Samsung Galaxy S

From the Novus Vault: Samsung Galaxy S

For nearly two decades, Novus Labs has been constructing an extensive interoperability library and collecting remarkable devices. This week we pull the original Samsung Galaxy S from the vault — the flagship that launched the Galaxy line.

Released in June 2010, the first Galaxy S was one of the early "4G-branded" Android phones on T-Mobile and a critical launchpad for Samsung's rise against the iPhone. Its 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display and 1 GHz Hummingbird processor made it one of the most capable — and most visually striking — Android phones of its time.

Highlights

• 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display with vibrant colors and high contrast vs. LCDs of the era
• 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 "Hummingbird" processor paired with PowerVR SGX540 GPU
• HSPA+ mobile data — one of the early "4G-branded" Android phones on T-Mobile
• Wi-Fi hotspot functionality and Bluetooth 3.0
• 5 MP rear camera with 720p HD video; front-facing VGA camera
• microSD expandable storage

Key Specifications

• 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display (480 × 800)
• 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird (ARM Cortex-A8) processor
• PowerVR SGX540 GPU
• Android 2.2 (Froyo) at launch, upgradeable to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Samsung TouchWiz customization layer
• Released June 2010

Significance

The original Galaxy S was a launchpad device — both for Samsung and for Android as a premium smartphone platform. Its Super AMOLED screen was a real differentiator against the iPhone's LCD, and its Hummingbird SoC delivered class-leading performance for 2010.

Everything that came after — the Galaxy S II, the Note, and the decade of flagship competition with Apple — traces back to this phone. It's the device that turned "Galaxy" from a product name into one of the most recognized brands in consumer electronics.