Launch report · Samsung
Samsung Wave S8500: The phone that debuted Super AMOLED and launched the Bada OS.
SpecEagle Editorial·May 2010·$450·Score 44/100
The Samsung Wave S8500 was a technical landmark — the first phone with a Super AMOLED display and the first with Bluetooth 3.0 — and the launch vehicle for Samsung's own Bada OS. Bada never found apps and was eventually folded into Tizen, but the Wave's hardware firsts endure.
Key specs at launch
Display
3.3" Super AMOLED
OS
Bada 1.0
Memory
390 MB · 2 GB
Main cam
5 MP
Battery
1,500 mAh
Weight
118 g
What stands out
- First phone with a Super AMOLED display.
- First phone with Bluetooth 3.0.
- Fast 1 GHz Hummingbird chip.
- Premium stainless-steel build.
What to watch
- Bada OS had almost no apps.
- WVGA on a small screen.
- Bada was discontinued in 2013.
- Mono speaker.