Samsung Galaxy smartphones through the years from S to Fold and Flip

As the South Korean company releases its latest Fold and Flip phones, we take a look back at its phone journey

Samsung released its first Galaxy S phone in 2010, three years after the launch of the first Apple iPhone. It had a 4-inch (10.16 centimetre) Super AMOLED display and a five-megapixel rear camera. Photo: Samsung

Samsung's Galaxy S2, released in 2011, looked, as you would expect, like a jump forward in terms of technology. The screen was slightly bigger, at 4.3 inches, while the rear camera was now 8MP. The device came with a dual-core processor. Photo: Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy S3, which was released in 2012, was the first in the series to have an HD screen. The new design had a more rounded shape. It ran on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Photo: Samsung

Samsung's Galaxy S4 was released in April 2013 and felt like a real competitor to the iPhone. Its processing power was increased, the screen was enlarged to five inches and the rear camera to 13MP. Photo: Samsung

Ah, some innovation ... the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom came with an optical zoom lens on the back. Quirky, and not necessarily practical. Photo: Samsung

Samsung's Galaxy S5 arrived in 2014 and came with a plastic back which didn't feel particularly advanced. However, the phone itself had a 5.1-inch screen which produced beautiful colours (for the time). The S5 had a heart-rate monitor, was water-proof and had a 16MP rear camera. Photo: Samsung

There was a big change in store for the Samsung Galaxy series in 2015. It launched the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge at the same time. Photo: Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge was full metal and had two curved sides extending the screen. This was a big jump and a step ahead of Apple. Photo: Samsung

Samsung's Galaxy S7 came in 2016 and incorporated Samsung Pay. The 2K screen resolution was impressive. The edge version offered a wraparound display. Photo: Samsung

Both Samsung Galaxy S8 models had curved sides. A fingerprint button was moved to the back while a button on the side was introduced for voice assistant Bixby. Photo: Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy S9 arrived in 2018 and had a much stronger battery than the S8. Otherwise, it was a very similar product. Photo: Samsung

Samsung's Galaxy S10 was released in 2019 and came with a triple-camera system. It had a punch-hole camera on the front and an UltraSonic fingerprint sensor. Photo: Samsung

Samsung's 6.2-inch Galaxy S20 was 2020's offering and there were two other versions — the 6.7-inch S20+ and the 6.9-inch S20 Ultra. The phones were 5G-enabled. The S20 and S20+ came with 64MP cameras while the S20 Ultra came with a 108MP camera. Photo: Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy S21 series came with bigger batteries, advanced computing, greater energy efficiency, improved cameras and enhanced privacy features. Samsung added a stylus to the S21 Ultra — a first in the series. Photo: Samsung

Samsung's Galaxy S22 was unveiled in February 2022, with the S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra, the last of which featured a slot to hold the S Pen, the signature accessory of the Note series. Photo: Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was first launched in 2011 with its big screen and stylus functionality. The series continued until the Note 20 in 2020, when the stylus was moved to the S series. Photo: Samsung

The release of the Note 10 in 2019 marked the first time Samsung offered a Plus model of its Note. It had a 6.8-inch display. Photo: Samsung

The Galaxy Z Flip came in March 2020 and was like turning back time, with phone makers having tried flip phones many years before. It uses a hybrid glass coating called an Infinity Flex Display. Pawan Singh / The National

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold was first unveiled in March 2019. It opened out horizontally to create a 7.3-inch tablet-style screen. AFP

Samsung versus Apple has been a battle for market dominance among the biggest in recent decades.

Like BMW versus Mercedes, or Pepsi versus Coca-Cola, the two powerhouses of the smartphone industry have gone head to head each year with new offerings.

While Apple kicked things off in 2007 with the iPhone, Samsung was more of a latecomer, with its first flagship Galaxy S series phone launching in 2010.

It quickly became the main alternative to owning an iPhone, and Samsung has arguably taken a more innovative approach, having introduced screens with curved edges and more recently the return of flip phones, and the introduction of the Fold phone, which expands outward so it can be used like a tablet.

There was also the introduction of stylus pens with the Note series.

This innovative approach, plus its wide range of lower budget phones, has helped Samsung to lead Apple in terms of market share.

The most recent data from Counterpoint shows that Samsung had a market share of 23 per cent in the first quarter of this year, compared with Apple's 18 per cent.

What will Samsung come up with next?

To see the evolution of Samsung's top end smartphones see the slide show at the top of the page.

Samsung's high-end Galaxy phones:

• Samsung Galaxy S1
• Samsung Galaxy S2
• Samsung Galaxy S3
• Samsung Galaxy S4
• Samsung Galaxy S5
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Samsung Galaxy S6 edge Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
• Samsung Galaxy S7 Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
• Samsung Galaxy S8 Samsung Galaxy S8+
• Samsung Galaxy S9 Samsung Galaxy S9+
• Samsung Galaxy S10 Samsung Galaxy S10e Samsung Galaxy S10+ Samsung Galaxy S10 5G Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite
• Samsung Galaxy S20 Samsung Galaxy S20+ Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy S21 Samsung Galaxy S21+ Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 1
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
• Samsung Galaxy Flip 5G
• Samsung Galaxy Flip 3
• Samsung Galaxy Note
• Samsung Galaxy Note II
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4
• Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5
• Samsung Galaxy Note 6
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8
• Samsung Galaxy Note 9
• Samsung Galaxy Note 10
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 & Note 20 Ultra

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Apple iPhone through the years: every model from 2007 to 2022