The Galaxy S20 is a new flagship phone that is flying under the radar compared to Samsung's other new models; there is no large screen like the 6.7-inch Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. Nor does it have the powerful 10x lossless zoom and even larger 6.9-inch display of the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

But there are plenty of reasons to choose the regular S20 over Samsung's expensive new device or the latest iPhone. If you can't decide if the Galaxy S20 is right for you, here are some brief pros and cons. Also, for an in-depth review of this phone, see our Samsung Galaxy S20 review.

The Galaxy S20 is an exhilaratingly compact phone

As cell phone screens get larger, they become more difficult to handle. Samsung's Galaxy S20 packs a 6.2-inch display that is large enough to be easily used with one hand. I have no problem extending my thumb across the entire display to launch apps or type quickly.

The Galaxy S20 Plus is taller than the iPhone 11 Pro, 5.97" vs. 5.6". However, the Galaxy S20 is narrower and nearly an ounce lighter than the iPhone 11 Pro (5.7 oz. vs. 6.63 oz.).

The 120 Hz display is silky smooth

and the S20's display is also more compact than its larger siblings. Like its bigger brothers, the Galaxy S20's display has a 120Hz refresh option. With this option turned on, we enjoyed smoother scrolling in apps like Chrome and Twitter. With this option turned off, scrolling was choppy and a bit sluggish.

Combined with the 240Hz high-speed touch sensor, the 120Hz display can also provide more realistic animations and smoother game play if the app is optimized. Microsoft's racing game "Forza Street" will be one of the first titles to take advantage of this advantage.

Superior cameras with excellent zoom capabilities

Three rear cameras are enough for the Galaxy S20; the only thing missing compared to the Galaxy S20 Plus is a fourth DepthVision camera, useful for live-focus portrait shots.

The regular S20 has a 12MP wide-angle camera, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 64MP telephoto camera with 3x lossless zoom and 30x digital zoom. According to our camera tests, the Galaxy S20 is no match for the iPhone 11 Pro.

See the cookie-cutter photo above. The Galaxy S20 shows more texture, especially in the Dark Chocolate Fudge cookie. The Galaxy S20 is more textured, especially in the dark chocolate fudge cookie.

The Galaxy S20's zoom performance is better than the iPhone 11 Pro Max. With 10x digital zoom enabled on both models, the S20 renders more detailed shots, especially when looking at windows.

5G Speeds - Depends on Carrier

The Galaxy S20 Ultra can be used on AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile as it currently supports 5G networks below the 6GHz band. Speeds are quite fast, depending on location and the network being used.

In central New Jersey, I have seen downloads between 120 Mbps and 183 Mbps on T-Mobile's network. At the same location, an iPhone 11 Pro Max using Verizon's 4G network was between 50 and 67 Mbps, which is two to three times faster than LTE.

The Galaxy S20 is the "cheapest" of the Galaxy S20s

The Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra start at $1,199 and $1,399 respectively, while the regular Galaxy S20 costs $999. This is the same price as the iPhone 11 Pro. In addition, Best Buy offers discounts such as $150 off. For more sales and discounts, check the Galaxy S20 Deals page.

Battery life is relatively short: The Samsung Galaxy S20 has a fairly robust 4,000 mAh battery, but it didn't last as long as expected in our web-surfing battery tests: 9 hours and 31 minutes on T-Mobile's 5G network and last year's Galaxy S10 had 10 hours and 19 minutes on LTE.

Battery life on the Galaxy S20 dropped to 8:04 when the display refresh rate was set to 120 Hz. This is nearly 1.5 hours less than the phone's 60 Hz refresh rate.

Not (yet) available on Verizon: The Galaxy S20 is available on AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, but Verizon will not offer this phone until Q2. This is because it will take that long for a version of the Galaxy S20 to be compatible with Verizon's mmWave network.