Let's break down the Galaxy S20's confusing 5G options By Daily Charge

Good morning and welcome to the daily charge, it's Tuesday, March 3rd I'm, Roger, Chang Nam. You live Blumenthal. Now, let's see what has this charge up today? Are you were gonna, buy a Samsung Galaxy S 20 to tap into one of those new fan dangled 5g networks. There are a lot of factors to consider, and I've got Eli Blumenthal here to lay out all of your five 5g options, and there are a lot so, let's just kind of break it down simply first before we even get to the networks. Let's talk about the phones right, we've got how many phones so for the s xx, you have three main phones, yes, 20s 20, plus an S 20 Ultra. All three are on all four current major carriers, I'm gonna, say current, and they all have 5g, correct and 5g is default so that at least that makes things simple sort of now, where we get a little more complicated is when you look at how each phone acts on each carrier right.

That's where things get a bit more complicated, yes, and even before we even go there. The s 20 is different from the s 20, plus and all others. If you want all of 5g the millimeter wave plus the mid-band plus the low band to be the most future-proof that you can be one 5g, you got to get the plus or ultra. If you get just the regular s, 20 on AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint, you won't have millimeter wave, so just a little wrinkle and let's see let's break that down for our listeners interviewers. What does that mean when you've got all those different bands, and we've I know we've talked about this before, but let's break it down again like what does that mean that you can get all these bands versus having just me? You know the mid and low bands right, so the millimeter wave is the missing piece and that's what Verizon's been touting very heavily.

That is the speeds that are superfast right. These are the gigabit plus speeds that you'll find on a handful of Saudi blocks. It doesn't work. Really great indoor range is not. That great range is not that great.

There are a whole hosts of other issues that we've encountered over the last year testing this type of new service, but it does have the best throw pot that you'll find on these devices right when it comes to low bin and mid-bin. They all support it mm-hmm and if you're on T-Mobile or sprint, that means you should be able to work assuming this merger, that's I, guess nearing the final stages here, yeah close enough fish, if that, when that goes through right, that device will work with Sprint's mid-band spectrum, T-Mobile's low band spectrum release. It should, in theory at least I'm T-Mobile's DeWitt right now is sort of the optimal combination. I think that's the combination you're, seeing for one the networks around the world are largely using that mid-band spectrum, which is the kind of sweet spot right now, because it's got a good compromise between range and speed right, it's faster than your normal 4G network, but the range is not as crazy short as it is on right now, and the exact compromise is a exact way to describe it. It's the middle yeah, whereas low band has great range, but the speeds are basically the same as a good 4G connection.

If you get high frequency, millimeter-wave yeah, it's superfast, but no range mid. Ben gets you both gets you some decent speed improvements while allowing you to use your phone indoors or outside or wherever you want to use it with a speed boost. So you know, given that T-Mobile and Sprint are looking to really focus on millimeter, whereas our mid-band and low band and the millimeter wave thing they have some bits of it, I mean. Is it worth it to buy an ultra to get the access to potential millimeter wave spectrum? We don't mind necessarily the ultra. You could buy a blow slice right and if you're on Verizon and want the s20, there will be a special version since Verizon's 5g right now, it's just millimeter wave.

There will be a special version of the s20 that works with the millimeter wave for Verizon and show that presumably work with low band and mid-band. When Verizon eventually rolls out 5g across other bands, which it has said, it will do this year, so we don't know when exactly that will happen, but we know that's coming this year, and we'll work with that. As for buying the ultra, we actually have the ultra here and that plus the plus there we go. These are big phones, yes, particularly the ultra I mean and then check out the camera modules, and it's thick. It is a thick phone and that is to accommodate largely the five thousand William hour battery the giant batteries same cameras, the same camera as well, all the different radios right so and granted.

The radios are here as well, I think it's more the cameras than anything else. This has the 100x space zoom, which you can see on the bottom, that big sensor by the way you're, not a fan of things popping on the back, your phone. This is going to drive you crazy, I'll, just put it flat down on here. It does not lie flat at all, so there we go. No! This thing is it's hard to describe, but it's just really thick this.

This camera module all right. Speaking of the ultra, we had a chance to actually test out the durability of the galaxy, a 20 altar with the drop test and well, let's roll some footage because it did not fare. Well, there we go yep, so that's there's our own Vanessa. She dropped the phone a couple of times and actually, after the very first drop at 3 feet or basically pocket height, it, cracked yeah, that was kind of disheartening I mean every you're spending 49 jars up to this phone cost right it is, it is a beautiful phone. You know covered in glass, everywhere, glass, 6, I, believe really last six yeah.

