Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides

Everything about Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra

power saving mode

How to Use Enhanced Processing on Galaxy S20 with Android 11 update?

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Enhanced Processing on Galaxy S20 with Android 11 updateEnhanced processing is one of the prominent new features in Galaxy S20 Android 11 update.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains what the enhanced processing is, how to enable it from Settings and quick settings panel and how to use enhanced processing on Galaxy S20 with Android 11 update.

The enhanced processing option is available after you upgraded Galaxy S20 (and Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 20) to Android 11.  If your Galaxy S20 is still running Android 10, please check this guide on how to use and customise the power mode.

What is enhanced processing on Galaxy S20 with Android 11 update?

As mentioned here, Samsung revamped (simplified) the power modes and added the enhanced processing option in Android 11 (One UI 3.0) update for Galaxy S20, S10, Note 10, and Note 20.

But Samsung hasn’t offered a detailed explanation of this feature, except stating:

Get faster data processing for all apps except games. use more battery.

There are some wrong inceptions on this feature on the internet. Some mistakenly thought the enhanced processing is simply the old high-performance mode.

So, what is enhanced processing?

First, the enhanced processing, once enabled, can unleash the full CPU (and GPU) power so that the app can run faster.

Second, the enhanced processing works with power saving mode. In other words, you can use this feature even in the power saving mode.

It sounds confusing. But it makes sense.

Apparently, the enhanced processing actually unleash the CPU power on demand. When you are using an app in the power saving mode, in the past, the CPU speed is capped. Now, with the enhanced processing, the limit can be removed on demand with other restrictions (e.g., brightness) in place. Of course, it does not affect background apps.

Third, enhanced processing is a standalone feature.

Galaxy S20 Android 11 update simplified the power modes to 2 modes only: default mode and power saving mode.  The enhanced processing adds the option to speed up the CPU speed on demand for active (foreground) apps. This addressed the battery consumption issue in the old performance mode.

At the same time, there are many complaints about the old medium power saving mode, which slows down the apps noticeably. Some owners question the rationale of limiting the speed for the foreground apps. The enhanced processing addressed this … Read the rest

Top 11 new features in Galaxy S20 Android 11 update

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Top 11 new features in Galaxy S20 Android 11 updateSamsung officially released Galaxy S20 Android 11 update in early December  2020 globally. Galaxy S20 owners in most regions will get the Android 11 update (One UI 3.0) by the end of 2020.

Of course, in a few regions, owners have to wait and will get the update in January or February 2021.

Galaxy S20 Android 11 update brings a refreshed One UI 3.0 with most (not all) Android 11 features. This Galaxy S20 guide explains the top 11 new features in the Galaxy S20 Android 11 update to help you jumpstart with the new UI and new features.

This guide applies to all Galaxy S20 models (Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra) because the new features and the new UI are almost identical on all these phones.

Please follow this guide to update Galaxy S20 to Android 11.

One UI 3.0 with a refreshed visual design

Samsung now updates One UI with each Android update. With Galaxy S20 Android 11 update, One UI was updated to version 3.0 with a refreshed visual design.

You will find One UI 3.0 offers generous space (empty region). But there are fewer wasted spaces compared to One UI 2 and One UI 2.5. So, most users will feel more relaxed when using the phone.

One UI 3.0 also introduced a few new visual effects to help you quickly focus on what matters most.

But they are controversial.  Some owners probably will not like some of them. For example, the blurred effect for notifications may irritate some users depending on the wallpaper used. Unfortunately, Samsung did not offer the options to turn them off, at least, up to now.

Overall, aesthetic improvements in One UI 3.0 are obvious. They make the UI modern and stylish.

Please note, Samsung removed the feature of customising the app icon shapes in this Android 11 update.

Revamped notifications

Some major improvements and new features in Android 11 are notification related. They make notifications very convenient to use, intuitive and interactive.

Samsung implemented almost all of them and added a few of their own.

Notification history

Sometimes, you may want to re-read a few notifications that were dismissed inadvertently. Or you may just want to check whether you missed any important notifications.

