39 reviews

Samsung Galaxy S

$384.46 Released July, 2010

The Pros:Stunning 4" Super-AMOLED display @ 800 x 480px, takes phone displays to a new level (esp. color, contrast, viewing angles & brightness). Runs a current generation high end 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU by Samsung (Hummingbird). WiFi (802.11b/g/n) and 3G (HSPA max downlink 7.2 Mbit/s, max uplink 5.76Mbit/s) connectivity.

The Cons:No camera flash. Terrible GPS performance and no reliable fix so far. No dedicated Camera button.

Announced and demonstrated at the CTIA 2010, the Galaxy S is Samsung's first Android device featuring its own 1GHz Cortex-A8 based ARM application processor named "Hummingbird" (labeled as "Apple A4" in the iPad and iPhone 4) which also integrates hardware graphics acceleration (PowerVR SGX540 core).

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Samsung I9000T Galaxy S 8GB Unlocked Cell Phone with Camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth--International Version with 1 Year Warranty by PriceGrabber.com

Being a rather large smartphone, it comes with a 4-inch Super-AMOLED screen and an Android skin called "Smart Life" atop Android version 2.1. It can be paired with an optionally available "Home Cradle" for use as a digital photo frame, table clock, calendar, and music station. Samsung is targeting 110 countries in North America, Latin America, Australia, and Asia. In the U.S., the Galaxy S is launched on all four national carriers: T-Mobile Vibrant, Verizon Fascinate, Sprint Epic 4G, and AT&T Captivate. It is also announced to be available on the regional carrier U.S. Cellular.

User Reviews (46)

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ProScore

Pros

14

stunning 4" Super-AMOLED display @ 800 x 480px, takes phone displays to a new level (esp. color, contrast, viewing angles & brightness)
14

runs a current generation high end 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU by Samsung (Hummingbird)
11

WiFi (802.11b/g/n) and 3G (HSPA max downlink 7.2 Mbit/s, max uplink 5.76Mbit/s) connectivity
8

5MP backside camera with HD video recording (720p @ 30fps)
7

stunning graphics acceleration (PowerVR SGX540 GPU): 90 million triangles/sec (iPhone 3GS: 28 million/sec; Snapdragon Adreno: 22 million/sec)
7

supports Bluetooth version 3.0
6

GPS with 3D maps
6

Has a forward-facing camera with 1.3MP
6

internal storage of 8 or 16 GB!
6

user-removable Li-Ion battery with 1500mAh capacity
5

one of the first mobile phones to support DivX HD
5

memory expandable with standard microSD/microSDHC cards
5

charging/data transfer via standard microUSB port
5

standard 3.5mm headphone jack
5

incredibly thin (9.9mm)
4

Atmel maXTouch sensor for multi-touch (high precision, very low power, can detect indefinite number of points on the screen)
4

Now upgradable to Android 2.2
3

responsive UI
2

runs the latest version of the open source Android OS (2.1)
2

Qik video chat and Swype are included
2

Excellent battery life. Much better than most phones in its league.
2

One of the best android phones around currently.
2

Android 2.2.1 available with 2.3 well underway. (scheduled March '11)
2

CyanogenMod support
1

wide U.S. availability: Verizon (Fascinate), T-Mobile (Vibrant), Sprint (Epic 4G), AT&T (Captivate), and U.S. Cellular (?)
1

Better than iphone in flash player , iphone has no flash player
1

Very High Quality Audio Codec
0

stellar battery life (50 percent battery left after a full day of heavy usage)
-3

3-axis gyroscope plus accelerometer for precise 6-axis sensing (same STMicro chip as on iPhone 4)
-3

Corning® Gorilla® glass (environmentally friendly alkali-aluminosilicate thin sheet glass that is both scratch resistant and durable)
-5

Samsung provides a desktop sync app ("Samsung Kies") - Outlook contact sync, SMS backup, tethering setup, etc.

Cons

21

no camera flash
8

Terrible GPS performance and no reliable fix so far
6

No dedicated Camera button
2

Samsung has never provided a premium UI / good support for their mobile devices
1

no HDMI output port
1

As of now they should have done something special and unique instead of this dumbshit
1

not a very good camera
0

extremely glossy glass screen atop the display
-1

no FM transmiter for in car stereo wireless audio
-1

As seen body from front is an total iphone copy
-1

The menu button sucks
-1

not very slim
-1

Can't shoot lazers
-1

the phone breaks very easly
-1

looks cheap compared to the iphone
-2

no Infra Red
-2

No Android 2.2 yet.
-2

Inner menu is also copied from iphone O.S but is worse
-2

not very competitive compared to other smart phones like nokia N8
-2

it's not a blackberry!!!
-3

Samsung's Android UI skin looks like a blatant iPhone ripoff
-3

A little too big

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brezzin15: #samsung_galaxy_s da samsung galaxy is da besst phone evva ?
the only waay yhuu kann brakke ihht isz!! yhuu haave two qeet ihht rann ovva by a kaar :) <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 OH YEAH Mar 23, 12

post a reply like 1 person like this

dom: #samsung_galaxy_s Isn't it funny how many iPhone fanboys criticize "plasticky Android phones", or whatever other smartphones. There are very good (engineering) reasons for that. What you don't want to do is cover the antenna(s) with any metal because of unnecessarily high signal attenuation. Also, you don't want to expose the antenna to the user's touch, because the human body conducts quite well due to its high water content. So, the best way to design it is: a) put the antenna into a part of the phone that is least likely to be covered by the hand(s), especially during a call, and b) cover it with a non-conducting material, such as plastic. Apple pays no attention to such criteria - looks are much more important than function. But that's how you get the ignorant masses to buy it. Jan 19, 11

comments (3) like 5 people like this

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Erik: Good points dom. I had never thought about it. My Captivate has a little bit of a plasticky feel on the sliding cover that allows for the removal of the battery, but overall it has a much more high-end feel than the iPhone 3G or 3GS. I can't speak for the iPhone 4, since I've never handled it. Jan 19, 11
dom: Yale, of course it doesn't mean that I'm all for making a phone look cheap. Like Samsung, who have a bit of a talent for doing that (except for the Captivate, which is done very well). There are plenty of phones that use plastic and look great though. But if in doubt, a plasticky phone that works very well should be favored over a metal/you-name-it one that doesn't. Why buy a phone that can barely be called a "phone"?

Erik: The iPhone 4 does look really sleek and has a great quality feel to it, no doubt. But a "quality feeling" has no relation to the presence of quality.... besides, it's always used in a plasticky case that's provided by Apple, of course. Jan 20, 11

dom: #samsung_galaxy_s

Galaxy S introduction Zurich video (youtube.com)

Galaxy S international version video introduction (youtube.com)

Jun 30, 10

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dom: #samsung_galaxy_s

After experiencing Samsung's "support" with my Symbian S60-based SGH-G810, I swore to myself never to buy a Samsung again. There have been so many other issues with Samsung, like with the Omnia HD (i8910) or with the Behold II that even triggered petitions that people signed to finally get Samsung to fix bugs. All this stuff looks really terrible.

On the spec sheet and in a first review Samsung certainly makes the Galaxy S interesting again. And unlike the G810 or Omnia HD, this one is looking to be launched much more broadly across the world (targeting 110 countries, including all 4 national US carriers). You would hope that Samsung pays some attention to support, bugfixes, and OS updates in this case.

But considering their track record of non-existing support, are the hopes justified? It may again be their usual game of impressing everyone with the spec sheet, launching it - only to then forget about its issues and its users, and instead launching a new handset a few months later. What do you all think?

Jun 17, 10

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Claude Breton: #samsung_galaxy_s pros well over cons, the only real big cons might be no flash but for me I can deal with it. Now Waiting for the price ...will it be a pro or a con.??? Jun 1, 10

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