This is the only one with Gorilla Glass 6 on both front and back I. Think so, but obviously that didn't have that didn't help because yeah there 's's a screen protector there, she's peeling off I mean it didn't really help a lot with the edges she kept dropping. If I think she dropped it. One more time of three feet: it cracks some more, and then she raised to six feet twice: yeah you're going to want a case on these things. Yeah, I was impressed that the cameras- yes, surprisingly, just only things shining out, and you would think they'd take the brunt of the impact.

It actually was the one that, like what stood all the damage everything was on it. I that just boggles the mind. It doesn't make any sense, but you know credit to Samsung. They're, maybe put that gap that a glass on every other party there's some certain experimental, Gorilla Glass 7. We don't know that or sapphires something else.

What they're doing oh yeah I could have been sapphire. No, that would explain the giant price tag on this thing. Well, sapphire for cameras isn't uncommon, right, right, I! Think Apple. Doesn't yes, but I'm wondering if it's over the lens or over this entire module right I, don't have yes that is it I mean you could just look at it. It's a giant! Yes, there's the this.

The can't see here. That's got space boot zoom written here, the 100x zoom, which I was talking to someone when I mentioned this feature, they immediately reacted. Well, it's a creeper camera cool. So there you go. You have a zooming in with that also was obvious, it's not great, but yeah.

That definitely is one interesting way. You that your friend immediately jump to that's the use case for it. Well, is it my friend who's, just a random person back into because I talk to random people and reporters do all right. So, let's, let's pull her live audience. What are some of your favorite features found on the s20 and what parts do you find overrated? The price point didn't deter you: how about those drop test, results and hey? While we have your attention, why don't you go ahead and subscribe and ring the bell? So you don't miss a beat a like, and a share also helps us out a lot, so before we burn any more daylight, though BVG.

What does the Live Crew have to say? Alright, so take a look at the chat. We've got a couple of things rolling in, but first I wanted to mention for the sake of trivia. Today, your geeky trivia is March.3Rd is Alexander Graham Bell's birthday today, oh, so we have him to thank for all the jerks running around on their phones and not paying attention to the world around them, and then before we move forward. We're talking about the spaces, OOM and obviously digital zoom is always going to have a little of a fall-off to it right yeah, it's never gonna, be all that gorgeous. Has there ever been a phone with like a mechanical zoom on it? Is that ever been a thing? Well, I'll be all thumbs, I mean all phones have like 2x I mean 2x, mechanical or optical zoom is pretty default.

While we have one that's even as 3 or 4x I think it's the p30 series, yeah I, think it could be the main 30 I'm, not 100%, sure it's its I think they do 10x on one of them, optical I, believe so. Ok, all right. So there yeah and Samsung had a phone, the Galaxy camera that I guess could have been a phone. It had a cellular modem inside oh yeah, that was an actual camera that was not really I mean I ran Android yeah, it was a, and it had 18, 18, T I believe sold yeah. We used it a couple.

I think you could use it as a phone. If you really wanted to I think we actually use it during a live blog there we go yeah, yeah, so anyways. As far as having an actual camera rig. There was also the red hydrogen that had ambitions yep to be able to attach a modular camera. It was the Nokia Preview, the Motorola Z series, there's an accessory that you can attach to it.

Hasselblad accessory, yes, an actual lens to it yeah. So you can find phones with real lenses that add real zoom, but they're. Really it's its. It's kind of they're, all mostly niche products, the niche products, and they're all basically making your own you're, adding on to it. You're, not just finding it inside the phone itself right, and they're, not great products.

For the bulk of them, fair enough first question or comments coming in from Matthew dasher, whether Samsung or not. What is the cheapest phone that includes some type of 5g, so the cheapest own right now, I thought that depends on your region. Yeah. If I can China, there are a number they're, a little more reasonable I. Think Xiaomi probably has one of the cheaper ones.

I think they're there a host if you're, going here in China, because you want to do a millimeter wave 1 meter wave- is super expensive. You need individual modules inside the phone itself to be able to tap into that faster higher frequency, Network right, which is largely only done here, I- think some parts of Korea there are some regions in there their place exploring, but for the most part like to your point like around the world, mostly it's its a mid-band spectrum yeah, and you can find phones under $1000 in that area. Oh sure, in the U. S. the cheapest phones, I've seen have been the OnePlus devices.

Oh yeah, the OnePlus 7 pro on 7 pro 5g on Sprint and they just love mouth full name. How much is that one I believe that's about 840, it's what started at, but you could probably find it cheaper and if you trade in you can knock that down lower and then there's the OnePlus 70 pro 5g McLaren. That is catching. And if you like that catchy names, the LG g 8 thin q5, it was a cheater, the LG, thin q, 5 g, maybe 50. Yes, the 50 and q, 5 g apologies and may hap Sprint, Verizon I.

