Samsung Galaxy S GT-I9000: A Look at the First Flagship

Galaxy S (GT-I9000)

Product Overview: The Samsung Galaxy S (model number GT-I9000) is the first-generation flagship smartphone of Samsung’s Galaxy S series, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2010 in Barcelona and released globally in June 2010. Positioned as Samsung’s answer to Apple’s iPhone lineup, it revolutionized the Android ecosystem with its slim design, high-resolution display, and powerful hardware, establishing the Galaxy S series as a dominant player in the global smartphone market. The device ran on Android 2.1 Eclair at launch, with official updates to Android 2.2 Froyo and Android 2.3 Gingerbread; it also supported custom ROMs for years after its release, thanks to a dedicated developer community.

Key Hardware Specifications

Component	Details
Display	4.0-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 480×800 resolution (233 ppi), 16M colors; scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass (version 1); supports multi-touch gestures
Processor	1.0 GHz Samsung Exynos 3110 (Hummingbird) single-core processor (ARM Cortex-A8 architecture), PowerVR SGX540 GPU
Memory & Storage	512 MB RAM; 8 GB/16 GB internal flash storage; microSD card slot (up to 32 GB) (expandable storage—a key differentiator from iPhones at the time)
Cellular Connectivity	3G (HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps), EDGE, GPRS; quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz); Wi-Fi calling support (region-dependent)
Wireless	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 + A2DP, GPS/GLONASS with A-GPS support, FM radio with RDS
Camera System	5.0 MP rear camera (autofocus, LED flash, 2592×1944 resolution); supports 720p HD video recording (30 fps); VGA (0.3 MP) front-facing camera for video calls
Battery	1500 mAh removable lithium-ion battery; up to 11 hours of 2G talk time, 6 hours of 3G talk time, 750 hours of standby time
Design & Dimensions	122.4 × 64.2 × 9.9 mm, 119 g; slim, lightweight unibody with a plastic back panel; physical home button + capacitive menu/back/search keys; available in Jet Black, Pearl White
Other Features	Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor; FM radio; 3.5 mm headphone jack; micro-USB 2.0 port (for charging and data transfer)

Core Feature Upgrades & Innovations

Super AMOLED Display: A Game-Changer for Mobile VisualsThe Galaxy S’s 4-inch Super AMOLED screen was a standout feature in 2010, offering vibrant colors, deep blacks, and wide viewing angles—a significant improvement over the LCD displays used in most smartphones at the time. Super AMOLED technology eliminated the need for a backlight, making the screen thinner, more energy-efficient, and easier to read in direct sunlight compared to standard AMOLED or LCD panels. This display set a new benchmark for mobile screens and became a signature feature of future Galaxy S models.
Exynos Hummingbird Processor: Flagship PerformanceThe 1.0 GHz Exynos 3110 (Hummingbird) chip was one of the fastest mobile processors of its era, outperforming competitors like the iPhone 3GS’s 600 MHz Cortex-A8 and the HTC Desire’s 1.0 GHz Snapdragon S1. Combined with the PowerVR SGX540 GPU, it delivered smooth performance for gaming, HD video playback, and multitasking—tasks that strained older Android devices. The chip’s efficiency also helped balance performance and battery life, a critical factor for early smartphone users.
Expandable Storage & Removable BatteryUnlike Apple’s iPhone lineup (which had non-expandable storage and non-removable batteries), the Galaxy S offered a microSD card slot (up to 32 GB) and a removable 1500 mAh battery. These features addressed key pain points for consumers: expandable storage allowed users to store more photos, videos, and apps without upgrading to a higher-priced model, while the removable battery let users carry spare batteries for extended use—essential in an era before widespread fast charging.
HD Video Recording & Front-Facing CameraThe Galaxy S was one of the first Android smartphones to support 720p HD video recording (30 fps), a feature that was still rare in 2010. The 5 MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash also captured sharp photos for its time, while the VGA front-facing camera enabled video calls via apps like Skype—foreshadowing the rise of mobile video communication.

Software & User Experience

Launch OS: Android 2.1 Eclair: The Galaxy S launched with Android 2.1, which introduced features like live wallpapers, improved virtual keyboard accuracy, and better Google Maps integration. Samsung layered its TouchWiz UI on top of Android, adding custom widgets, a redesigned app launcher, and multimedia features like Media Hub (a video-on-demand service).
Official Updates: Samsung released updates to Android 2.2 Froyo (adding Wi-Fi hotspot support, app installation to SD cards, and faster performance) and Android 2.3 Gingerbread (improving battery life, adding a new keyboard, and enhancing gaming capabilities). The device did not receive official updates beyond Gingerbread, but its active developer community created custom ROMs based on later Android versions (e.g., KitKat, Lollipop) for years after its release.
Multimedia Focus: The Galaxy S emphasized multimedia with features like Music Hub (a music streaming service), support for DivX/XviD video playback, and a built-in FM radio—catering to users who viewed smartphones as entertainment devices.

Market Impact & Legacy

Android Ecosystem Catalyst: The Galaxy S was a pivotal device for Samsung and Android, helping Samsung overtake HTC as the top Android smartphone vendor in 2010. It demonstrated that Android devices could compete with the iPhone in terms of hardware, design, and performance, accelerating the adoption of Android globally.
Galaxy S Series Foundation: The GT-I9000 laid the groundwork for the Galaxy S series, which went on to become one of the best-selling smartphone lineups in history. Signature features like Super AMOLED displays, powerful Exynos processors, and expandable storage (in early models) became hallmarks of the series for years.
Developer Community Favorite: The Galaxy S’s popularity spawned a vibrant developer community, with custom ROMs, kernels, and mods that extended the device’s lifespan far beyond its official support cycle. This community helped solidify Samsung’s reputation among tech enthusiasts and power users.

Limitations

Battery Life for Heavy Users: While the 1500 mAh battery was competitive in 2010, heavy use (e.g., gaming, HD video playback) drained the battery quickly—though the removable design mitigated this issue.

Plastic Build Quality: The Galaxy S’s plastic back panel felt cheap compared to the iPhone’s aluminum unibody and was prone to scratches and fingerprints.

TouchWiz UI Criticism: Samsung’s TouchWiz UI was criticized for being bloated and slowing down the device, especially after software updates. Many users preferred to install custom ROMs to remove TouchWiz and improve performance.

No 4G LTE Support: The Galaxy S was a 3G-only device, as LTE networks were still in their infancy in 2010. Later regional variants (e.g., the Galaxy S 4G in the U.S.) added LTE support, but the original GT-I9000 lacked this feature.