A timeline of the Samsung Galaxy S, A and Z series devices.

The original Samsung Galaxy S smartphone featured an Android operating system, a removable 1500 mAh battery and replaceable storage via a microSD chip. However, it was the crystal-clear Super AMOLED display that CNET lovingly described as “stunning.” The size and quality of Samsung Galaxy S screens would become two of the series' most talked-about features, through to the present day.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 significantly improved upon the display size and quality of its predecessor. However, its most praised attribute was its lightweight, thin design, which made it exceptionally manageable. Engadget hailed the S2 "stunning feat of engineering", specifically referencing its thin profile.

The Galaxy S3 featured a 2,100 mAH battery that was one of the bigger smartphone batteries around and 40% more powerful than the one the Galaxy S released 2 years prior. As a result, the phone was able to withstand battery drain, even with its high-performing Exynos Quad processor.

In the years to come, a series of new features would make battery life one of Samsung’s major competitive selling points. The S4 worked with wireless charging accessories and the S5 introduced an ultra power saving mode that allowed the phone to last several days in a standby setting. Later, the S6 debuted adaptive fast charging to help users juice up their devices more quickly.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 was the first S series device to launch with the S Health fitness tracker app pre-installed. Thanks to its built-in pedometer, the app empowered users to keep tabs on their steps, sleep patterns, calories and diet.

In addition, the S4 laid the groundwork for even better fitness tracking moving forward. Samsung became one of the first companies to launch a smartwatch when it released the Galaxy Gear later in 2013.

The Galaxy S5 introduced a dust and water-resistant design with a USB port cover, allowing it to be submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes. The S7 later achieved an IP68 rating, protecting against dust and submersion in up to 5 feet of water for a half-hour. The Galaxy S5 was the first smartphone to come with a built-in heart rate monitor.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, released in the spring of 2015, marked a significant design shift, replacing the previous plastic shell and removable battery with a metal frame and glass backing for an elegant look and feel, as noted by The Verge; both phones featured sharp 5.1-inch screens with 577 pixels-per-inch, and the S6 Edge notably included a curved display wrapping around its left and right sides. 

Accompanying this design shift, the Galaxy Tab A series (8.0-inch and 9.7-inch models) was introduced with an S Pen stylus, making it the first non-Note Galaxy device to feature the Samsung stylus.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge culminated years of Samsung camera advancements. The original Galaxy S had a 5MP camera; subsequent models added features like HDR mode (S3) for lifelike photos and phase detection autofocus (S5) for quicker focus on moving objects, plus easier home screen access. The S7 and S7 Edge introduced a 12MP setup, which Business Insider called "the best camera ever put on a smartphone." It featured dual pixel autofocus, where each pixel focuses and captures light simultaneously, and an industry-leading f/1.7 aperture for excellent low-light performance.

Also this year, the Galaxy A Series brought new functionality with Near Field Communication (NFC) for easy use of Samsung Pay, and the inclusion of Samsung's Adaptive Fast charging feature, delivering up to 1.67 Amp at 9 Volts for faster phone charging and increased battery life.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ debuted the voice assistant Bixby and a revolutionary design feature known as “Infinity Display.” which extended the screen to all corners by removing the home button, covering almost the entire phone face, resulting in slim, easy-to-handle designs despite their 5.8 and 6.2-inch screens; Gizmodo praised this design, stating it "create[s] the effect of a display that’s simply floating in the air," making the experience feel like "looking at a phone from the future," and for security, the S8 and S8+ included facial recognition and an iris detection system.

The Galaxy A series introduced the A3, A5, and A7 models with its launch in January 2017, featuring an elegant, seamless design, highly resistant rear 3D Glass, an optimal 5.7 inches display, and a powerful 16 MP camera on the A7 and A5 with improved autofocus and low-light performance. This series also included a curved, smooth, full-coverage 3D glass display, gyroscope sensors for accurate positioning in gaming or VR, and IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ introduced a dual aperture camera lens that received 28% more light than the S8. At 960 frames per second, super slow-mo allowed users to enjoy every frame of video. In addition, Samsung added a key improvement to Bixby, the built-in intelligent interface introduced in the S8. By turning the camera viewfinder on themselves, users can create their own animated AR emojis to share with friends and loved ones.

