Samsung Galaxy S II – The first with Full HD recording and flash!
Samsung Galaxy S II was announced in February and released in April 2011. It is the successor of Galaxy S , and came to the market with a new design and advanced functions. At the time it was the thinnest smartphone, having a thickness of "only" 8.49mm.
Galaxy S II was equipped with a dual-core processor that had a frequency of 1.2GHz, the chipset being of Samsung's own Exynos production. Along with this processor, the phone doubles the amount of RAM memory, now having 1GB instead of 512MB.
The screen, although keeping the resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, had a diagonal of 4.3 inches, the panel being Super AMOLED. A radical change was also received on the back side, an 8MP main camera, capable of filming at 1080p resolution with 30 frames per second. In addition, the camera on the back of the S II was also the first in the series to receive an LED flash!
On the day of launch, the phone had the Android 2.3 operating system, but Samsung offered support up to Android 4.1.2. And the interface received a major update, TouchWiz 4 having new transition effects and hardware acceleration, aspects that made themselves felt at first glance, the transitions being very fluid.
Fun Fact: Galaxy S II also had a variant called GT-I9100P, which was launched later, in 2011, and which had NFC for the first time. Also, in 2013 this phone received a version called Galaxy S II Plus, which was equipped with a Broadcom Dual core at 1.2GHz, another difference being the fact that the storage was 8GB, so a budget version.
Samsung Galaxy S III – The first with an HD screen and quad-core processor!
Announced and released in May 2012, the Samsung Galaxy S III is the first in the Galaxy S series to brings a radical design change. In addition to the new design with rounded edges, S III came for the first time equipped with an eye tracking function, thus pausing clips when the gaze was no longer focused on the device, but also with S Voice, an intelligent assistant with voice commands, like Siri or Google Now.
The phone went through a development process that lasted 18 months, and the final result did not disappoint. Compared to the Galaxy S II, it brought a significant change in performance, the S III being the first phone equipped with a quad-core processor core, even if the RAM remained at 1GB. The screen now has a diagonal of 4.8 inches, being increased from 4.3 inches, and the resolution is for the first time 1280 x 720 pixels. Also for the first time, we also have a version with 64GB storage available.
The camera, on the other hand, kept the number of pixels and automatic focus, but the sensor grew a little in size, from 1/3.2″ to 1/3″, the result being felt in pictures taken in low light. The battery has also received an upgrade from 1650mAh to 2100mAh, the autonomy being greater with up to 3 hours of use.
Fun fact: Galaxy S III also had variants with 2GB of RAM that were only available for Japan, South Korea, Canada and the United States, and which came in variants either with Snapdragon Dual Core processor at 1.5Ghz or with Exynos Quad Core at 1.6GHz. S III also received an updated version in 2013 called S3 Neo, which had 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and Snapdragon 400, the rest of the specifications being kept. With the third Galaxy S, Samsung introduced a Mini version for the first time.
Samsung Galaxy S4 – The first with Full HD screen, octa-core processor and 13MP camera!
Samsung Galaxy S4 was announced in March 2013 and launched in April, and broke all sales records at that time, being sold in 20 million copies in the first two months and 40 million in six months, globally!
Although in terms of design it is very close to its predecessor, it came with a lot of new functions. In the premiere, the S4 came with a 5-inch screen with Full HD resolution. Also, the processor received a significant increase in performance, it is now octa-core and the RAM memory has also been doubled, the phone now has 2GB of RAM.
On the camera side, the Galaxy S4 received a new 13MP sensor with an aperture of f/2.2 instead of f/2.6, the low-light photography capabilities being considerably improved. Also, on the software side, the phone came from the factory with Android 4.2.2, being updated over time to Android 5.0.1. Using the frontal sensors, the terminal acquires new functions; while with S III we had the possibility to pause for a clip when the gaze was no longer directed at the screen, with S4 Smart Pause, Smart Rotation, Smart Scroll, Air View and Air Gesture were added. We also received an addition on the part of sensors, the S4 being equipped with an ambient thermometer and a sensor that detects the humidity level. The battery also received a considerable boost, now having a capacity of 2600mAh from 2100mAh.
Fun fact: Galaxy S4 was available in no less than three variants, depending on the region in which it was sold. It was equipped with Snapdragon 800, Snapdragon 600 and Exynos 5. S4 also had the Mini version, Active, which was resistant to water and dust and the most interesting version of S4 was the Zoom version, which had a 10x optical zoom , basically being a camera... with phone function!
Samsung Galaxy S5 – The first with a fingerprint reader, 4K video recording and water and dust resistance!
