Samsung's S series phones have always been android's main iPhone competitor, and it has been that way ever since the very first galaxy s device launched back in 2010. With the Galaxy S22 Ultra being their latest S series phone let's take a look at how the handset in this lineup has evolved over the years.
Galaxy S
The original galaxy s was launched in 2010 and it was an instant success with the company selling over 25 million units of the handset it had a 4-inch display which was considered large at that time. 4 gigs of ram 8 gigs of base storage android 2.1 eclairs out of the box and 1500 milliamp hours battery. Although Samsung had made smartphones before the galaxy s, this was a true push for a higher-end device and the global reputation that had eluded what is now the world's top smartphone brand.
Galaxy S2
The S2 was quite a success for Samsung, with over 40 million units have been sold. it had a large 4.3 AMOLED display and a rather capable camera for the time with an 8-megapixel main sensor. It provided an improvement in build quality over the galaxy s even though the phone was still made out of polycarbonate.
Galaxy S3
By this time, it was already clear the S series was android's flagship offering. Samsung managed to sell an impressive 70 million s3 units. It saw a considerable bump in display size over the s2, with a 4.8-inch HD display. one gig of ram and 2000 milliamp hours battery. It looked different than the previous two devices as it was rounder and had a thinner home button and was one of the best looking phones at that time .
Galaxy S4
The s4 resembled the s3 quite a lot but with some trimmed-down bezels. The display size went up to five inches with an FHD resolution. There was an increase in camera megapixels to13 and a 2600mAh battery. Samsung sold 80 million units of the s4 making it the best-selling Android phone of all time. A record that still hasn't been broken yet.
Galaxy S5
The s5 also had a similar design as the S4 but a lot of people didn't like the back texture it was kind of triphophobic in nature. it was also the very first time the s series phone offered a fingerprint scanner but the sales didn't increase this time and they sold 40 percent fewer units than what they anticipated.
Galaxy S6
The s6 changed things. It introduced many new things in the S series. They launched two s handsets at the same time s6 and s6 edge the latter had curved displays on both sides. Samsung went with a glass back and metal frame for the first time upping the quality substantially. It also had wireless charging quad HD displays for the very first time and more. But there were some controversial decisions as well namely removable batteries were gone and it had no micro-sd card slot. Samsung never declared the sales numbers but reports suggest they sold around 45 million units in total
Galaxy S7 | S7 Edge
After receiving a lot of criticism Samsung brought back MicroSD expansion on the s7 and s7 edge they both look similar to the previous iteration but the design was fine-tuned and the edge variant had a massive 5.5-inch display. The sales were pretty good with over 60 million units sold worldwide
Galaxy S8 | S8+
The s8 and s8 plus mainstream the whole bezel-less trend. The phones looked absolutely beautiful and futuristic at the time, the home button was gone and the fingerprint scanner was moved to the back. The display size went over 6 inches for the first time and introduced features like Dex. Samsung never declared any official sales figures but the s8 is branded a huge success for the company.
Galaxy S9 | S9+
The s9 looked almost identical to the s8 but the s9 plus had a dual camera with a physical variable aperture, They sold over 45 million units of these handsets but did not sell as well as the s8 previously did.
Galaxy S10e, S10, S10+ and S10 5G
With the s10, Samsung launched four devices right out of the bat they offered quite substantial upgrades both in design as well as in features. Samsung went with the edge-to-edge display with a punch-hole selfie camera. They also featured the world's first in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner a rather large display and it was also the first time the price went over a thousand dollars.
Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra
Samsung skipped the 11 and went straight to 20 as a way of positioning the new line of phones with the new decade. With the s10 family, Samsung tried to give budget-minded shoppers a good option with the s10e however the company took things in the opposite direction with the S20. It eliminated the e-model and introduced a much more premium variant the s20 ultra. And it was everything but a kitchen sink device. 120Hz display, periscope zoom, 8K video recording, you name it everything was there except the headphone jack making it the first S series phone to miss the beloved feature.
Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra
The s21 Ultra was more like an iterative upgrade. But there were some welcome additions notably the S Pen support, a larger fingerprint scanner, an improved periscope zoom, and more. But there were some controversial decisions as well. Namely the introduction of plastic back on the S21, and the removal of the MicroSD card slot. But despite that, the S21 Ultra was the best phone the company has made until we got the S22 Ultra.
Galaxy S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra
The Galaxy S22 Ultra saw arguably the biggest change in the S series lineup. Samsung merged the S and the Note series and made this superphone that many are already calling the best phone Samsung has ever made. It's basically a Note with the S moniker so you have all the beloved Note features such as a built-in S pen, boxy design, and more. The company focused mainly on the AI with this handset and we can see it making a big difference in the camera quality. Also after facing a lot of criticism last year, the company brought back the glass back on the regular S22. All in all, there are plenty of other features Samsung carried over from its previous flagships, but breaking them down here would take forever. But in short, the S22 Ultra is the best offering Android has to offer in 2022.
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