In 2019, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S10 series (S10, S10+, S10e, and 5G variant) and the innovative Galaxy Fold with a 7.3-inch flexible display. To provide more affordable options, Samsung also introduced the Galaxy Ax0 series, spanning 18 models from the A2 Core to the A90. Featuring some of Samsung’s most popular models, these phones managed to retain elements of higher-end devices like clear displays, hi-res front cameras, a "waterdrop" notch display for more viewable screen real estate, and enhanced battery and memory capacity.

The S20 series (S20, S20+, S20 Ultra) first introduced the “ultra” model and improved on previous models with a 120 Hz display, an enhanced camera system supporting 8K video, and super-resolution zoom.

The Galaxy Z Flip advanced foldable phones with its horizontal fold and hybrid glass, featuring the "Infinity Flex Display." This revolutionary screen used Samsung Ultra-Thin Glass and Dynamic AMOLED technology. The Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes technology offered superior photo quality, intense color reproduction, and lower power consumption. 

Not to be outdone by the Galaxy Z Flip, the Galaxy Z Fold2 offered a revolutionary mobile experience with expansive viewing, seamless interactivity, and cinematic infinity displays, functioning as both a phone (folded) and a tablet (unfolded). The most significant change was the larger closed-state display, which increased to 6.2 inches. The interior screen upgraded as well, equipped with Ultra Thin Glass (UTG), making it more durable than the original Fold, and came preinstalled with a plastic screen protector over the UTG. The device's hinge was also improved, allowing the phone to sit upright with the screen half-open, which is ideal for video viewing. Furthermore, the large, notched camera on the previous model was replaced with a smaller, single hole-punch design for the selfie camera.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 series (S21 5G, S21+ 5G, S21 Ultra 5G) was available for preorder on January 14, 2021. Key features included 8K video, Space Zoom, Director's View, multi-lens cameras, and an all-day intelligent battery. The S21 Ultra also supported the S Pen. 

The 2021 third-generation Samsung folding phones, the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3, featured more durable materials, sturdier hardware, a redesigned hinge, and IPX8 water resistance, making them safe near water for a short time (approx. 30 minutes).

The Samsung Galaxy S22 series featured a thinner body for an improved screen-to-body ratio, and the plastic back of the S21 was replaced with durable glass. It also offered flattened frames for better grip, faster charging, and brighter displays. With the Galaxy S22 series’ revolutionary new Nightography features – like the 23% larger sensor than S21 and Adaptive Pixel technology – the camera is designed to let in more light, draw out details, and capture colours even in the dark.

The Galaxy A3 series, with nine models at launch, offered larger screens (on both LTE and 5G versions) and various camera upgrades. It also marked the return of the peach color option.

The Galaxy Z Fold4 and Z Flip4 both use Gorilla Glass Victus, an Aluminum Armor frame, a stronger internal folding display, and featured an IPX8 water resistance rating. Both were powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset. The Z Flip4 was a compact device with a small 1.9-inch outer display and a dual rear camera, while the larger Z Fold4, built for durability, featured a 6.2-inch 120Hz Dynamic outer screen and a triple camera setup.

The value-focused Ax4 Series featured an expanded 6.5-inch display ("more room to play"), a minimal Ambient Edge design, a 50MP main camera for clear detail, and a Front Camera that minimizes background in selfies.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 series included three high-end phones (Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra), S23 and S23+ feature with a 50MP camera while S23 Ultra features an impressive 200MP main camera. Enhanced Nightography for brilliant low-light shots, and the fastest mobile processor at the time for seamless app switching.

The stylish Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic blended a traditional watch look with a sleek silhouette, rotating bezel, and Samsung's largest display yet¹, plus swappable one-click bands². It offered calling, texting, paying, and notifications³, along with wellness insights and Advanced Sleep Coaching⁴.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 shared many of the Watch6 Classic's qualities, featuring Samsung's largest display⁵ for easy navigation and a focus on a healthier you. It offered personalized heart rate zones⁶ and comprehensive fitness tracking, automatically recognizing popular activities like running, rowing, and swimming, while allowing manual tracking of over 90 exercises.