Think how can you not keep that strain? Oh right, those catchy names right rolls off the tongue. I believe that also hovers around the $$800900 range now keep in mind we're we're expecting prices for these phones to go down throughout the year like if you're. If you want, if you want 5g. My suggestion to you is hang tight till the second half, because I think you'll see phones are gonna, have a much more affordable price tag. Verizon told us right: yes, yes, yeah Verizon! This rise in Wireless CEO told us a hundred under six hours this year, so yeah 5g phones that are affordable are coming.

Yes, we don't know exactly when we don't know exactly what, but they are coming their coming this year, and they're coming this year. You just have to wait a little longer, yep, okay, so in the realm and all right, there, they're kind of apples and oranges here, but as far as obnoxious physical features on phones don't be camera versus the notch. Where, where do they fall off? Hmm, wait! That was the first one, the selfie camera. No, no like this like having this big thick dummy, thick camera sticking off the butt of this phone Oh like the module versus. What's the most obnoxious physical feature, we've seen I mean I.

Really this notch kind of no, not not. Sorry. This module thing kind of bothers me is so big. It's its not just that! It's big, but the fact that I mean we saw Jessica's review. There have been a whole host of camera issues that Brandi first batch right, FS 20 seem to have, and Samsung I said that there's a software update, that's in the works when that shows up.

We do right now also that kind of sucks for everyone who just already bought the phone right. Well, software update should fix these issues, and it doesn't require you to do anything but download an update, write the notch I got used to, but your day. One experience is not great right and that's disheartening, especially if you are taking a decent chunk of the phone with this giant camera. The notch I was initially against it, but now yeah, I've kind of gotten used to notch ? I was I, mean look I the fact that this one does not have a notch. It's got a little punch hole punch here, that's kind of nice, where I think we're getting closer to the point where we're actually gonna just remove that and just have it there under display camera display cameras, yeah, oh I, believe a Chinese company has explored that having you actually have that technology perfected, like in a mainstream phone I, mean I, think we're pretty close to that at this point, so the notch- hopefully the notches, just serve like this blip in the history of smartphones, mm-hmm, and that know that being said, if the phone is already so huge, why don't they make the phone the thickness of the camera module instead of trying to make it thinner with the bump? That's coming from our friend Matthew as well? Why don't they make it thicker you just meet the edge on the camera, yeah I, don't know if we could show it here? It's like that would make this they're awfully chunky Brian.

Let me know if I'm torched me. Yes, the thing is pretty thick like. If we, if they made the phone to Matt, they design the phone to like, actually match the thickness of this module if it's. Actually it would be really thick and look. The industry is obsessed with thinness.

You can think ample for that and shaving off, millimeter or fractions of millimeters on your phone, and so I mean having this be like having it be. The width of this Plus, this phone, it's pretty thick I mean we have a case that we actually are using yeah. We have a case, and this really I mean it's I could barely put this my pocket right. One side once I have a phone in the case. It's its just really.

It's huge. Furthermore, it's not 9 inches. This is a giant people like their big phones, I get it I'm, not I like went back to a small phone as soon as like a decent one came around, and so I'm, not big fan, big phones, just yeah I'm curious as to how that stacks up against my is active, because that's kind of a beast of a phone too, but I mean I, bought it to be a tank. It's a shame that this thing is such a beefcake I, don't know it's pretty big yeah, but at the same time it can't, it has absolutely no resilience. It broke on the first drop, so yeah and I mean, of course, there are circumstances and blah blah blah blah, but I mean I bought a beefy s phone so that I can throw it through a wall which I can do I, don't see that happening with this nope.

You do not want to throw this thing, but this also has the latest that Samsung could you know theoretically put into a phone? It's got all these crazy, specs 5g, a hundred x2 camera yeah welcome processor. All that stuff they're very different phones are targeting very different segments. The people who are buying this probably aren't going to throw it against the wall because they want. Maybe they will I, don't know I, guess $1400 yeah bad day going yeah, just by really, really tough case. There we go it's some of the best therapy.

I've ever experienced I'll just put that out there. It's pretty expensive therapy. Man I mean you're, not wrong, but we all have to find ways to vent and meet punishing something I spent too much money on. It seems to work for some reason: I don't have any logic to it. I really yeah yeah, tough, too tough.

To argue with that one, the wearable tech habits. Do you have sound off in the comments sound off in the comments? Now? Hey, let's switch gears for a second, as you guys know, we started taking voicemail messages. You can go ahead and call us any time, and we'll try to incorporate that make it part of the show get as creative. As you want. Ask a straight-up question or sing us a song I, don't really care.

