And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Take a look at the infographic below for an in-depth look at 10 of the Galaxy range’s leading innovations that have redefined the smartphone experience over the past 10 years.

1. AMOLED Displays

First featured on: the Galaxy S (2010)

Samsung’s introduction of the first smartphone with a Super AMOLED display laid the groundwork for AMOLED technology to become the industry standard, and ultimately helped pave the way for the era of large-screen smartphones.

The Galaxy S10’s Dynamic AMOLED display takes the immersive viewing experiences that Samsung devices are known for to the next level, combining exceptional color accuracy (100 percent color volume in the DCI-P3 color range) with a peak luminance of 1,200 nits, and without requiring a filter or compromising picture quality, blue light reduction provides maximized eye comfort.

Those stellar specs, along with the display’s groundbreaking support for HDR10+, a next-generation open standard for HDR video, allow Samsung’s newest smartphones to offer a level of picture quality that’s so spectacular, you have to see it to believe it.

2. The S Pen

First featured on: the Galaxy Note (2011)

Since its launch, Samsung’s category-defining Galaxy Note line has introduced a variety of intuitive tools designed to help users maximize their productivity. Chief among these is the devices’ signature stylus: the S Pen.

Each new addition to the Note family adds convenient capabilities to this handy feature; for example, the S Pen that debuted with Note devices starting with the Galaxy Note7 harnesses electromagnetic resonance (EMR) technology, keeping the S Pen and its device connected without relying on static electricity – meaning the functionality of the S Pen is unaffected by water.

Furthermore, while the Galaxy Note3’s S Pen was 1.6mm in diameter, the S Pen of last year’s Galaxy Note9 is just 0.7mm in diameter, and while the debut Galaxy Note’s S Pen supported a pressure level of 256, the Galaxy Note9’s S Pen supports a pressure level of 4096, providing users with a natural writing experience just like that of a real pen.

The S Pen equipping the Galaxy Note9 is also the most versatile yet, thanks to its Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) support, customizable clicks, and deeper integration with fan-favorite Note features.

3. Samsung Knox

First featured on: the Galaxy Note3 (2013)

Built into the company’s smartphones, tablets and wearables at the manufacturing stage, Samsung’s comprehensive security platform, Samsung Knox, offers Galaxy device users a simple and secure environment for storing and managing sensitive data.

Since its introduction, Samsung Knox has helped countless Galaxy users safeguard apps, photos and more from malware, viruses and other malicious threats. Its multi-layered security technology runs through each and every component of a device, from its chipset to its OS through to its applications. Secured by Knox, all your data is securely encrypted and hosted, completely isolated, on a secure place on device to keep your data private.

IT developers and administrators have been driving the security leadership agenda in the mobile industry, and today, Samsung continues to strengthen and enrich Samsung Knox with updates and enhancements that offer businesses and individuals greater security, and greater peace of mind.

4. Biometric Authentication

First featured on: the Galaxy S5 (2014)

Speaking of stalwart security, over the last ten years, Samsung has continuously enhanced its Galaxy lineup with the latest advancements in biometric technologies in order to offer users more tools to protect their devices and personal data.

The Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note4 were the first devices in the series to offer biometric security in the form of home button-embedded fingerprint scanners. It wasn’t long before Samsung expanded its biometric authentication arsenal with iris and facial scanning respectively.

The Galaxy S10 line takes biometric convenience a step further with an Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner that’s incorporated into the display, and utilizes ultrasonic waves to recognize the real, 3D contours of a user’s physical fingerprint, more secure than just 2D image recognition.

5. IP68 Dust and Water Resistance

First featured on: the Galaxy S5 (2014)

The Galaxy S5 was the first device in the Galaxy series to achieve an international standard rating of IP67 for dust and water resistance. The Galaxy S7 then achieved an IP68² rating, the highest possible in this certification, meaning that Galaxy users can rest assured that their smartphones are built to stand up to the odd splash, spill or storm.