2024 marked the debut of Galaxy AI , a suite of intelligent features like Circle to Search and Live Translate that redefined the smartphone experience. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra led the charge with a new Titanium frame and a 6.8-inch flat display protected by Corning® Gorilla® Armor, which reduces reflections by up to 75%. Under the hood, the Galaxy S24 Ultra utilized the Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3, optimized for NPU-heavy AI tasks, alongside a massive 200MP main camera and a new 50MP 5x optical zoom lens. The standard Samsung Galaxy S24 offered a more compact 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, ensuring perfect visibility even in direct sunlight.

The wearable ecosystem saw equally massive leaps. The Samsung Galaxy Watch7 debuted with the industry’s first 3nm processor in a smartwatch, delivering 3x faster performance and improved power efficiency. The Galaxy Watch7 introduced the BioActive Sensor 2.0, which features 13 LEDs for next-level precision in tracking heart rate, sleep patterns, and—for the first time—FDA-authorized sleep apnea detection. This year also introduced the Samsung Galaxy ring, a Grade 5 titanium wellness wearable weighing as little as 2.3 grams. Despite its size, it packs an accelerometer, PPG, and skin temperature sensors with a battery that lasts up to 7 days.

In the foldable category, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 arrived with IP48 dust and water resistance ratings and enhanced Armor Aluminum frames. The Z Fold6 shed 14 grams compared to its predecessor, while the Z Flip6 upgraded to a 50MP main camera and introduced a vapor chamber for the first time in the Flip series to manage heat during intense gaming. 

For high-performance value, the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G and Samsung Galaxy A16 provided expansive 6.5 and 6.7-inch Super AMOLED displays, with the A16 leading the budget category by offering an unprecedented 6 years of OS and security updates.

2025 pushed the boundaries of mobile hardware with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, featuring a massive 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits. Galaxy S25 Ultra introduced the Snapdragon® 8 Elite, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and a versatile quad-camera array led by a 200MP main sensor and a new 50MP ultra-wide lens. The Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25+ also saw upgrades including 12GB of RAM as standard and the debut of AI Select and on-device Generative Edit.

The foldable market expanded with the introduction of the Z Flip7 and the more affordable Z Flip FE. The Z Flip FE, featuring an Exynos 2400 chipset and a 3.4-inch cover display, made foldable technology accessible to a broader consumer base.

In wearables, the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic debuted with a refined "squircle" design and 3,000 nits of brightness. These models are the first to feature Sapphire Glass protection across the board, while the Watch Ultra (2025) remains the choice for enthusiasts with its Titanium build and 64GB of internal storage.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leads the series with a massive 6.9-inch AMOLED display that reaches a staggering peak brightness of 3,000 nits. The standout hardware feature is the world’s first built-in Privacy Display, which remains clear when viewed straight on but obscures content from side angles to keep your data for your eyes only. Under the hood, the Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 internationally, delivering lightning-fast responsiveness for graphic-intensive gaming.

Photography sees a major boost with a wider f/1.4 aperture on the 200MP main sensor, allowing significantly more light for nighttime Nightography sessions. This is coupled with Photo Assist powered by Galaxy AI, which allows you to remove mess, restore detail, and even add new elements to scenes that naturally blend with lighting and shadows. For creators, the Creative Studio transforms photos into custom stickers, illustrations, or 3D cartoons directly on the phone.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26+ now offer larger, vibrant displays—up to 6.3 inches for the base model—and include up to 12GB of RAM. These models feature ProScaler technology to automatically enhance sharpness and color for all social and streaming content. They also introduce Now Nudge, a behind-the-scenes assistant that uses screen cues to pull up relevant info like calendar events or contact details exactly when you need them.

For all the great devices already available on the Galaxy line, the future is even more exciting. If Samsung's recent track record is any indication, there are plenty of thrilling technological advancements waiting just around the corner. So be sure to check out all the great devices and accessories from Samsung at Verizon.