Samsung drastically cuts Galaxy S20 storage options

One thing that the Galaxy S20 leaks have made clear so far is that if you want all the bells and whistles, you will need to pony up the cash for the Galaxy S20 Ultra model. Up until yesterday, we already knew that the Ultra would pick up by far the best camera array of the three models, but what we didn’t know is that it would also be the only model to offer more than 128 GB of storage. The full leak of Galaxy S20 specifications reveals that only the Galaxy S20 Ultra will also offer a 512 GB storage tier while the Galaxy S20 and S20+ will only come in a single 128 GB configuration.

The move is surprising as Samsung sold the Galaxy S10 range in 128 GB and 512 GB configurations with the S10 5G variant coming with a choice 256 GB and 512 GB storage – the Galaxy S10+ even came with a whopping 1 TB option. Clearly, there was something about Samsung’s Galaxy S10 sales volumes has convinced the company to dramatically rationalize the storage options for its 2020 flagship. However, it does force customers who want anything more than 128 GB of onboard storage to go for what will be the most expensive model in the lineup.

Of course, Samsung continues to offer support for microSD cards with the Galaxy 20 range supporting up to 1 TB of additional storage. However, as experienced users will know, it is a lot more convenient to set up a device to use internal storage only wherever possible. Further, microSD cards can be a security liability if they aren’t locked down with encryption should you lose or have your device stolen. Streamlining the Galaxy S20 models in this will undoubtedly reduce production costs for Samsung, but it will place a notable restriction on user choice.