The Samsung Galaxy S20 is finally coming to Verizon, and while it's launching more than two months after the smartphone's initial debut on other American carriers, it has one new perk: faster 5G than the S20 on other networks – potentially.
Starting on Thursday, May 21, you'll be able to buy the 'Galaxy S20 5G UWB', as it's officially called. The 'UWB' stands for Ultra Wideband, which is Verizon's name for how it connects to the fast millimeter wave 5G spectrum.
The difference in 5G speeds on Verizon vs T-Mobile is stark. In our tests, 5G phones with millimeter wave (mmWave) have gotten peak download speeds of 1.9Gbps in New York City. Major caveat: the range is limited select city blocks among Verizon's 34 UWB-equipped US cities. You also have to be outdoors.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, meanwhile, uses sub-6, the other form of 5G. We got slower speeds of 400Mbps, but at a greater range – it even works indoors. It's not as headline-pleasing, but it is reliable at a distance.
Verizon Galaxy S20 5G UWB price and colors
The Samsung Galaxy S20 5G UWB price won't see an increase through Verizon. It'll cost $999 or $41.66 a month for 24 months, according to the carrier. There's no increase in the price or the dimensions, despite inclusion of the mmWave radio.
It also has the same specs we saw two months ago: a 6.2-inch screen, 120Hz display refresh rate, 128GB of internal storage (with a microSD card slot), and a 64MP telephoto camera with Samsung's novel 30x 'Space Zoom'.
Verizon will sell Galaxy S20 5G UWB in three colors: Cloud Pink, Cosmic Gray and the Verizon-exclusive Cloud White. It's basically dropping the Cloud Blue color for white. Verizon already sells the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra, which came equipped with mmWave from the start.
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