Galaxy S20+ hands-on confirms high refresh rate, 20:9 display and ultrasonic fingerprint scanner

Thanks to a hands-on of the Galaxy S20+ by XDA Developers, we now know almost all of the phone's major specs. The leaks confirm the previous buzz about Samsung's upcoming flagship series and indicate all three models will feature a taller screen with a 20:9 aspect ratio. In the case of the S20+, that comes to a 3,200 x 1,440 resolution.

The phones were also confirmed to have one of the highest refresh rates in the mobile space at 120Hz. However, as per a report just earlier today, users may have to choose between a smoother display or a higher resolution, as the 120Hz option is only available at Full HD+. The phone will automatically switch back to 60Hz at higher resolutions.

Underneath that display is an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, much like the previous generation, and contrary to some reports that Samsung may drop the ultrasonic tech in favor of an optical sensor. However, the report could not establish if the company is using the same sensor as last time or if it's upgraded the phone to include Qualcomm's latest tech, which offers a 17x larger scanning area and the ability to scan two fingers at the same time.

As far as the nuts and bolts of the phone go, it's set to feature 12GB of memory (as reported earlier) and a base storage of 128GB. Samsung will no doubt offer larger storage options for an additional cost. The battery capacity is rated at 4,500 mAh. Processing duties on the phone are, of course, likely to be shared between Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 865 and Samsung's own Exynos 990 based on where the phone is purchased.

Much to our dismay, the S20 will follow in the Note 10's footsteps and drop the headphone jack, making it the first Galaxy S smartphone to do so. So long 3.5mm audio; vive la wireless audio!

While more leaks about the phone — and its two siblings — are likely to follow in the coming weeks, any remaining mysteries about the phones will be answered by Samsung at its Unpacked event on Februrary 11. See you there!