It's been almost five years since the first the first Galaxy S smartphone came out and it has been a month since the latest member of the successful series was launched. So I'm going to make a timeline for the S series, just to give you a recap on how the Galaxy S smartphones grew and evolved as the tech world advances. So sit back, and enjoy.
For this article, I'm going to compare them one by one from Galaxy S to S6 and emphasize the changes made between them.
Samsung I9000 Galaxy S
- It's no doubt that the design for the Galaxy S drew so much attention. It even made Apple file a lawsuit against them for "copying" the design of the late Apple 3GS. So much for that, let's stay with describing the design. Looking at it, we can say that Samsung opted for a cleaner and simpler look, as opposed to their previous sophisticated designs as evidenced with the late Omnia line. Unfortunately, being made from plastic, it drastically reduced the premium feel of the device. But nevertheless, the 4" Super AMOLED display w/WVGA resolution felt quite good to look at, it will remind you that you're paying for a flagship device, plus it is covered with a Gorilla Glass. Running inside the plastic shell is an ARM Hummingbird SoC which utilizes a single-core 1Ghz Cortex-A8 processor with a PowerVR SGX540 GPU and is coupled by 512MB of RAM. For the camera, it has a 5MP snapper w/o flash partnered w/VGA front camera. With that kind of combination, it made it the most powerful smartphone of its time, not to mention that it selled like pancakes for almost Php.30,000+ when it was launched here in the Philippines. Just look at how technology advances. Software wise, it runs on Android 2.1 Eclair with Touchwiz UX 3.0 on top out of the box and it can br upgraded to 2.3 Gingerbread with a software update. Some users even managed to upgrade it to KitKat through AOSP-based CyanoGen Mod.
Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II
- Talking with the design, we can safely say that Samsung made some small changes regarding this aspect, but the most notable change is it's size. It's taller, wider but thinner (9.9mm vs. 8.5mm) they learned from the controversies surrounding the design so they made the S II more edgy and squarish. They also made the home button squarish compared to the rectangular-oval of its predecessor. Regardless of that, its still made from plastic so it removed again some premium feel for the device but then again, just by looking at its larger 4.3" Super AMOLED (still covered with Gorilla Glass) with the same WVGA resolution, we can safely say that its worth for its price. Running inside the same plastic shell is a Samsung Exynos 4210 SoC which utilizes a dual-core Cortex A9 processor clocked at 1.2Ghz with an ARM Mali-400 GPU. It is also coupled with 1GB of RAM Camera wise, it has an upgraded 8MP snapper with autofocus and fortunately, they decided to couple it with an LED flash. It has 2MP front-facing camera for Skype video calls (still, selfies aren't that popular). Let's move on to the software department, so it has Android 2.3 Gingerbread installed out of the box topped with Touchwiz UX 4.0 and through software update, it can be updated to 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and eventually, 4.2 Jellybean. Pointing out the specs, we can safely say that it's worth of an upgrade from its predecessor.
Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
- Starting with the aesthetics, Samsung preferred to made it look like a pebble sporting rounded edges as a reference for their tagline "inspired by nature, made for humans". Still, the design language remains the same like its older brothers sporting a large Super AMOLED display at the front which is 4.8-inches diagonally at a resolution of HD 720x1280 and is covered in Gorilla Glass 2. Beneath the gigantic display, are the familiar set of buttons namely Menu, Home and Back with the Home Burton being a hardware one. Running inside is a Samsung Exynos 4410 Quad chipset which utilizes four Cortex A9 cores clocked at 1.5Ghz with an ARM Mali-400MP GPU and is coupled with 1GB of RAM. Going on to the camera, it has an upgraded 8MP rear-camera w/LED flash and a rather impressive 1.9MP front-facing one which can record 720p videos @30FPS. Moving the software side, it runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box again, topped with Touchwiz Nature UX but can be further updated to 4.3 Jellybean. To be honest, with that specs, I can point out why Samsung said that it was " designed for humans" was it originally designed for aliens ?! (LOL), nobody knows.
Thank you for your patience in reading, you're almost there (LOL.)
Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4
- The fourth generation Galaxy S smartphone sports a rather familiar design (as usual) and also, still made from plastic. But Samsung has made a good job adding some premium touches (like the glazed back-cover) to remind you that, "hey, this is a flagship device you're holding". It's also pleasurable to see especially when that large 5" Full HD (1920x1080) Super AMOLED display covered in Gorilla Glass 3 is turned on. Colors just pop out !. Anyways running inside the same plastic shell is the Samsung Exynos 5410 Octa chipset, which I think is one of the first octa-core chipsets available on its time. It utilizes four Cortex A15 cores clocked at 1.6Ghz and another four Cortex A7 cores clocked at 1.2Ghz with a PowerVR SGX544MP3 GPU. Multi-tasking is handled by the doubled amount of RAM now at 2GB. The camera is worth of an upgrade from its predecessor now at 13 megapixels. It has autofocus and tons of "smart features" to enjoy with like the "photo voice", "dual-video recording" etc. it is also coupled with LED flash. The front has a 2MP snapper which surprisingly, capable of recording up to 1080p videos with a smooth framerate of 30FPS. On the software side, it runs on Android 4.2 Jellybean with a fresher Touchwiz Nature UX UI w/some manufacturer installed apps, most of them are "bloatwares" but some are useful like the "S Health". Thankfully, it can be updated to newer Android version and it might get the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop as well.
Samsung SM-G900 Galaxy S5
- Sporting the same plastic build, it's not a question why man people got frustrated when the Galaxy S5 was revealed, but Samsung has an answer for them, "hey folks, its WATERPROOF". But the problem is, other waterproof phones (such as the Xperia Z2) has an impressive build which made the Galaxy S5 choked on its dust in terms of aesthetics. Anyways, it has a 5.1" Super AMOLED display with the same Full HD resolution with the same Gorilla Glass 3 protection (the hell was wrong with you Samsung?). Running inside the waterproof plastic frame is a Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 chipset which utilizes four Krait 400 cores clocked at 2.5Ghz with an Adreno 330 GPU. At least it's an upgrade. It is also coupled with 2GB of RAM which is quite pleasant to hear. Moving on, it has a 16 megapixel camera w/LED flash which makes use of their own ISOCELL sensor which according to them can take "better" shots at night. What's unusual is that underneath the camera module and beside the LED flash is the "heart-rate sensor/monitor" which (as the name suggests) measures your heart rate. Well, I guess, its making its job very well. It also sports a 2MP front-camera which can record 1080p videos @30FPS as well (I guess, its just the same with it's predecessor) Software wise, it's running on Android KitKat by default, again, with Touchwiz UI on top. Recent updates for Lollipop are just released but it may vary depending on the model number you're using. On the paper, it's not that promising to look at but somehow, it managed to differentiate itself from its predecesors by offering tons of new features for health conscious smartphone users.
Samsung SM-G920 Galaxy S6
- At last, just recently announced last March 1, Samsung once again shocked the world (including me) when they unveiled the Galaxy S6, Then why not ? because after years of patienly waiting (and praying), people can now enjoy a "premium" smartphone from them. Enough of talks, it has a dual-glass design both of which are Gorilla Glass 4 encased in a metal (particularly Magnesium-Alloy) frame which screams premium from every perspective. It has the same 5.1" Super AMOLED display but the good news is, it's now sporting a QHD resolution (job well done Samsung !). Beneath the awesome display is the usual set of buttons but the main attraction is the "fingerprint scanner" integrated on the home button. It's not new, but Samsung made read your fingerprint by simply swiping it from left to right. Inside the metal-glass or glass-metal body is a Samsung Exynos 7420 chipset which utilizes four Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.5Ghz and four Cortex A57 cores clocked at 2.1Ghz with an ARM Mali-T760MP8 GPU. Pretty impressive hardware indeed ! not to mention that it has 3GB of on-board RAM. Talking about the optics, it has a 16MP camera w/LED flash (Sony IMX245) and coupled with an impressive 5MP front facing one for selfies and video-calls which can record 1440p videos maxed-out at 30FPS. (Very very WOW.) Although, the heart-rate sensor thing is still present, in my opinion, they should've just placed another flash (probably another tone) to make the camera a complete package. Software wise, it runs on Android Lollipop out of the box with Touchwiz UI on top. This phone clearly is an upgrade from every angle but as expected, it's also a bit pricy.
VERDICT
Here it is folks, there's no doubt that the Galaxy S line made Samsung snatch the throne from Nokia. It's their stronghold against the fast-paced smartphone wars. Again, thank you and I hope you enjoyed reading it.
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