Christian ColladoSamsung GalaxyShare

How has Samsung's Galaxy S range changed? We review each and every one of the models that have existed.

Samsung 'announce': its next flagships will include a GPU developed by AMD

With the presentation of the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+, 12 different generations of what is undoubtedly the company's most iconic family of terminals, and probably in the entire history of the Android platform, have been completed.

This saga began in 2010, when Google's mobile operating system was just beginning to show its potential, and it was the first phones in the Galaxy series --among others-- that served as a catapult for Android to reach into the pockets of millions of people around the world.

The Galaxy S21 series in several different colors.

Samsung Galaxy S: the evolution of the most famous Android mobile series in history

Things have changed, and a lot, since that month of March 2010 in which Samsung decided to announce the first device of what ten years later would become the most famous series of Android smartphones on the planet. For this reason, taking advantage of the fact that we already have a new installment of the family among us, we are going to review how the evolution of the Galaxy S brand has been, from the first model, to the new Samsung Galaxy S21.

Samsung Galaxy S: the beginning of an era

It arrived, as I said, in March 2010. It was not the first Samsung smartphone to have Android inside it --that merit goes to the Samsung GT-I7500--, but the Samsung Galaxy S was the first reference model in the catalog of the company to be based on Google's mobile platform.

It stood out for having a powerful 1 GHz Hummingbird processor, as well as for its pioneering 4-inch diagonal AMOLED panel. In its day, the original Galaxy S competed with models such as HTC's Desire and Desire HD, and despite the fact that the Taiwanese models surpassed the South Korean in terms of design and finishes, the Galaxy won the battle in practically most of remaining aspects.

Taking a look at its physical appearance, you can see how its design marked the lines that future models of the Galaxy S series would adopt and polish, such as the central physical button supported by two capacitive buttons, and the square-looking body with corners rounded.

Samsung Galaxy S2: the "unbeatable"

A year after the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S, the S2 arrived, and we all fell in love. It was a thinner mobile, with a larger and even brighter screen, and above all more powerful as it had a 1.2 GHz dual-core Exynos 4210 chip, despite its size --for the time--, It was an extremely light mobile with only 116 grams of weight, and the photographic section represented an important advance with respect to the first edition.

In its day, with rivals such as the Motorola Atrix, LG Optimus 2X or --later on-- the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, the Galaxy S2 hardly had any competition capable of standing up to it in aspects such as multimedia, where its Super AMOLED Plus screen 4.3-inch, the first of its kind, surpassed any other panel seen so far in terms of contrast, colors and brightness. Other than that, it was arguably the most powerful high-end Android phone of 2011, thanks to the innovative dual-core Exynos 4210 processor.

With the Galaxy S2, Samsung decided for the first time to send several units of the terminal to a group of developers from the CyanogenMod community to promote the development of ROMs.

Another aspect that propelled the Galaxy S2 to the top – which had already racked up orders of more than 3 million units worldwide just a few months after its introduction – was the fantastic reception from the independent developer community. The main platforms and forums were full of Galaxy S2 owners eager to modify any aspect of their device's software, and from there came some of the most popular ROMs that would later become a reference. For the first time, Samsung also decided to send several units of the terminal to a group of developers from the CyanogenMod community.

Samsung Galaxy S3: the best-selling Android in history

The reception of the Samsung Galaxy S2 was so good that one of the main leaders of the Samsung Mobile division did not hesitate to announce its successor in advance. The Samsung Galaxy S3 arrived in May 2012, a year after its predecessor, and marked a before and after for the company's mobile design philosophy.

According to Samsung, its appearance was inspired by natural forms such as pebbles, and we saw how the sharp curves landed on the terminal's body chassis. Beyond that, the screen grew to 4.8 inches, maintaining the Super AMOLED Plus technology introduced in the previous generation, but raising the resolution to HD, a milestone for the time when the terminal arrived.

It was also a pioneer in introducing software novelties never seen before in TouchWiz, such as controls without touching the screen -through the proximity sensor-, the S Voice assistant or the playback of videos in floating windows.

As expected, the Galaxy S3 not only matched the success of the Galaxy S2, but also became the best-selling Android phone in history, with more than 60 million units shipped around the world.

