SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · Samsung

Galaxy S review: The 2010 phone that started the Galaxy S dynasty.

SpecEagle Editorial·Jun 2010·$499
Overall
12/100
Class rank
#4 of 4
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

Where the Galaxy S dynasty began.

The original Galaxy S launched the line that would define Android flagships for over a decade. The device itself is now a piece of history.

01Display

34/100

34/100 trails the 38-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2010.

TypeSuper AMOLED
Size4.0 inches
Resolution800 × 480 px (233 ppi)
ProtectionGlass

02Camera

22/100

22/100 trails the 25-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2010.

Main5 MP, autofocus
SelfieVGA (variant)
Video720p @ 30 fps

03Performance

8/100

8/100 trails the 11-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2010.

ChipsetHummingbird S5PC110 (45 nm)
CPUSingle-core 1 GHz
GPUPowerVR SGX540
RAM512 MB
Storage8 GB / 16 GB · microSD

04Battery

30/100

30/100 trails the 33-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2010.

Capacity1,500 mAh (removable)
Wired~5 W
WirelessNo

05Build

36/100

36/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2010.

06Value

20/100

20/100 trails the 25-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2010.

What works
  • Launched the Galaxy S line — one of tech’s biggest brands.
  • Vivid Super AMOLED display for 2010.
  • Light, slim plastic body.
  • Removable battery and microSD.
What doesn't
  • Single-core chip; 512 MB RAM.
  • Software ended at Android 2.3.
  • GPS issues plagued early units.
  • Discontinued — a vintage device.

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 4-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .