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With about 4.77 billion mobile phone users worldwide and 2.5 million apps available across digital marketplaces, smartphones have become an integral part of human lives and commonly referred to as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).
It has therefore become a necessity to update and upgrade innovations as a result of our changing technological needs and smartphone giants have continued to push boundaries with innovation in gadgets to fit changing times.
Smartphones, have become learning centres, entertainment hubs, mobile offices, personal assistants and so much more, giving the impression that most users are still very much besotted by how much can be accomplished from such a device, enhanced further by many upgrades that occur from time to time.
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) have established distinguished Smartphone series which, over the years, have acquired potent lineage. Apple’s iPhone, HTC’s One, and Samsung’s own Galaxy Note series smartphones which can be described as the series that defied the trends in order to leave an indelible mark in the galaxy of smartphones while etching out their respective destinies.
These smartphones all come to mind and have remained relevant – partly because they are attuned to catering to a large and diverse user base with incremental innovative iterations.
The Samsung Galaxy S, announced in March 2010, was Samsung’s first S series to enter the smartphone market. The device definitely stood out in a crowd, featuring a beautiful and vibrant 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display, and a 1GHz ARM Hummingbird processor, a top-of-the-line processor at the time. The smartphone was well-received in tech circles and achieved more than decent sales figures of around 24 million worldwide becoming one of the highest selling smartphones in the market in 2010.
This legacy android phone was listed by TIME as number 2 device in “Top 10 Gadgets” of 2010 while Apple’s iPad stood at number 1 on the list.
However, other online tech reviews described Samsung Galaxy S as the “new leader of the Android pack”, praising the phone’s superior all-round performance.
New technology and smartphone enthusiasts around the world have since then been torn between the transformational technologies in Apple and Samsung devices.
Unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February 2011, the Galaxy SII recorded a huge success with more than 20 million units sold worldwide within a year.
The upgraded smartphone featured an improved Super AMOLED Plus screen that was expanded to 4.3 inches, a faster dual-core 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM and a superior Mali-400MP GPU. It also featured Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread which would eventually get as far as 4.1 Jelly Bean, a sign of its prowess and longevity. In terms of storage space, 16GB and 32GB models were available. Its thinness and lightness (116g) came in for praise, as did the display and responsiveness and 1080p video recording capabilities. The camera was also bumped up to 8 megapixels and now had a flash, while the 1650mAh battery was good for almost two days on an average use.
At the time, Apple launched its iPhone 4s, an upgrade from the iPhone 4, packed with incredible new features including Apple’s dual core A5 chip for fast performance, advanced camera, full 1080pnHD resolution video recording and Siri, an intelligent voice prompt assistant.
Galaxy SIII was then announced at Samsung Unpacked event in London in May 2012, with the smartphone recording over 9 million pre-orders just two weeks after unveiling. Over 10 million units were sold in less than three months. Some phone aficionados referred to the device as “the best smartphone around right now”.
The smartphone featured a Super AMOLED display screen of 4.8 inches, a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, a quad-core of 1.4GHz, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera, and a storage of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB options were available. Thanks to its processing speed, design, battery life (2100mAh battery said to be good for about eight hours of heavy use), perfect blend of software, responsiveness, software upgrade which helped create better pictures than its predecessors, the device was said to be the favourite amongst other handsets in 2012 scoring highly in most areas. Worthy of mention is the fact that by the third quarter of the year, a research firm, Strategy Analytics announced that the SIII had overtaken Apple’s iPhone 4S to become the world’s best-selling smartphone model.
Galaxy S4 was launched in April 2013 with a 5-inch Super AMOLED screen 1080 x 1920 pixel, an upgraded 13-megapixel camera, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, a quad-core 1.6GHz, 2GB of RAM and 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage as well as a 2600mAh battery that typically lasts at least the length of a day. Thanks to the slimmer design, unimaginable quality as well as the processor performance, Samsung sold 40 million units of the S4.