Samsung Galaxy S4: the best-selling Android in history (Part II)

There is only one mobile that has been able to outsell the Galaxy S3, and it is none other than its successor. *With over 70 million units sold, the 2013 Galaxy S4 is the best-selling Android device in history to date.

There were those who criticized the absence of notable design changes with respect to the Galaxy S3, but the truth is that the differences provided by the Galaxy S4 compared to the previous model were more than enough to make the vast majority of the public fall in love.

With more than 70 million units sold, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is still the best-selling Android phone in history today.

Its main changes were the inclusion of an even larger 5-inch screen, which also raised its resolution to 1,920 x 1.00 pixels for the first time. Its interior was led by the eight-core Exynos 5410 processor, accompanied by 2 GB of RAM that would offer good performance for several years, despite the fact that at that time the company's software continued to be a burden for most models that were your catalog.

The milestone reached by the Galaxy S4 by becoming the best-selling Android in history has even more merit, if we take into account that in the middle of 2013 it competed with models that did not make it easy for it, such as the HTC One, the LG G2 or the Motorola Moto X.

Samsung Galaxy S5: the ugly duckling

Perhaps it was the criticism of the design of the Galaxy S4 that led Samsung to completely change the formula with the new installment. The Samsung Galaxy S5 --or "band-aid mobile"-- was an important revolution at an aesthetic level, due to its perforated plastic back, available in various colors, each one more striking.

The Galaxy S5 was anything but elegant, unlike previous generations of the series. However, it was a smartphone of great importance for providing new features that have been maintained over the years until they were included in the Galaxy S10 and S10 + of 2019, such as the fingerprint reader -very different from the current ones, yes- - or protection against water and dust.

It also incorporated important novelties at the camera level, such as the possibility of recording video at 4K resolution thanks to its 13-megapixel camera and the capabilities of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801. But none of this was enough to justify the company's clear mistake, and the Galaxy S5 came to sell just over 13 million units.

Samsung Galaxy S6: the curves arrive

The first Samsung mobile to have a curved AMOLED screen was the Galaxy Note Edge, an experiment that passed unnoticed by the market despite being a great terminal. From that project, Samsung decided to take advantage of some ideas for its next Galaxy S series devices, and one of them was the edge screen itself, which since the arrival of the Galaxy S6 is already a distinguishing feature of the brand's reference mobiles.

Samsung decided to divide, for the first time, its Galaxy S line into two models with similar features. This is how the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge arrived, two terminals of the same size and with technical specifications traced --except because the edge had a 50 mAh battery--, and whose only difference was the inclusion of a curved panel in the Galaxy S6 edge, and a price 150 euros higher than the flat screen version.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge was the first phone in the Galaxy S series with a curved screen.

Learn more: Galaxy S6

Leaving aside the differences between them, the Samsung Galaxy S6 came to correct all the mistakes made with the S5, starting with an infinitely superior design, this time finished in glass and aluminum available in various colors. Thus, a new era of design began for Galaxy S mobiles that has continued until today.

The good reception by the public of the edge model, and the progressive growth in the screen size of the rival models, led Samsung to launch the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ a few months later, a terminal that raised its screen diagonal to the 5.7 inches, in addition to being the first to mount a panel with Quad HD resolution.

Samsung Galaxy S7: improving the present

There were those who thought that the Samsung Galaxy S7 was a decaffeinated renewal with respect to the S6, but the truth is that the edge model of this generation was in charge of giving the starting signal to a new change of direction that has marked the course of the signature until 2019.

Again, we found a model with a flat screen, and another with an edge panel, although this time the differences even extended to the design. The Galaxy S7 had a 5.1-inch Quad HD AMOLED screen, and its older brother increased its size to 5.5 inches, using the same technology and resolution, in addition to mounting a battery with 600 mAh more capacity.

Know more: Galaxy S7

If there was one aspect that was truly improved over previous generations after the arrival of the Galaxy S7 series, it was undoubtedly the photographic section. Even without Google Pixels in the mobile market, Samsung was able to gain an advantage in terms of photography over its main competitors, thanks to the 12-megapixel sensor with f/1.7 aperture, Dual Pixel technology and optical image stabilizer.

Samsung Galaxy S8: the necessary design change

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge were fantastic terminals, with hardly any buts. However, the rest of the companies were already beginning to demonstrate their intentions to drastically renew the design of their reference phones, and Samsung was forced to act on it. Thus, the Samsung Galaxy S8 was born, which for the first time adopted the design line headed by a curved panel with hardly any margins baptized "Infinity Display".

Infinity Display is the name that Samsung gives to its curved AMOLED panel with hardly any margins.

Know more: Galaxy S8

Again, we found two different models, but since both had edge panels, this name disappeared to welcome the Plus tagline accompanying the larger model. The differences at the technical level were reduced to a larger battery, 3,500 mAh for the S8 + instead of 3,000, and a 0.4-inch larger screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 came with other important changes, such as the inclusion of the Bixby virtual assistant, an even better camera than the previous model, and of course the inclusion of the powerful Exynos 8890 10-nanometer eight-core processor.

These two phones, launched at the beginning of 2017, also brought an important novelty never seen before on the firm's phones: Samsung DeX, a system that would allow phones to be used as desktop platforms by connecting external peripherals such as a monitor, keyboard and mouse. .

Samsung Galaxy S9: polishing the details

Although they seemed so at first, the Samsung Galaxy S8 were not perfect. Criticism from the company's faithful focused on the design -- the fingerprint reader on the Plus model was out of reach for many due to its position -- as well as other teething issues that affected both software and hardware. to the phone screen itself.

Samsung took note of all these aspects, and a year later it presented the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, two models that, although they have not allowed Samsung to reach the bulky sales figures of yesteryear, for many it is undoubtedly the best pair of phones ever created by the company.

Know more: Galaxy S9

Both terminals arrived to correct errors such as the position of the fingerprint reader or insufficient autonomy -despite the fact that the capacity of the batteries have not changed-, as well as to continue improving the design through even more screen margins. reduced, which allowed to include a panel of the same size in less space.

Cameras also improved, pioneering the inclusion of a variable aperture system that on paper would improve photography in limited light environments. For its part, the Galaxy S9 + was the first in the family to integrate a dual photographic system on its back.

Samsung Galaxy S10: many cameras and a first approach to 5G

Taking the Samsung Galaxy S8 from 2017 as a reference, the new Galaxy S10 and S10+ presented at the beginning of 2019 arrive to continue the trail of success of this veteran family of phones, without forgetting that companies like Xiaomi or Huawei lurk and are closer than ever. to steal the crown from South Korea.

The design changes are more than evident: the margins that surround the screen of the phones are reduced even more with respect to those of the Galaxy S9 series, and for the first time Samsung is forced to resort to a solution that allows it to integrate the camera for selfies on the front although there is no space for it in the bezels. To do this, the brand is committed to drilling the 6.1 or 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel through what is known as "Infinity O Display".

Learn more: Galaxy S10

At a technical level, they also bring important changes, such as their 8-nanometer processor supported by a neural processing unit in charge of high computational load tasks --see, artificial intelligence and machine learning--, accompanied by up to 12 GB of RAM memory in the Plus version, the most we have seen so far in a Galaxy series mobile. A new technology also debuts: the ultrasonic fingerprint reader located under the glass of the screen.

With the Galaxy S10, the 3 cameras arrive for the first time on the back of the Galaxy series devices.

For the first time, three cameras are introduced on the back of both models, which introduces Samsung into the world of ultrawide sensors that firms like LG had used as the main attraction in some of their latest terminals. In this case, the differences at the photographic level between the Galaxy S10 and its older brother are reduced to the front, since another 8-megapixel sensor is added to the main 10-megapixel sensor. In any case, it will be possible to record video with the front camera at 4K resolution, thus being the first models of the brand to be able to do so.

Samsung Galaxy S20: 5G for everyone and a giant with a new surname

As in 2019, the new Galaxy S series presented in mid-February 2020 arrives in three different flavors. However, Samsung's approach to its range of star terminals for this generation is somewhat different from last year.

And it is that for the first time in the history of the series a device with the surname "Ultra" arrives. Surname that refers to a technical section that is even more advanced than that of its younger brothers, to the point of becoming the first mobile to reach the market with 16 GB of RAM.

Learn more: Galaxy S20

The Galaxy S20 series also makes 5G mainstream since all the models in this series come in variants compatible with the 5G SA and NSA networks, thanks to the Exynos 990 processor that they include inside.

