contents
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Galaxy S
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galaxy s2
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Galaxy S3
04
Galaxy S4
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Galaxy S5
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Galaxy S6
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Galaxy S7
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Galaxy S8
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Galaxy S9
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Galaxy S10
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Galaxy S20
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Galaxy S21
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Galaxy S price history
If you told the average smartphone user that Samsung Galaxy S prices have only increased over the years, they would probably believe you. However, you would be lying. There were a few years when prices actually went down –
including 2021, believe it or not
.If you look back, there are a lot of interesting price changes.
Related:
Samsung Galaxy S Series: A History of the Biggest Name in Android
Since Samsung is the world's largest smartphone maker and the Galaxy S series is the most popular family of phones, we thought we'd examine everything from the start. Below is a list of all the major Galaxy S phones and their original launch prices At the end you will find a chart that gives a compact overview of how these prices have changed over time.
Please note that we will not include all variants of the Galaxy S series here. For example, the mini variants from the mid-2010s onwards will not be included. We also ignore the fan editions, lite editions, active editions etc. to focus only on the main entries of the series.
Samsung Galaxy S Price: $399
Samsung
The original Samsung Galaxy S went by many different names. The Samsung Galaxy Proclaim, Galaxy S Showcase, Galaxy Vibrant 4G, Galaxy S Captivate - the list is quite long. However, we will always remember it as the Galaxy S that started it all.
See also:
Best Android phones of the decade 2010 — 2019
Here in the United States, during the phone's launch year of 2010, it was incredibly difficult to buy a smartphone in an unlocked format. Instead, you had to go to your carrier and buy a phone through them. As part of your exclusive contract, you'll receive a small fraction of the cost of the phone in integrated into your bill over the next two years. It is therefore difficult to determine the exact final prices for the Samsung Galaxy S as they would vary from carrier to carrier.
However, we averaged it out to be around $399, which equates to around $477 in 2021. That seems like a steal compared to today's smartphones. But remember, this phone was far less advanced – and much cheaper to produce.
Samsung Galaxy S2 price: $549
The Samsung Galaxy S was a smash hit for the company. Due to its success in the market, all eyes were on the Galaxy S2 in early 2011. Unfortunately, Samsung went ahead with the follow-up and released several phones with wildly different designs and specs - all with Galaxy S2 branding. It was messy enough to buy a Galaxy S2 from
AT&T
, and it would be a completely different phone than the eponymous device from
T Mobile
.
However, that didn't stop Samsung from selling Galaxy S2 phones like hotcakes. The phone was even more popular than the original Galaxy S and firmly placed Samsung at the forefront of the Android smartphone world.
Once again, however, it was difficult to buy the phone unlocked in the US. With that in mind, most consumers probably didn't even realize that the phone's list price had increased significantly to $549. The price was in their carrier's contract, after all hidden. Thankfully, it wouldn't be long before regulators would force airlines to stop the practice.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Price: $599
Samsung emerged as the smartphone king in 2012. In the third quarter of 2011, it surpassed Apple in terms of smartphones
—
a first for the Korean company. Not content with halting growth, Samsung launched what is arguably
one of the most popular cell phones of all time
: the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Thankfully, Samsung has started to ease its habit of releasing many different phones with the same name. The Galaxy S3 looked very consistent no matter where you got it from. The internal specs may have varied a lot, but that's it a whole different story.
Despite the significant jump in specs and design, the price of this phone isn't much higher than the previous model. In 2012, the Galaxy S3 cost about $599. This is one of the smaller price increases in the long history of Samsung Galaxy S prices .
Samsung Galaxy S4 price: $649
Statistically, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is that
greatest Android phone ever
.The only Android phone that even comes close to matching its sales figures, with 80 million units sold, is its predecessor, the Galaxy S3. Even the mighty iPhone 5S, released in the same year, only sold 52 million units .
Once again, Samsung only nominally increased the price of the phone compared to the Galaxy S3. Of course, consumers in the US probably still wouldn't have known that it cost them $649. At the time, unlocking the phone was a lot easier, though only a small fraction of US buyers went this route.