We have practically reached the half-life of the Galaxy S series, and here we have the Samsung Galaxy S5, announced in February and launched in April 2014. If the S4 borrows the design of the S3, the Galaxy S5 model comes with a radical design change. We can say that this was not the most inspired phone from Samsung, an aspect recognized at the time and by the company, especially since it did not excel in sales either, it was even a million units below the S4 in the first three months.
In addition to the changed design, but not very successful, the S5 came with some new, revolutionary and extremely important functions for the series, especially in retrospect. It was now IP67 certified, so it had increased resistance to water and dust. The interface was obviously new, much smoother and easier to use. On the front, I still had the home button, which this time, for the first time, received a fingerprint reader, so I had increased security, plus a private mode for using the phone.
On the back we also have a camera with an ISOCELL sensor produced by Samsung for the first time. The camera has a resolution of 16MP and offers 4K filming, a standard that was not very widespread at that time. Today we can say that a phone does not exist if it does not have 4K video. Focusing has also been improved and for the first time we have Phase Detection, which could focus on the subject in just 0.3s. Also, the camera could film and take HDR photos in real time, and the sensor does excellently in low light. Next to the camera, I also had a pulse reader integrated, so the functionality for monitoring the state of health appears with this model.
S5 came in versions with the Snapdragon 801, which was a Quad Core, and in the version with the Exynos 5422, which was an Octa Core, both with 2GB of RAM. As for storage, it was available in 16GB or 32GB variants, compared to the S4 which also had a 64GB model, but probably the world was not ready at that time for such a large storage, which also came at a not very friendly price . The screen kept its Full HD resolution, but the diagonal was increased from 5 inches to 5.1 inches. The battery received an improvement of 200mAh, so I had 2800mAh. Also for the first time, the phone received a mode called "Ultra Power Saving" which turned the screen into a black and white one and turned off everything that was not necessary, so Samsung declared that when you had 10% battery left, the phone had an autonomy of 24 hours in the stand by.
Fun fact: Although the phone was water and dust resistant, it also received two rugged versions, one Active and one Sport. Similarly, the S5 had a Mini and a Neo variant, both of which were somewhat weaker in terms of performance compared to the reference model.
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge – The first modern Galaxy, which still hold up well today!
April 2015 was the year of major change regarding the future of the Galaxy series S from Samsung. The company launched two top phones at the same time, something that had never happened before. These two phones are the basis of today's models!
The most spectacular model in terms of design was obviously the S6 Edge. It borrows the famous curved edge that was initially introduced on the Galaxy Note Edge, but this time we had a curved screen on both sides. Also as a first in terms of design, the S6 came with a glass back and a metal core. So a premium aspect with which the company imposed itself in 2015 without appeal, the new phone bringing a lot of firsts that could no longer be said to be copied, they were practically unique at that time. So that unibody design made of glass and aluminum stole all the attention that year, being something that no one expected, although many people hoped that this change would come from the S5. Anyway, better late than never and in 2015 Samsung brought one of the most innovative phones of those times, and we have to admit that this terminal still holds up well even for the year 2019, both in terms of hardware and of the design.
Having a glass back, the phone now had an NFC chip available that emulates a card, thus we also had access to Samsung Pay. The screen on the S6 and S6 Edge had a diagonal of 5.1 inches, but a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. And Samsung didn't stop there: in August 2015 we had another surprise launch, when the S6 Edge+ appeared, which came with identical specifications in terms of processor and resolution, but the screen had a diagonal of 5.8 inches.
S6 had an Exynos 7 Octa 7420 processor and 3GB RAM or 4GB RAM for the Edge+ version. This was the first 14nm processor made by Samsung and used the FinFET manufacturing process, which is still used today. The Galaxy S6 series ditched the somewhat impractical USB 3 port, reverting to USB 2.0. Also, there is no longer a card slot, but we had available variants with 32GB, 64GB or 128GB for storage.
Also for the first time, the S6 gives up the replaceable battery, which is now under the glass back, and can only be changed at an authorized service. The battery of the S6 had a capacity of 2550mAh, the S6 Edge has 2600mAh and the Edge+ model has 3000mAh. The camera has also received an upgrade, having a 16MP resolution with optical image stabilization and an aperture of f/1.9, an aspect that helps with pictures taken in low light. The camera had autofocus tracking, HDR in real time and a more correct white balance, thanks to the infrared sensor that was also used to measure the pulse by S Health.
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge – Refinement of the previous generation!
After the enormous success of the Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung decided that this time in its line of phones we have a normal model and an Edge model, so the S7 and S7 Edge make their appearance in February 2017. This time the design is slightly changed compared to the S6, it keeps the same style with which this model established itself on the market, but it is a bit more refined.