Prior to this technology, devices stood higher risks of hardware erosion and suffering from electrical shorts when up against adverse conditions. However, Samsung’s technology means that people can use their devices more safely, even in wet environments.

This premium durability standard has now become a staple of Galaxy flagship devices. It’s all part of Samsung’s commitment to ensuring that its devices will be there for users whenever they need them.

6. Wireless Charging

First featured on: the Galaxy S6 (2015)

Samsung has been at the forefront of wireless charging innovation since the technology’s beginnings, introducing advancements that have helped usher in an era in which charging your phone is as simple as placing it on a pad.

After introducing built-in wireless charging support to the Galaxy lineup with the Galaxy S6, Samsung took the technology to new heights with the introduction of Wireless PowerShare on the Galaxy S10, giving users the power to share their device’s impressive battery capacity supported by the Galaxy S10’s Fast Wireless Charging 2.0. Now, the Galaxy series’ latest additions are not only capable of charging wirelessly, but they’re also capable of wirelessly charging other devices, including Qi-certified¹ smartphones and wearables.

7. Samsung Pay

First featured on: the Galaxy S6 (2015)

Simple, secure, and available almost anywhere, Samsung Pay has quickly established itself as a mobile payment platform that consumers can trust.

First introduced with the Galaxy S6, Samsung Pay supports seamless payments via both near field communication (NFC) and magnetic secure transmission (MST). Samsung Pay uses three levels of security to ensure and enable secure payments: biometric authentication through fingerprint or iris recognition, tokenization³ and Samsung Knox, Samsung’s defense-grade mobile security platform.

Samsung Pay is available across six continents, with more markets joining the fold each year – and the service’s rapid growth and expansion are revolutionizing the mobile payment landscape. As of August 2018, Samsung Pay has surpassed 1.3 billion transactions globally available in 24 markets.

8. The Infinity Display

First featured on: the Galaxy S8 (2017)

Samsung’s introduction of the Infinity Display in 2017 marked the beginning of a bold new chapter in screen design, following the legacy of the increased screen real estate and better grip experience provided by the world’s first curved display, Edge, that debuted on the Galaxy Note edge.

Featuring a bezel-less, dual-edge design that elegantly spills over the edges of the phone, the Infinity Display pushes the boundaries of immersion, enabling users to see and do more than ever before. Seamless and sleek, the display is a beauty to behold – which makes it the perfect canvas for the likewise stunning viewing experiences that Galaxy devices are known for.

Since its introduction on the Galaxy S8, the Infinity Display has become a signature feature of Samsung’s flagship phones. Each year, the company introduces enhancements that make the display even more engrossing and maximizes screen real estate for users to enjoy. The Infinity-O Display available on the Galaxy S10 range is the series’ most immersive, advanced and revolutionary yet.

9. Bixby

First featured on: the Galaxy S8 (2017)

Introduced alongside the Galaxy S8, Samsung’s scalable AI platform, Bixby, was created to offer users a more personal, intelligent and intuitive AI assistant.

Samsung continuously enhances its AI platform with ever-more convenient capabilities designed to help users save time and simplify their day. Users also now have access to Bixby Marketplace, a new ecosystem resource for third-party services – known as ‘capsules’ – that are custom-fit for use with Bixby and allow users to do more of what they need with the assistance of Bixby.

10. Pro-grade Camera (Dual Aperture)

First featured on: the Galaxy S9 (2018)

Smartphone users have come to expect groundbreaking innovations from the Galaxy series – especially when it comes to the devices’ cameras. The Dual Aperture technology included in the series’ recent flagships is one such example of pioneering camera innovation.

Samsung officially debuted the technology on the Galaxy S9, making the device the first smartphone to feature a Dual Aperture camera. In a nutshell, the technology enables the camera to automatically adjust to various lighting conditions just as the human eye would. It does this by combining an F1.5 aperture lens with an F2.4. The ability to let in more light when it’s dark and less when it’s bright enables the camera to minimize visual distortion and ensures that photos are crisp and clear anytime, anywhere.