We had one come in last night now the caller didn't leave his name, but this was actually a follow-up to our discussion yesterday about AT&T TV, with David Katz, Mayer and our ongoing effort to try to find as many cord-cutting options free subscription and otherwise that are available. This guy brought up a good one. So, let's, let's take a listen, real, quick, hi I just watched your segment today on Nate Katie's new, offering which I think is terrible, but that's a different story. One thing that I saw recently that you might be interested in telling the viewers about is something called low. Caste LOC is I, think a sitcom, but you look them up on the web, and they offer free streaming of your local TV stations, and it's a donation sort of you think they would like you to subscribe at five bucks a month.

But for some people, that's that's another obstacle villain from the cable thing where you don't have good reception. You can get your local TV stations for free over Internet. Just thought, thanks. Bye, good show, thanks. Yeah, thanks for calling like low caste is yeah.

That's one! We don't bring up too often around here, but we are aware of it like we have covered it when we do some of our larger how to watch stories for exam, how to watch football, which is broadcast on local channels like CBS or Fox and CBS, is the parent company or NBC for Sunday Night Football. You can watch that with low-caste. It's basically an over the web streaming service, low caste org they're available in a handful markets around the country. It's not everywhere. Its night doesn't work.

They were here a New, York Boston, LA, San Francisco, a whole host of correct me. If I'm wrong, they kind of get away with the with this, because there are other services that had tried this and ensued. But they've gone away with the bike. It's clear there are nonprofit right. So that's why it's a donation right! It's not like they're trying to your know, create tons of small antennas extreme to your phone, which was what some other services have done in the past, and the broadcasts are sued and wrecked.

It was a whole messy legal battle that eventually led to those services getting shut down. Yeah, they have an app low-caste. So if you are in their area, you can watch on your phone, just as you would any of these other streaming services. It's I've used it. It's pretty good.

Okay, it's pretty easy to set up and run with, but again you're limited to just your basic local channels. So, whatever it's broadcast over the air, that's what you can, which I mean, look I'm a chord cutter and I. Don't have my local channels, I mean the antenna, doesn't really work as well as I'd like right. So this would be a great option. This would work fine for you, yeah, definitely I'm a big fan of little cast.

I honestly forget about it all the time I have to have John totally to remind me of it, but it's a great feature for people like me who do live in the urban environment in a major market where it is offered as a shame that it can't be a little more widespread, but it is difficult, just Ellis to try to corral all that streaming data in smaller markets, but I live in a basement. It's well-established I live in a dungeon under concrete with the high I'm, not kidding with high walls around me and I. Don't get signal for crap where I live, so even in over-the-air antenna is kind of a lost cause yep. So this is a nice alternative to that for sure, and it works really well, for you know again, it's a free service. Yep donations are encouraged, but not required right.

So that's always nice, and yet they seem to do good work. How long these stay in business, because there are the legal questions as these things grow. You know because the broadcaster's want to control hmm what their, what their content, where their content goes, how it gets viewed, but right now, they're so far, they've escaped so far they're you can download it now, and it works yeah. It's donation-based how like New, York, Museums, I, guess kind of like New York Museums, so have you ever walked in and not paid. I can't remember the last time I went to a museum, so I don't know lack of culture.

Okay, moving on much stuff moving on Brian, we got always pay for museum trips. We got on for one more question: let's take one from Storm King on YouTube. Do you think we will see any phones this year with a notch list, design like the VEVO yeah phone? No, not right there, the pop-up camera 1, +, 7, 7, Pro, 7 pro okay, thank you yeah! So, yes, definitely I. Think they're they're definitely exploring ways to get around not having a notch in display. The in display camera think that those are more like those concept here, a lot of issues with how well and accurate they captured right and the technology's very new, so you're paying a premium for it, so paying a premium for a product.

That's not you know, working as well as the traditional it's like buying a 5g phone in 2019. You shouldn't do if it's now. It's 2020 I know it's a different way of yes, 20s! That's true new year new me new bad decisions. There you go. That's beautiful, put on t-shirt, okay, I! Think, that's, probably a good enough for today, full disclosure I've been here for 11 hours, straight streaming, movie remnant of the Geneva Motor Show.

So if anybody was interested in the new Porsche or the McLaren that came out, I can tell you all about him, but it's I'm, tired, I'm, going to go home, so Roger go ahead and send this out all right. I'll try to wrap this up really quickly. You now cost any time. Dear night, it's all tied to be VG's phone, no I'm, kidding kind of, but leave us voicemail. No, please! It's a voicemail at eight six, two, two: five: zero five one: seven three leave the question: some feedback confess your adoration or whisper sweet nothing's to Eli.

It's all ?, you don't like any phones. Well, there's always as always. If you want to learn more, there are links to all today's stories, as well as the places you can subscribe to us in the description below from daily charge. I'm Roger, Cheng, I'm, Eli Blumenthal. Thanks for joining us can't get enough check out the daily supercharged.

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