Apple then came out with iPhone 5 in September 2012, with an all new aluminium design, stunning 4-inch retina display, A6 chip, iOS6 and other advanced technology packed into the 7.6mm anodized aluminium phone with diamond cut edges.
In February 2014 the Galaxy S5 was launched into the smartphone market with a heart rate sensor, a blazing fast autofocus, and a fingerprint scanner. The CPU was faster at 2.5GHz, the screen was larger at a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED HD option, the camera boosted to 16MP and the battery now rocking up at 2800mAh. The 4.4.2 Android made things look slicker, an overhauling of the interface generally improved the flow through the device. The fitness elements were boosted through S Health 3.0, a holistic tracking app for your fitness; great camera, strong screen, impressive packaging, and a waterproof casing.
Successors to the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge were carefully crafted from metal and glass; the Galaxy S6 edge, particularly, showed unique and outstanding beauty while also providing a solid grip and a remarkable viewing experience. Its glass body, made out of a fusion of Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (which is 50 percent stronger, tougher and more durable than any other Gorilla Glass) protected against sharp contact damage. The Galaxy S6 edge was described as the world’s first-ever dual curved edge display, which distinguished the device as the ultimate premium Smartphone.
Known for its usual September release, Apple announced the launch of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus with its biggest advancements in September 2014. The phone featured Apple- designed A8 chip with second generation 64-bit desktop- class architecture for blazing fast performance and power efficiency; advanced iSight and FaceTime, HD cameras ; ultrafast wireless technologies and Apple pay, an easier way to simply and securely make payments with just a touch of a finger. Both models include iOS 8.
In 2015, Smartphone aficionados were excited at the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 series, a powerhouse of modern and futuristic smartphones. However, when Samsung officially took the wraps off the widely anticipated Galaxy S7edge and Galaxy S7 Smartphones, its engineering and design teams proved to the world that they had undoubtedly produced the perfect Smartphone. And they just might have.
The Galaxy S7 had a 5.1-inch display screen, while the Galaxy S7edge featured a 5.5-inch screen. They both featured Super AMOLED screens, allowing for clearer videos and images with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 (Quad HD). The devices were imbued with an ingenious Always-on feature, which gives access to certain information on the screen while the Smartphone isn’t completely turned on. A distinct unique feature of the S7 series is the fact that they are completely dust and water- proof. Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge both carry a resistance rating of IP68, meaning that the smartphones can survive being submerged in water for 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 metres.
Both the S7 and the S7edge smartphones came with in-built 32GB storage. The devices also supported expandable memory using microSD cards of up to an additional 200GB – a fantastic amount of space for your music, videos, photos and other documents.
Apple also launched its iPhone 7 and 7 plus in September 2016. Its latest premium device with a smarter Siri, improved camera for sharper pictures, water resistance, better battery life and faster processors.
The latest from the Android giant, Samsung’s newest S series flagship smartphones have recently been unveiled and the exquisite Galaxy S8 series builds on Samsung’s heritage of creating stunning designs and functional devices.
Available in 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+, the Infinity Display and bezel-less design form a smooth, continuous surface with no buttons or harsh angles. The compact design of the S8 series enables comfortable one-handed operation and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back for durability and a high-quality finish.
The Super AMOLED display panel has an aspect ratio of 18.5:9 and a resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 resulting in a crisp display.
Apart from being water and dust resistant, the devices also offer five types of security technologies: iris recognition, face recognition, pattern, password, and PIN, users can easily choose their preferred method. With the face recognition, users can instantly unlock their devices with a look.
Samsung has creditably discharged its duties as a massive player in the smartphone space, thanks to its high-end smartphones like the Note series and the Galaxy S line, recording a lot of exciting successes over the years. From the aforementioned, its legacy is firmly ensconced in the firmament of mobile telephony via the exquisite and intimate user experiences it provides through every iteration.
JUMOKE AKIYODE