The Galaxy S10’s camera comes with intelligent software and professional lenses so that users can capture exactly what they see, as they see it, thanks to an unprecedented Ultra Wide 123° panoramic field of view among other innovations that allow users to capture pro-grade photos and videos.

¹ Qi is an open interface standard for wireless charging that was created by the Wireless Power Consortium – an industry group that includes device manufacturers, accessory makers and others.

² An IP68 certification means a device has received a 6 ranking (out of a possible 6, with 6 being the best) in terms of protection against solid damage, and an 8 ranking (out of a possible 8, with 8 being the best) for protection against water of up to 1.5m in depth for up to 30 minutes (not advised for beach or pool use). In the case of contact with water, users are advised to immediately rinse any residue and dry the device.

³ Tokenization is a process that generates virtual information for a transaction without the storing of financial details in a device. This protects users’ financial information.

To offer users greater flexibility and convenience, the Galaxy S9 introduces support for innovative biometric authentication features that add new layers to the Galaxy line’s already stout security. Let’s take a closer look at how innovations like Intelligent Scan and Dedicated Fingerprint will streamline how users access their phone and safeguard their personal data.

An Intelligent Approach to Authentication

To make unlocking the Galaxy S9 as simple as possible, Samsung combined its advancements in iris scanning, facial-recognition and intelligent technologies to create a seamless biometric security solution that offers users fast and secure access to their device.

Intelligent Scan is a deep learning-based verification solution that utilizes the collective strength of the Galaxy S9’s iris scanning and facial recognition technologies to allow users to unlock their device and access protected content with a simple glance. The solution works by carefully analyzing your face’s visible features, as well as the lighting conditions of your surroundings, and determining the optimal authentication method to open your phone. Intelligent Scan’s multimodal approach allows it to ensure that biometric authentication occurs successfully in virtually any environment.

The Galaxy S9’s advanced facial-recognition technology utilizes an immense amount of data to recognize your face’s distinct features from a wide range of angles, and its iris-scanning technology has been enhanced to identify unique iris patterns from greater distances. This powerful combination of cutting-edge biometric and intelligent innovations allows the Galaxy S9 to recognize users even when a piece of clothing or an accessory is obstructing part of their face. So you won’t be required to remove your cap or adjust your scarf whenever you’d like to unlock your phone.

Going forward, Samsung plans to integrate Intelligent Scan support into a wide range of applications, beginning with Samsung Pass. Adding this functionality to the app will allow users to enjoy the same streamlined security when entering website logins and other sensitive information within the Samsung Internet mobile app.

Premium Security at Your Fingertips

The Galaxy S9 also introduces new capabilities to the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor that make this tried-and-true authentication method even more useful.

The sensor, which is conveniently located beneath the camera for easy access, now allows users to register fingerprints with a single swipe, and designate a Dedicated Fingerprint to use to apply an additional layer of security to their device’s Secure Folder. This encrypted folder offers a safe, conveniently accessible home for private apps and files that users can securely lock with their Dedicated Fingerprint, or with a PIN, pattern, passcode or iris scan.

When users unlock their phone using this finger, rather than bringing them to the home screen, the device will automatically display their Secure Folder’s contents. Users can also select how they would like the folder to be displayed – either as a traditional folder, or as a launcher. The latter will launch a secure home screen that’s populated only by their designated private apps, as well as a Secure Folder widget that allows them to easily add more.

Together, the streamlined biometric technologies featured in the Galaxy S9 and S9+ offer users a mobile experience that’s not only more seamless and convenient, but more personalized than ever.

^*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

Check out, in the video below, the diverse ways Samsung envisions ultra-secure iris recognition technology may be used to advance the IoT era, simplifying everything from healthcare and travel to everyday transactions.

In a digital world that was once only protected by PIN numbers, consumers now have more choices than ever to protect the security of their devices and personal data thanks to advances in biometric technologies. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ provide strengthened security features and enhanced convenience through a combination of biometrics, including innovative iris scanning technology, familiar fingerprint scanning and new facial recognition capabilities. Secured by Samsung’s trusted Knox security platform, the Galaxy S8 gives users the peace of mind that comes from knowing their biometric information is protected.