Android 11 introduced notification history, which allows you to check all notifications (of course including dismissed and silent notifications) in the … Read the rest

How to use and customize power mode on Galaxy S20?

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use and customize power mode on Galaxy S20You can use Galaxy S20 power mode to balance the performance and battery life based on your needs and habit.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains the importance of using the proper power modes on Galaxy S20, what are the 4 power modes on Galaxy S20, when and how to use each of these four power modes. The guide also shows you how to manage, customize, and limit battery usage (and background activities) for individual apps from app power management and application managers.

Samsung adopted almost identical power modes (power-saving modes) on all Galaxy Phones with Android 10. So, in addition to Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20 Ultra, and Galaxy S20 FE, this guide also applies to most of the recent Galaxy phones, including all variants of Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 20, and  Galaxy Note 10.

Update: Samsung introduced the Enhanced processing option under battery settings in Android 11 update for Galaxy S20.

Why is Galaxy S20 power mode important to balance performance and battery life?

Battery life is a major concern for many Galaxy S20 owners, although Galaxy S20 supports up to 45W super-fast charging and fast wireless charging 2.0.

Most of Galaxy S20 owners expect the phone worked when they want to use it. Running out of battery can be very disturbing nowadays, especially if you pay more than $1000 for the gadget.

Unfortunately, current Li-ion battery technologies still pose a hard limit on the battery capacity given the limited available space in the phone and possible and safety considerations.

So, one way to extend battery life so that you have enough battery before you can access a charger is to “save ” battery, i.e., reducing or optimizing the usage of the battery.

Basically, it is not necessary to let the Galaxy S20 run at its peak performance. For more than 90% of owners of Galaxy S20,  the phone offers more processing power than what you need.

Even for heavy gamers, the high processing power is only needed when you play some large games. You do not need to keep the phone running in its peak state all the time.

Power mode in Galaxy S20 lets you balance the performance and battery life.

What are the 4 power modes on Galaxy S20?

On Samsung Galaxy S20, there are 4 power modes:

  1. Optimized (default).
  2. High performance.
  3. Medium power saving (aka, power saving)
… Read the rest

How to charge Galaxy S20 battery?

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charge Galxy S20 battery super fast charging 2.0You need to charge Galaxy S20 battery properly to maximize the battery life without sacrificing usage.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains to you everything you need to know on charging Galaxy S20 battery: two ways to charge Galaxy S20, how to use USB charging, how to use wireless charging, typical charging time for Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. The guide also answers questions you may have on charging Galaxy S20 battery.

Charging Galaxy S20 battery is identical on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. The only difference is that Galaxy S20 Ultra supports 45W super fast-charging; while Galaxy S20 and S20+ only support up to 25W.

Do you need to charge Galaxy S20 battery for 8 hours for the first time?

No, it is unnecessary to charge Galaxy S20 battery for 8 hours for the first time.

You can disconnect the charger once the battery is fully charged.

The old textbook may teach you to charge the new battery for 8 hours. It is outdated.

When you open the Galaxy S20 box, the battery level on your Galaxy S20 should be normally around 50-60%. You can use the phone immediately.

In some regions, Samsung does not offer a 1-to-1 exchange. You have to power on the phone on the spot to check the phone before you leave the counter.

Two ways to charge Galaxy S20 battery

You can charge Galaxy S20 battery in two ways:

  1. USB charging. You can charge Galaxy S20 with a USB cable, which connects to a USB power source (normally, a wall charger).
  2. Wireless charging. You can put Galaxy S20 on a wireless charging pad to charge the battery. You can use the USB port to connect other devices, e.g., a USB thumb drive.

In Galaxy S20 box, a 25W charger and a USB-C cable are included. You can use them to charge Galaxy S20 battery.

Of course, you can use other wall chargers, power banks, or USB hub to charge Galaxy S20. But the charging speed may be affected. For example, if you use a USB port on your PC or laptop to charge Galaxy S20, you may find it is too slow.

Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra all support Quick Charge (QC) 2.0, USB Power Delivery (PD) 3. As explained in this guide, all three Galaxy S20 models support super-fast charging. Galaxy S20 and S20+ … Read the rest