Galaxy S series smartphones gained a reputation for long battery life. Later updates introduced adaptive fast charging to juice up phones quickly.
In 2016, curved-screen phones emerged in the Galaxy S6 Edge and Note 5. The S7 Edge took it one step further, with dual curved sides. These models also brought better cameras with Dual Pixel autofocus.
Galaxy S3
The Galaxy S3 was Samsung’s “iPhone killer” of 2012. Its plastic back looked flimsy, but it held up well to daily use.
It used Samsung’s TouchWiz UI with features like the precluded lock screen that ripples to resemble water and S Voice, an imitation of Siri. It also introduced the gallery software feature Spiral View, which organizes photos into a spiral and displays them all at once. It’s a look that has flowed through nearly every Galaxy since.
Galaxy S4
The Galaxy S4 is a big step up from the S3, both in terms of specifications and features. Its Super AMOLED screen adds colour saturation and Gorilla Glass 3, and it has extra smarts like Adapt Display, which automatically adjusts brightness and saturation to changing lighting conditions.
Samsung rounded out its hardware design by adding an infrared sensor for use as a remote control, proximity and ambient light sensors and a headphone jack. It also added some key creative camera controls, such as Drama mode, which shoots an action sequence and combines it into a single image; and Eraser, which removes objects from photos.
Galaxy S5
A metal frame with a pearl-white matte finish captivated the world when Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S5 in 2014. It was packed with features like a fingerprint sensor and built-in heart rate monitor, an IR blaster, a USB 3.0 port (which would eventually be replaced by a micro USBSB port in 2017), a removable battery, and water resistance.
This flagship boasted a 5.1-inch 1080p HD AMOLED display that used a special Samsung sub-pixel arrangement called Diamond Pixels to produce sharp images with reduced aliasing effects. It also had a host of fitness-related features like Samsung Health and Samsung Pay.
Galaxy S6
The Galaxy S6 is the latest model in Samsung’s flagship smartphone line. It’s the first to eschew plastic for an all-metal unibody frame and glass backing. It’s also the first to offer a streamlined user interface, support for major wireless charging standards, and a mobile payments platform that supports magnetic stripe cards.
But it also loses the removable battery, external SD slot and waterproofing that Samsung has always prided itself on. It looks and feels like an iPhone running Android. That’s a big deal. It’s a stunning phone.
Galaxy S7
With the Galaxy S7, Samsung brought back its premium design and made it water-resistant. It also improved its camera for better low-light shots and increased battery life.
The S7 uses Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Samsung’s customised software called TouchWiz. Samsung has been criticised in the past for complicating standard Android with bloat and slowing it down, but the S7 runs fast. It even resisted the current fad of ditching the app drawer, retaining its Briefing screen. It also has dual-window or pop-up multitasking.
Galaxy S8
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 offered a sleek and powerful smartphone with a beautiful curved display. It also had a fast and powerful processor, expandable storage, a waterproof design and Bixby voice control.
As long as you don’t hang all your hopes on work-in-progress Bixby (Google Assistant is an easy alternative) or use it to unlock the phone in bright sunlight, this is a solid choice. It lasted 16 hours in CNET’s looped video playback test. It weighed 5.4 ounces and was slim, too. It was available from all US carriers.
Galaxy S9
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ look similar to the previous model, but they’re packed with new features. This includes Dolby Atmos speakers for a cinematic sound experience and improved camera performance.
The S9’s AMOLED display is among the best on the market in terms of colour accuracy, off-axis viewing and visibility in direct sunlight. It also supports Super Slo-Mo video and AR Emoji, Samsung’s take on Apple’s Animoji.
Music sounds great on the S9, with more bass and clearer vocals than last year’s model. This phone also supports Bixby, Samsung’s voice assistant.
Galaxy S10
Samsung’s flagship S-series got an overhaul with the Galaxy S10. The S10, S10e and S10 Plus are thinner and lighter with whisper-thin bezels. They also feature an intuitive fingerprint scanner and a professional multi-camera system.
The S10 runs at a speedy clip thanks to a powerful processor and lots of RAM. It’s also accessible for those with visual impairments through features like high contrast fonts and buttons that can be shown in different shapes.
Other features include WiFi 6 capabilities and Wireless PowerShare, which reverse charges other Qi-certified devices.
Galaxy S11
Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphones tend to be a target of the rumor mill, so it’s no surprise that we already know quite a lot about the flagship’s design and features.
Moreover, the Galaxy S11 will be 5G-ready by default, allowing users to enjoy faster data speeds across various networks.
Shop for the new Galaxy S11 smartphone using your Bajaj Finserv EMI Network Card and choose from flexible tenure options of up to 60 months. Click here for more information.
Galaxy S12
Galaxy S phones are among the most powerful smartphones on the market. With up to 512GB of storage, they can hold all of your favourite media and apps without any need for external drives.
The S II was a more modern-looking phone that bumped the screen size up to 4.3 inches and added dual-core processing and a front camera. It also introduced Samsung’s customized version of Android, TouchWiz.
In 2023, the S series got a 5G upgrade and a new One UI. The S20 Ultra stood out for its 108MP quad camera and incredible Space Zoom capabilities.