Face-to-Face with Mobile Security

Samsung’s new facial recognition technology has been added to the Galaxy S8 to enable users to unlock their smartphone quickly and conveniently by simply looking at the front of the device. The technology works by utilizing an immense amount of data to recognize patterns, such as small differences in facial features.

When a user opts to access their Galaxy S8 using facial recognition verification, the smartphone detects, aligns, extracts and compares facial landmark points such as the width of the user’s nose or the distance between their eyes to stored data to grant or deny access. As the user continues to utilize the feature more and more, the phone gets better at recognizing them, despite small changes in the angle or position of their face during the verification process.

With this new feature, users can enjoy a more convenient mobile experience and also rest assured knowing that their data is encrypted in the TrustZone protected by Knox.

For Your Eyes Only

Yet another biometric feature that has been added to the Galaxy S8 is iris scanning, a method of biometric identification that uses mathematical pattern recognition of images of an individual’s iris, either from one or both eyes. To obtain these images, an authentication device scans the iris—the thin, colored ring of the eye that regulates the amount of light that reaches the retina.

Each individual has a uniquely different and highly intricate iris pattern in each eye, which is fully developed at a very young age and remains unchanged throughout one’s lifetime. This, combined with the fact that iris patterns are almost impossible to replicate makes iris scanning one of the most secure and reliable biometric techniques available.

To enable iris scanning, the Galaxy S8 was equipped with a dedicated iris camera, which utilizes a special image filter to receive and recognize the reflected images of the irises with a red infrared (IR) LED light. This red light allows for the best range for iris scanning. Furthermore, unlike traditional visible (or RGB) images, which can be affected by iris color or ambient light, infrared images display clear patterns and have low light reflection. Samsung’s proprietary technology also makes use of the light emitted from the Galaxy S8’s display so the scanner can receive data even in low light environments.

Once a user registers his or her iris information on the Galaxy S8, it is stored as an encrypted code. When a user attempts to access content, such as a protected app, the IR LED and iris camera work together to capture the iris pattern for recognition, and to extract and digitize the pattern, and compares the digitized pattern with the encrypted code to verify identification.

Just like fingerprint and facial biometric data, the user’s iris data is also encrypted and stored safely in the hardware protected by the Knox platform. Furthermore, only one person can register his or her iris information, which means that even if the device is stolen or lost and someone else is able to gain access to the smartphone, the user’s information won’t be compromised.

Compared to conventional devices that employ iris scanning, the Galaxy S8 offers a better user experience. The iris preview screen, for example, is displayed in full color, while 17 preloaded iris masks add a bit of fun to the verification process. Furthermore, Galaxy S8 users don’t even need to touch their phone to verify their identity since the iris verification process is initiated immediately once the user turns on the display.

Added Services for Enhanced Convenience

Leveraging Samsung’s new and enhanced biometrics technology, the Galaxy S8 offers various services to provide an additional layer of security.

The first is Secure Folder, an encrypted folder that lets users manage private apps and files securely via PIN, pattern, passcode or biometric verification. Users may utilize this service to keep private and personal data, such as banking information, sandboxed separately on their smartphone for additional security and privacy.

Another added security feature, Samsung Pass, enables users to quickly and easily log into mobile banking apps and websites on the Samsung Internet Browser using biometric authentication. Because users don’t have to spend time repeatedly inputting usernames and passwords, Samsung Pass adds an element of convenience to the Galaxy S8. By supporting multiple types of biometric authentication*, Samsung Pass will allow greater flexibility to deliver a secure and convenient user experience across multiple industry verticals.

In addition to secure storing and faster access, Samsung is also establishing partnerships with major financial institutions to explore the integration of its biometrics verification technology into more mobile banking apps.

*Samsung Pass currently supports fingerprint recognition, and will support iris scanning and facial recognition in select markets in the near future.