In the summer of 2013, many die-hard smartphone fans saw very clearly how high the price of the phone was. Back then, Samsung and Google collaborated to launch a Google Play edition of the phone. It featured an unlockable bootloader and stock Android
—
a breath of fresh air for the folks who loathed Samsung's TouchWiz Android skin. Samsung and Google only did this for a few cycles, however
we wish it had taken longer
.
Samsung Galaxy S5 price: $649
Until now, the prices of the Samsung Galaxy S had only increased. In 2014, Samsung for the first time launched the latest Galaxy S device at the exact same price as the previous year: $649.
Although the price has stayed the same, this phone introduced several new specs and features. These included a fingerprint sensor built into the home button, which
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
, and a 16MP rear camera lens.
Unfortunately, sales of the Galaxy S5 didn't even match the sales of the Galaxy S4. That's why the design of the S5 was the last of its kind. In 2015, Samsung would completely overhaul the aesthetics of the Galaxy S. Still, the Galaxy is fondly remembered by fans S5.
Samsung Galaxy S6 series prices: $649 – $799
In 2020 we have
Rank all Galaxy S phones
from worst to best. Unfortunately, our friend the Samsung Galaxy S6 ended up at the bottom as our least favorite of the bunch. Sorry mate.
Although it stuck in our hearts in last place, it was the third consecutive year that the base price of the Samsung Galaxy S remained unchanged. Considering that Samsung removed the MicroSD card slot, IP rating and removable battery , one naturally wonders why they didn't fall off.
For the first time, the manufacturer also launched a more premium version of a Galaxy S phone. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge was basically the same phone but slightly larger and with curved glass on the sides. Although the device doesn't really offer much more than the regular model, the Edge variant costs $100 more for a total of $749. Not content to stop there, Samsung eventually released a Galaxy S6 Edge Plus for $799.
Also note that due to low sales, Samsung dropped the starting price of the Galaxy S6 to $579 shortly after its launch. This was the first time this had happened mid-life for a Galaxy S phone. It wouldn't be the last .
Samsung Galaxy S7 series prices: $669 and $769
With sales of the Galaxy S6 series being incredibly disappointing, Samsung needed a hit — and fast. Enter the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. Both phones took what worked with the Galaxy S6 but brought things back that Samsung ignored last year. These included the MicroSD card slot and an IP rating. Unfortunately, the removable battery never came back.
Still, the Galaxy S7 family fares significantly better in the marketplace than its predecessors. With an introductory price of $669 to $699 (depending on where you bought it and when), the entry-level phone was only nominally more expensive than the Galaxy S6 However, it offered many more specs and features. Likewise, the larger Edge variant costs around $100 more.
Unfortunately, Samsung still didn't sell as many Galaxy S7 phones as it had hoped. This forced it to slash the prices of both mid-life-cycle phones again.
Samsung Galaxy S8 series prices: $749 and $849
In 2017, Samsung enlightened itself in many ways. It ditched the Edge branding, which just seemed to confuse buyers. Instead, it launched the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. As the nickname "Plus" would suggest , it was a larger version of the base model, so it cost more. That made a lot more sense.
The Galaxy S8 line represented a seismic shift for the design of the Galaxy S series. For the first time, the fingerprint sensor has been moved to the back of the phone, allowing the front to be fully displayed (with large bezels, of course). This big change has to be Samsung quite confident as the starting price has been raised to $749 - even after the Galaxy S7's already lower price had to be dropped just a few months earlier.
Things must have worked out well, however, as Samsung didn't slash the prices of these phones mid-life cycle. Coming off
the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco
the previous year could also have had an impact on the prices of the Samsung Galaxy S.
Samsung Galaxy S9 series prices: $719 and $839
Going back to the early days of the Galaxy S line, you can see a lot of similarities. The Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 all shared the same core design elements. However, we've seen the lineage change quite a bit since then.
Related:
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Redux
Not so with the Galaxy S9. The 2018 iterations of the Galaxy S legacy looked very similar to the 2017 models. The biggest change was the movement of the rear fingerprint sensor down from the side of the camera represents the first time it has ever happened to a Galaxy S phone.
Perhaps Samsung slightly lowered the starting prices due to the similarity of these phones. The Galaxy S9 ended up at $719, while the Galaxy S9 Plus cost $120 more. The company felt likely with these differences in Samsung Galaxy S prices due to the second lens of the Plus variant for sure.
Samsung Galaxy S10 series prices: $749 – $1,299
By 2019, we had four years where Samsung released two main entries in each new iteration of the Galaxy S line. If two phones could do it, why not three? Why not four? With the Galaxy S10 series, Samsung went berserk and did launched four phones at the same time.
Related:
The original
Android authority
Review of the Galaxy S10 Plus
The two main contributions to the series have remained the same as the previous two years: the Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus. These totaled $899 and $999, respectively. Samsung also launched a smaller, cheaper model , which is known as
Galaxy S10e
, which cost $749. Then, on the other end of the spectrum, it launched the
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
, which ended up being a precursor of sorts to the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The phone cost $1,299.
As Sammy launched the next phones on this list in 2020, it simultaneously lowered the prices of the Galaxy S10 line while still keeping it in production. This was an opportunity for budget buyers, for less money than the wallet-busting Galaxy S20 series to get a nice piece of hardware.
Samsung Galaxy S20 series prices: $999 – $1,399
Samsung Galaxy S prices in 2019 were everywhere. The Galaxy S10e cost $749, while the Galaxy S10 5G cost almost double that. With the Galaxy S20 line, Samsung has opted to ditch the low end and go straight going to the premium end. At launch, the cheapest Galaxy S20 phone was a whopping $999. The Galaxy S20 Plus started at $1,199.
Related:
Samsung Galaxy S20 Buying Guide: Everything you need to know
the
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
In particular, it went way overboard. With a starting price of $1,399, it was one of the most expensive "regular" phones the company had ever released. If $1,399 wasn't enough for you, there was even a $1,599 -Dollar model with more RAM and storage.
It's obviously 20/20 in hindsight, and Samsung probably realizes by now that it was a mistake. Admittedly, the company couldn't have known that a global pandemic was imminent when it launched the Galaxy S20 series. The incredible However, the high prices of these phones were almost certain to make them poor sellers at a time when people left and right were losing their jobs.
Thankfully, Samsung hasn't made that mistake again in 2021.
Samsung Galaxy S21 series prices: $799 – $1,199
David Imel / Android Authority
Samsung's bottom line took a big hit in 2020 when the Galaxy S20 series failed to woo consumers. This year, the company corrected that mistake by drastically reducing the cost of entry for the Galaxy S21 family. And it had to not even the overall quality has to be slashed to do this.
The cheapest Galaxy S21 starts at $799. For that price, you get the brand new one
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
processor (or the Exynos 2100 in other parts of the world). It also gives you a solid triple-lens rear camera setup, a good amount of RAM and internal storage, and a cool new design aesthetic that looks pretty classy.
Related:
Samsung Galaxy S21 buying guide: Everything you need to know
In another smart move, Samsung has maintained its "everything but the kitchen sink" mentality with the Galaxy S21 Ultra. This phone has almost no compromises compared to the Galaxy S20 Ultra, but it's still $200 cheaper at $1,199 .This lineup is probably the most comprehensive Samsung has ever had.It allows buyers across the budget spectrum to get their hands on a Galaxy S phone.
Time will tell if these Samsung Galaxy S prices work for Samsung. Let's hope they do though.
Samsung Galaxy S Prices: The Historical Picture
Below is a table showing a bird's-eye view of the main entries across the Galaxy S family. You can see that prices are increasing steadily over time, but there are many year-to-year fluctuations. Be sure to note the huge dive from last year to now.
While we can't see into the future, this chart makes it seem like Samsung Galaxy S prices will be as high in 2020 as they have been for quite a while or so doesn't magically recover, it's highly unlikely that Samsung will attempt to go as high as the Galaxy S20 prices anytime soon.
Of course, long gone are the days when you could pick up a Galaxy S flagship for under $700. Luckily for Samsung, the Fan Edition range seems to be very successful. Here at
Android authority
, we called the Galaxy S20 FE
the best smartphone of 2020
, so Samsung is clearly into something there. It will be very interesting to see what the Galaxy S21 FE looks like. Using the same phone line, could Samsung win our top award two years in a row? Stay tuned!
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