be better with a Note 10+?

On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is a huge spec monster. But that brings with it huge expectations and a huge price, which ultimately it struggles to quite live up to. There's a lot that's impressive in the camera, but it falls short in some areas, while the battery life isn't competitive.

Lovely bright display; Lots of power; Great sound quality from speakers; Great collection of cameras; Telephoto up to 10x is fun

Bulk and weight; 100x zoom is a gimmick; Main camera very shallow depth of field; Display polarising layer; Questionable battery life at times; Eye-watering price

The dilemma we have here is 'cost vs smartphone' as yes, it's a great device but at over £1000, it's hard to say it's 'excellent value for money'. But then again, if you compare it to some of the other smartphones available, it's not far off what they're priced at so does that make the price okay?

Great screen; Good image quality; Zoom up to 10x is excellent; Fast charging

No headphone socket; Forget the zoom after 10x; Expensive; Size

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra is as exciting as it is outrageously expensive

Silky-smooth 120Hz screen; 100x ‘Space Zoom’ is impressive; The first phone with 8K video recording

Samsung’s priciest (non-folding) phone yet; Pre-release camera quibbles; Brutish design

The Galaxy S20 Ultra is not without potential. But the overenthusiastic marketing and the sheer size of that camera bump had us expecting the next big thing - instead, space zoom it isn't and Nonacell is nona-mazing, at least for now.

Big, bright and beautiful 120Hz AMOLED display; The great periscope telephoto cam offers versatile zoom options; The new gen chipset is a solid upgrade performance-wise; Stereo speakers are nice and loud; Charging is very fast.

Our first impression of the Galaxy S20 Ultra was that it was a wolf in sheep's clothing, with no big surprises. Overall, it's a solid package, but there is so much overkill here. Samsung has shoved all of its chips into the middle of the poker table and it's hasn't quite paid off.

Beautiful display; Excellent everyday camera; Strong 5x and 10x zoom; Snappy performance

Huge and cumbersome; Gimmicky Space Zoom; Weak Exynos chip (EU version); No 120Hz at WQHD+

The Galaxy S20 Ultra is… a lot. It has a big screen with a very high refresh rate, a very sharp selfie camera and support for speedy 5G. It also features a trio of advanced cameras on its rear that can shoot up to 108-megapixel-sharp pictures, 8K video and get as close as 100x to a subject.

Powerful performance; Vibrant display; Versatile camera setup

Heavy build; Exorbitant price

A few camera niggles at launch and breathtaking price that limits mainstream appeal, but still outmuscles just about any other Android phone you care to name. One for spec junkies with deep pockets

Unparalleled camera quality and flexibility; Stunning display; Colossal battery life - with the right settings

120Hz screen saps battery; No headphone jack; Eye-wateringly expensive