Upgrading to the Samsung S20 FE

Last week EE informed me that my phone contract was nearing its end and that, should I wish, I could select a newer model – at a cost (of course).  This was my chance, I reasoned, to upgrade to a phone with a decent telephoto lens. As followers of this blog will know, I love to go for moderately long walks and have often regretted setting out without my rather bulky Canon bridge camera, with its lovely zoom lens.  "If only I could get a good photo of that distant mountain, or that group of deer in a far-off clearing!"

I won't bore you by describing the day that I spent, looking through specifications and prices of several contenders; suffice to say that I finally chose the Samsung S20 FE, which has a 'x3' telephoto and some rather nifty software that appeared to give good results up to 'x12'.

Last Monday, anxious to discover whether doubling my monthly rental had been a good move, I took both phones into the Forest of Dean for some comparative photos.   

The first pair were taken on the former railway line between Parkend and Coleford, though unfortunately not from quite the same spot.  Silly me.

Huawei P Smart

Samsung S20 FE

Which do you prefer?  Do you not feel that the Samsung's colours look a bit washed-out?  In comparison, the Huawei's clever AI (artificial intelligence) feature has enhanced the colours. It was the Huawei's good camera that drew me to choosing it, two years ago.

So was the Samsung a waste of money?  Not really.  Look again at the trees on the left, that on the Huawei shot look almost as green as the moss and lichen on the stones.  

Samsung S20 FE, enhanced

Here's the Samsung photo after I tweaked the saturation. You may feel that I've overdone it, but I like it. See now the colour detail in the fallen leaves. More importantly, look at those tree trunks, which are not green at all, but a lovely silver colour. I think you'll agree that the Samsung photo wins on colour interpretation and fineness of detail.

Next I went to Darkhill, the site of a pioneering iron works.  On the hill above the old ironworks is the entrance to Marefold, and in front of it a large lump of slag from the iron-making process.

Huawei P Smart

Samsung S20 FE

By now, watery sunshine was piercing the clouds.  This time, I prefer the Samsung photo, which is crisper and more true to life.  It was time, though, to try out the Samsung's 'x3' telephoto. For comparison, I zoomed the Huawei's digital zoom to 'x3'. 

Huawei P Smart

Samsung S20 FE

No contest!  The Huawei photo is good, but the Samsung one is, I'm sure you'll agree, far better.  

Finally, I tested the Samsung's digital zoom performance by zooming in to 'x12'.  Since the Huawei was incapable of zooming this much, I took the previous Huawei photo and used an app on my computer to create a comparable shot.  

Huawei P Smart

Samsung S20 FE

Here was proof indeed that my money had been well spent.  

Finally, a word on the contract prices.  Had I elected to stick with my Huawei P Smart, a SIM-only contract would have cost me £16 per month.  The S20 FE is costing £39 per month, so for the next two years I'll be forking out an extra £23 per month – that's a total of £552 – for the phone.  

Samsung UK and Curry's will sell you one for £599. Portus Digital's price is £499, but the best deal I found was with Ultra Online at £409.  That looks to be quite a saving, until you read the TrustPilot reviews for Ultra Online.  Diabolical puts is mildly!  Portus Digital, however, is much better, so there are clearly savings to be made in buying the phone and going for a SIM-only contract. Next time, maybe.