Is the Samsung Galaxy S20 good value for money?

The price of today’s flagship phones has blown right past the thousand dollar mark, and the new Samsung Galaxy S20 is pushing the cost of owning one of these powerful handsets even higher. The saving grace for consumers here is that monthly payment plans make phones more affordable. Here’s how the price of the new Galaxy S20 compares to its top competitors.

Samsung is charging how much?!?

The smallest of the three phones, the Galaxy S20, starts at $999 — same price as the entry-level Apple iPhone 11 Pro. The S20 comes with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There is no other option. That’s $42.62 per month on a 24-month installment plan for either phone.

The mid-size Galaxy S20 Plus starts at $1,199 or $49.95 per month. It also comes with a base configuration of 12GB/128GB, but you can upgrade to 12GB/512GB for $1,349, or $56 per month.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max starts at $1,099, or $45.79 per month, but you can boost the storage to 256GB for $1,249 at $52.04 per month or to 512GB for $1,449 at $60.37 per month.

Then there’s the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which costs a burdensome $1,399 at $58.29 per month. If you really want to punish your bank account, check out the 16GB/512GB model, which sells for $1,599, or $66.62 per month. That’s a lot of scratch for a phone.

Thank goodness these phones come with the best displays, 5G, and crazy cameras. Don’t forget to buy insurance!

Pixel fix

Google’s flagships come across as relatively cheap. The Pixel 4 costs $799 for the 64GB model and $899 for the 128GB model. Those prices equate to monthly payments of $33.39 and $37.46, respectively. The Pixel 4 XL isn’t much more, with price tags of $899 for the 64GB model and $999 for the 128GB model. Those prices equate to monthly payments of $37.46 and $42.62, respectively.

The OnePlus 7T is even more affordable at $599, or $24.96 per month. The 5G-capable OnePlus 7T Pro Mclaren is $899, or $42.62 per month.

LG’s most current competitive phone, the G8X ThinQ, is selling for $799 at the moment.

The best HUAWEI phone you can buy right now, the P30 Pro, is on sale for $675.

Pay up (and up and up and up)

It’s clear which competitor Samsung sees itself going toe-to-toe with: Apple. The Samsung Galaxy S20 family’s pricing is nearly in lockstep with Apple’s top-of-the-line iPhone 11 Pro devices.

In order to keep some phone prices grounded in reality, Samsung dropped the cost of last year’s Galaxy S10 family by $150 across the board. The Samsung Galaxy S10e costs $599, the Galaxy S10 costs $749, and the Galaxy S10 Plus costs $849. These prices compare favorably against those of Google and OnePlus. You simply have to be okay with last year’s phone.

To answer our question, is the Samsung Galaxy S20 a good value for money, I say it depends on what you value.

Related: Where and when can you buy the Samsung Galaxy S20 phones? 

Consider last year’s Galaxy Fold. It was an interesting device, but at $1,980 not a real value when most of the features were available for a lot less money from other devices. I think if you’re in a 5G market and are looking to jump aboard the 5G train, the Galaxy S20 is probably the best 5G phone available right now. (We’ll ignore the fact that it is one of the only 5G phones available.) If you’re a Samsung fan and are in line for an upgrade, the Galaxy S20 is the natural choice. It future-proofs you for 5G even if 5G hasn’t reached your market yet. If you’re a gamer, it’s the safe choice thanks to carrier support. While the ROG Phone 2 and Black Shark 2 are compelling gaming phones, they don’t have the support system that Samsung enjoys. If you’re a media fanatic, what’s not to love about the 120Hz display, advanced audio, and a good-on-paper camera?

If you want the one of the best of the best, the Samsung Galaxy S20 is a solid value.

What do you think, are the new phones overpriced? Sound off below! Want to know why the Galaxy S20 costs so much? We have a break down for you here.