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Samsung Galaxy S Series Evolution (10 YEARS)

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Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Herby has a healthy obsession with all things technology, especially smartphones. He loves to rip things apart to see how they work. He is responsible for the editorial direction, strategy, and growth of Gotechtor.

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The Samsung Galaxy S series is one of Samsung’s most iconic products. Starting in 2010 with the first model, the Galaxy S series has evolved into becoming the biggest name in Android.

We’ll take a look at a decade of evolution of the Samsung S series, and see how Samsung has changed its devices since they introduced the first model.

Samsung Galaxy S (June 2010)

Samsung Galaxy S
Samsung Galaxy S. Source: Samsung

The first model of the Samsung Galaxy S Series.

Launched in 2010 at the Mobile World Congress in Spain.

With a 4-inch super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection, 5 MP rear camera, and 1 GHz processor, the Samsung Galaxy S was set to be the main rival of the iPhone 4.

Samsung Galaxy SII (February 2011)

Samsung Galaxy SII
Samsung Galaxy SII. Source: Samsung

Announced in February 2011, with a bigger 4.3-inches super AMOLED display, dual-core 1.2 GHz processor,  8 MP rear camera, and 2 MP front camera, the competition was starting to get real for Apple.

The phone came in 16/32GB internal storage and up to 32GB of external storage. The Galaxy SII was such a huge success for the company that it was proclaimed the “Smartphone Of The Year” at MWC 2012.

Samsung Galaxy SIII (May 2012)

Samsung Galaxy SIII
Samsung Galaxy SIII. Source: Samsung

With the Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung took its game to the next level. The Galaxy S3 was so iconic, its shape and look were some of its key successes.

Launched in 2012, with a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display and its Intelligent Voice Assistant (S Voice) as Siri’s competitor.

Under the hood, you’ll find a 1.4GHz quad-core processor combined with 1GB of RAM. No improvement was made in the camera, so the S3 came with the same rear camera as the Galaxy SII.

Samsung Galaxy S4 (March 2013)

Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung Galaxy S4. Source: Samsung

Announced in April 2013, with a 5-inch full HD Super AMOLED display, a 2 GB RAM, 13 MP rear camera, and 2 MP front-facing camera.

The S4 sported a 1.9GHz quad-core chip, with 2GB of RAM and a 2,600 mAh battery. The phone came in 16/32/64GB of internal storage.

While the Samsung Galaxy S4 was making lots of hype due to its bigger screen in a relatively small form factor, however, its plastic cover made it look cheap compared to its direct competitors.

Samsung Galaxy S5 (February 2014)

Samsung Galaxy S5
Samsung Galaxy S5. Source: Samsung

Announced at MWC in Barcelona in March 2014, with the Galaxy S5 Samsung took another direction with its Galaxy phones.

The South Korean Company introduced a fingerprint reader and was the first Galaxy phone to be water and dust-resistant.

The S5 also had a Full 5.1-inches HD display. There was a 2.5GHz quad-core processor on the inside, paired with 2GB of RAM. And the rear camera was once again improved, to a 16-megapixel module

Once again Samsung was globally criticized due to its poor build quality. However, on the inside, the S5 was a beast compared to any Android phone at the time.

Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, and S6 Edge+ (March/August 2015)

Samsung Galaxy S6
Samsung Galaxy S6. Source: Samsung

Samsung has finally got rid of the plastic cover on its Samsung Galaxy S series. The Galaxy S6, launched in 2015, came with an octa-core processor and a 16-megapixel camera.

It was the first of the Samsung Galaxy S series to ever feel premium when holding in the hands thanks to its high-end metal and glass build quality.

However, there were a couple of things that upset many Galaxy lovers: the battery wasn’t removable and no SD card support either.

The Galaxy S6 edge and S6 Edege+ came with a 5.1 and 5.7 inches display, respectively that curved on its left and right edge.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge (February 2016)

Samsung Galaxy S7
Samsung Galaxy S7. Source: Samsung

Samsung this time tried to justify the higher price of its Galaxy Edge phones by putting a bigger display on the Galaxy S7 Edge. (S7: 5.1-inches screen; S7 Edge: 5.7-inches)

Announced at the MWC in February 2016, the Galaxy S7 looks almost identical to its predecessor, with a sleek change in the design.

Their backs have been rounded a little bit, to make them easy to hold, and the camera protrusion is almost non-existent.

Both phones use Samsung 2K screen resolution and come with 12 and 8-Megapixel rear and front-facing cameras respectively, with 4GB of RAM.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ (March 2017)

Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S8. Source: Samsung

Samsung almost changed everything with the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

Announced in March 2017, both Galaxy phones come with curved edges, 5.8 and 6.2-inches infinity edge-to-edge display, fingerprint reader moved to the back of the phones, which created some controversies because of its awkward location (right next to the camera lens).

A new button pops up on the right side of the phone and Bixby was born, Samsung’s new Digital Voice Assistant. They added an iris scanner and Facial recognition as additional ways to lock and unlock the phone.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ (February 2018)

Samsung Galaxy S9
Samsung Galaxy S9. Source: Samsung

If you’re familiar with the Galaxy S8, you may have a hard time differentiating the S9 from the Galaxy S8. The S9 and S9 Plus both look pretty much the same from the exterior and come with the same 5.8 and 6.2-inches, respectively.

The Galaxy S9/S9 Plus offers AR Emoji (Augmented Reality Emoji). They allow you to create 2D images of your face to then create 3D customizable virtual avatars, which can be used in messaging apps (Answer to Apple’s Animoji).

The first in a flagship phone to have a variable aperture (f/1.5 for low light and f/2.4 and brighter conditions).

The S9 and S9 Plus are able to capture slow-motion shots a 960 fps while other phones record slo-mo video at 240 fps.

Samsung Galaxy S10, S10e, S10 Plus, and S10 5G (February 2019)

Samsung Galaxy S10
Samsung Galaxy S10. Source: Samsung

Samsung this year has released three standard phones the Galaxy S10, the Galaxy S10 Plus, and the wallet-friendly Galaxy S10e.

Again none of them has a notch, instead, the South Korean company went for the hole-punch display to achieve the edge-to-edge display.

The S10 features a 6.1-inch display, three rear cameras, and a single front-facing camera. The S10 Plus, which is slightly larger features a 6.4-inch screen.

The larger display allows more room for a bigger battery (a 4,100-mAh battery compared to the Galaxy S10’s 3,400-mAh one). A dual front-facing camera can be found on the S10 Plus.

The Galaxy S10 comes in 8GB/128GB and 8GB/512GB models, while the Galaxy S10 Plus has 8GB/128GB, 8GB/512GB and 12GB/1TB variants.

The more affordable Galaxy S10e comes with a smaller 5.8-inch display and a smaller 3,100-mAh battery. Like the Galaxy S10, it only has a single front-facing camera. It’s available with either 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal memory, or 8GB and 256GB. 

Lastly, the Galaxy S10 5G has a 6.7-inch display and supports 5G mobile networks. When you flip it over, you’ll find a four-camera setup.

Wrapping Up

There you have it, a decade of evolution of the Samsung Galaxy S series! Which phone was your all-time favorite?

If you have any other ideas or suggestions, we encourage you to suggest them in the comments below.

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Herby has a healthy obsession with all things technology, especially smartphones. He loves to rip things apart to see how they work. He is responsible for the editorial direction, strategy, and growth of Gotechtor.

Herby Jasmin

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