The evolution of Samsung's Galaxy S smartphones (video)
The Galaxy S4 has arrived, but how did it get here? In this video we trace the genesis of Samsung's popular Galaxy S series, starting in 2009 with the company's very first Android phone.
At last, Samsung has introduced the world to the Galaxy S4 smartphone, holding its 5-inch toy aloft like a little electronic Simba. While the South Korean tech giant's latest effort is shaping up to be a dynamite little mobile, however, it didn't emerge from Samsung's forge fully formed.
Instead, the S4 is the result of years spent crafting and refining mobile tech, in an effort to build the best Android phone ever devised.
In the video above we don our big bushy Darwin beards and take a look back at the origins of Samsung's Galaxy S series, exploring how the increasingly popular product line has evolved.
The journey begins in June 2009, with Samsung's first Android phone -- the humble i7500, also known as the Galaxy.
Fast-forward a few years, and you reach the turning point -- Samsung's Galaxy S2. With a vast 4.3-inch screen that outshone the competition, this mobile blew me away when I first got my mitts on it, at once terrifically powerful and shockingly slim and light.
In 2012, all eyes were on Samsung to see how it would follow the S2, and we weren't disappointed. A new oval-shaped design, an even bigger screen and a mountain of software and apps made the S3 one of the most feature-packed gadgets ever built.
With the Galaxy S4, Samsung has well and truly found its groove, blending big, bold, cutting-edge software with every single "S"-branded app it could make. Some fans have criticized Samsung's newest effort for being too similar to the Galaxy S3, however -- do you think Samsung is taking the lazy approach? Or simply refining an already-great mobile?
Let me know in the comments below.