The screen of the S7 Edge has a diagonal of 5.5 inches, but, although it seems large, it is ergonomic, and let's not forget that the S6 Edge+ came with a 5.8 inch screen, but this time Samsung did not release another model Edge+. The panel is of Super AMOLED type with a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels. The front and back of the S7 and S7 Edge are protected by Gorilla Glass 4. The weight of the phone is 157 grams, 4 grams heavier than the S6 Edge+ model. The performances are very excellent for both phones, two versions being available, one with Exynos and one with Snapdragon.
The variant for Europe was equipped with a camera sensor called BRITECELL, which is obviously an evolution of ISOCELL, produced by Samsung. At that time, the S7/S7 Edge that came with BRITECELL took first place in DxOmark's list, as the phone with the best camera in the world. The sensor was better than the one from Sony, which was found on the models for the United States. The camera also had an exposure of f/1.7, and the pictures in low light looked excellent, the camera can be considered good even in 2019. The battery of the S7 has a capacity of 3000mAh, while the Edge model benefits from 3600mAh and the Active reaches up to at 4000mAh. Performance is handled by a Snapdragon 820 or Exynos Octa 8890 processor, which had 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage. This time, the microSD card slot and water and dust resistance with IP68 certification return to the phone.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ – So good that many didn't want to switch to the next one!
One year after the S7 and S7 Edge were launched , Samsung surprises us with a new Galaxy S series that brings substantial improvements and an improved design. The new Galaxy S series comes in two variants, for starters, S8 and S8+, so the Edge name is abandoned, in this case both models have the screen with curved edges. But the new design allowed the company to install in a relatively compact phone a screen with a diagonal of 5.8 inches and 6.2 inches respectively.
The new Infinity Display screen has for the first time a cinematic aspect of 18.5:9, instead of 16:9, so it is a little "higher", and the immersion is much greater thanks to the panel that occupies 84% of the phone's surface , so we are getting closer to the perfection of an edge to edge screen. The panel is obviously Super AMOLED, and the resolution has increased, now having 2960 x 1440 pixels. The quality of the screen does not disappoint, as expected, it is very bright with vibrant colors and clear writing. With the S8 we can see the disappearance of the Home button and the fingerprint reader on the front.
The Home button has been replaced with a Force Touch type one, so you have to press harder on the software one to activate the Home function, and the fingerprint reader has been moved to the back next to the camera. The position of the reader on the back was not warmly received by the fans, because it was not very ergonomic, and you kept pointing your finger over the camera.
And this time the phone is resistant to water and dust, being certified with the IP68 standard. A new change can be found right at the plug for charging, where for the first time we have USB Type C. This USB Type C didn't come just to be, but we also had a super interesting accessory, it's about Samsung Dex. This "Dex" turns your phone into a desktop, after you connect it to a monitor or a TV, the docking offering a lot of ports, so we could connect a keyboard and a mouse to the phone, while using a large screen with a very friendly interface.
Another interesting addition on the front is the Iris Scanner, which actually scans the iris to be able to unlock the phone. The phone also kept the 3.5mm jack plug, and for the first time we have headphones from AKG in the package, the S8 also has stereo sound with speakers also from AKG. This collaboration started after Samsung acquired the Harman Kardon company, AKG being part of this group. The camera has also been significantly improved, the model for Europe also has a 12MP ISOCELL sensor, instead of the one from Sony. The camera is even faster in focusing, also featuring Dual Pixel Autofocus for the first time. On the battery side, we have a capacity of 3000mAh for the S8 and 3500mAh for the S8+.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ – S8 on steroids!
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are the two models that, although they were launched at the beginning of 2018, they are current in the manufacturer's range. The S9 and S9+ do not differ much in terms of design compared to the S8 or S8+.
We have a first major difference behind us. Now the position of the fingerprint reader has been moved under the cameras, having a much more ergonomic placement. The 18.5:9 screen keeps its diagonal and resolution as in the S8 range. In the present case, the ramp lights belong to the S9+, which has a two-camera setup on the back.
The main camera for the first time has a variable aperture of f/1.5 or f/2.4, it changes automatically depending on the ambient brightness, more precisely if it exceeds 100 lux, the aperture closes automatically at f/2.4, and if it decreases below 100 lux it switches to f/1.5. The secondary camera in this setup has a 12MP resolution, like the main one, but it has a 2x zoom lens and an aperture of f/2.4. To reduce the noise in the images, the processor instantly takes 12 pictures and combines them into a clean image. At the same time, we also see the premiere of Slow Motion filming at 960FPS. On the hardware side, the S9+ model comes equipped with up to 6GB of RAM.
We will not go into more details since the S9 is a current, contemporary phone, therefore there are countless reviews available. What's next?
Galaxy S10!