Samsung also raises the level of the photographic section of the new models, with three rear cameras of 12, 64 and 12 megapixels in the Galaxy S20 and S20 + --the latter also has an additional ToF camera, and four 108 sensors, 48 and 12 megapixels along with a ToF camera in the Ultra model.

Beyond that, the Galaxy S20 are the first of the brand to introduce a screen with a high refresh rate, 120 Hz to be exact, in addition to being able to record video at 8K resolution.

Many of these features, moreover, were later inherited by the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, a more affordable version of the series, which follows in the footsteps of the S10 Lite and becomes one of the best high-end phones launched in 2020, by combine cutting-edge specifications with a lower price than the rest of its brothers in the series.

Samsung Galaxy S21: a trio of aces to conquer the high-end in 2021

In 2021, the Galaxy S series once again bets everything on three different models: the Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra.

Samsung chooses to keep the previous year's recipe intact, offering three different flavors in its most recognizable series, introducing improvements and new features that, until now, we had never seen in the Galaxy S series.

This is the case of compatibility with the S-Pen, since the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the first Galaxy S compatible with this stylus which, however, unlike what happens with the Note, is not included and must be purchased by separate.

The stylus also does not have Bluetooth like the Galaxy Note, but uses Wacom technology so that the accessory does not have a battery that needs to be recharged. Despite this, it has most of the functions that we could find in the S-Pen destined for the Galaxy Note series models.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, in two colors.

For the rest, we find changes in the design section, which now gives even more prominence to the rear cameras as they are integrated into a metal module that merges with the bezel that surrounds the device's chassis.

Es conveniente destacar que Samsung, además, ha decidido bajar el precio del modelo más asequible a base de aplicar algún que otro recorte, como el hecho de contar con una parte trasera construida en plástico, en lugar de vidrio como sus hermanos mayores, o de carecer de tecnología Ultra Wide Band, con la que si cuentan los otros dos teléfonos.

Así han evolucionado sus precios

Los Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+ y S21 Ultra están entre los modelos más avanzados de la historia de la serie, pero no por ello son los más caros. A diferencia del año pasado, la versión "base" no llega a los 900 euros, debido sobre todo a los recortes que encontramos con respecto a las otras dos variantes. Además, el Galaxy S21 Ultra tiene un precio cerca de 100 euros inferior al del anterior S20 Ultra.

Está claro que, pese a estos ajustes de precio, la serie Galaxy S no es famosa por ser la más asequible de todas las que forman el catálogo de Samsung, pero no está de más echar un vistazo a la evolución en los precios de los distintos modelos que han formado parte de esta familia desde el año 2010.

Lo que viene después

El Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, en color negro.

Guste más o menos, es innegable que los Galaxy S están entre los teléfonos más importantes de toda la historia de Android, y sin duda han sido, y son la referencia en lo que a Android se refiere de cara a todos aquellos ajenos al mundillo del universo del robot verde --por mucho que Google lo intente con sus Pixel--. Pero, ¿qué futuro le depara a esta familia?

Junto a los nuevos Galaxy S20 y S20+, llegó también un nuevo concepto de terminal plegable , el Galaxy Z Flip, que a través de un precio más bajo que el del anterior Galaxy Fold y un formato más conveniente, prometía marcar un antes y un después en el recorrido de la marca en su división de móviles, y de paso suponer el inicio de una nueva era como ya lo hizo el primer Galaxy S en 2010.

Hoy por hoy, no parece probable que Samsung tenga intención de acabar de una vez por todas con los Galaxy S para centrarse exclusivamente en el desarrollo de los nuevos Galaxy Fold o Galaxy Z, aunque en el pasado ya se ha rumoreado con la desaparición de la serie más famosa de la marca

No sabemos si los Samsung Galaxy S continuarán siendo renovados, o si esta ha sido la última vez que hayamos podido presenciar la llegada de un nuevo modelo de la serie. Lo que sí está claro, es que estas doce generaciones lanzadas a lo largo de los diez últimos años han servido para situar a Samsung en lo más alto del panorama telefónico a nivel mundial, y para dejar a millones de seguidores expectantes por ver lo que está por llegar.

Temas relacionados: Móviles, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy S21

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