Samsung probably didn’t know at the time, but the Samsung Galaxy S – the 2010 original – would rule its smartphone business for more than a decade. The combination of top specs with a solid design gave the Galaxy S an edge over competing Android phones of the day that were a mishmash of clunkers. Android hardware and software were still finding a foothold, and the Galaxy S gave Samsung a platform to stand on. And it stood.
The Samsung Galaxy S wasn’t a single phone. In fact, it was a whole family of phones of different versions that were popular among carriers around the world. In the US alone there were at least four variants, one each for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon – and the differences were striking. For example, the Sprint version, called the Samsung Epic 4G, had a pull-out QWERTY keyboard and 4G, while the other models didn’t.
Let’s refresh your memory of the Samsung Galaxy S.
The Galaxy S at its core
The 4-inch Super AMOLED display defined the Galaxy S experience. It was one of the largest screens available in 2010 and impressed with its resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. Some might have complained about the screen’s PenTile technology, but it was brighter, more colorful, and more contrasty than the LCD panels on competing phones. Plus, it had Gorilla Glass in 2010, another luxury. However, a delivery issue resulted in some variants of the phone being shipped with LCD screens. These were known as the Samsung Galaxy SL.
Then there was the processor. The phone had a 1 GHz “Hummingbird” chip (the ARM Cortex-A8 Exynos 3110), 512 MB of RAM, and either 8 GB or 16 GB of storage. Few of the phones of the day had such a fast processor or graphics performance. The Hummingbird was built using a 45 nm process. Today’s flagships have processors based on a 5 nm process.
Samsung has given the Galaxy S a 5 MP camera. Some models had a 1.3 MP selfie camera facing the user, while others did not. The camera was solid, as was the photo app.
TouchWiz 3.0 defined the software experience. It was built on Android 2.1 Eclair and featured seven home screens, widgets galore, and even social networking feeds like MySpace.
The hardware itself was pretty compact and usable. It offered coupling functions such as support for microSD cards (up to 32 GB) and a headphone jack. It was “thin” at 9.9 mm.
It sold for $ 399, a low price by today’s standards.
critical reception
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
The Samsung Galaxy S was generally well liked by the trade press. Media praised the display, the camera and the two days of battery life. There was one more important metric by which the phone was measured. Sales.
Connected: Samsung Galaxy S phones in the ranking
Samsung started selling the Galaxy S around the world in Singapore on June 4, 2010, with people queuing to get the phone, and Samsung said its wireless partner had sold out the device by the end of the first weekend. Samsung has sold 24 million Galaxy S phones, with more than 10 million sales in the first seven months of availability. It was a real hit. Hardly any other cell phone was so popular back then.
The strong reaction from consumers led Samsung to develop one sequel after another. When the Galaxy III was launched in 2012, Samsung had 100 million device shipments – surpassing Nokia as the world’s largest cell phone seller.
The original S wasn’t without its problems. The sheer number of variants created confusion in the marketplace and a bad GPS glitch affected the phone’s ability to find users quickly. Despite these drawbacks, the S has found its place in the market and set the bar for an Android flagship.
Samsung’s success later spawned another world-defining smartphone, the Galaxy Note.
Top of the hat
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Phones wouldn’t be where they are today without Samsung, and Samsung wouldn’t be what it is today without the Galaxy S. The newest entry into the Galaxy S lineup, the S21 is a world-leading piece of hardware fishing for phone makers around the globe to beat.
So, we at Android authority wish the Samsung Galaxy S a happy 11th birthday and a tip from our collection hats.