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 colour accuracy (100 percent colour 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 maximised 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.

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, customisable 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 utilises ultrasonic waves to recognise 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 Note 9 (2018)

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

First introduced in South Africa with the Note 9, 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, tokenisation³ 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.

10. Pro-grade Camera (Dual Aperture)

First featured on: the Galaxy S9 (2018)

Smartphone users have come to expect ground-breaking 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 Tokenisation is a process that generates virtual information for a transaction without the storing of financial details in a device. This protects users’ financial information.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ build on that innovative heritage with enhancements that not only foster captivating visuals, but also truly realistic audio. Let’s take a closer look at how Samsung’s refinements to the devices’ displays and sound systems have made it even easier for users to immerse themselves in their favorite content.

A Refined Infinity Display

Both the 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 and the 6.2-inch S9+ feature Samsung’s latest Super AMOLED Infinity Displays, which feature key refinements that magnify the beauty and immersive qualities of the Galaxy smartphones’ signature screen.

The Infinity Display is characterized by its smooth, spacious design, which seamlessly curves at the edges to blend into the Galaxy S9’s body and lends the device its beautiful, highly ergonomic form. Films, shows and video clips are captivating when viewed on the 18.5:9, HDR (High Dynamic Range) capable display, whose impeccable accuracy allows such content to be presented exactly as creators intended.

When designing the new displays, Samsung focused on adjustments that would enable users to enjoy even more engrossing viewing experiences. This led Samsung to trim down the already small bezels at the top and bottom of the device, and make the screen itself a deeper black, so as to blend in with the bezels when the device is off. The bezels have also been refined to conceal features that could possibly detract from users’ immersion, such as the device’s iris sensor.

Adaptive Contrast Enhancement is another immersion-amplifying addition that allows the display to provide crisp visuals even in direct sunlight. This offers users more freedom to comfortably consume the content they want, when they want.

To make using the device even more comfortable, the Galaxy S9 also introduces a new Landscape Mode, which allows the home screen and app tray to adjust their orientation when the phone is held at an angle. This feature is particularly useful when a user who is watching a video navigates to the home screen to find another app.

The durability of the devices’ screens and bodies has also been enhanced. In addition to utilizing a high-strength aluminum alloy that offers protection from external impacts, Samsung reinforced both phones with thicker Corning© Gorilla© Glass 5 on their fronts, as well as more scratch-resistant side metal frames.

Cinematic Sound

Because smartphones are increasingly becoming our go-to platforms for entertainment, a top-flight display alone won’t quite cut it. In order to enjoy a truly cinematic mobile viewing experience, we need a premium sound system to complement the display – one that makes it easy for us to immerse ourselves in whatever content we’re consuming.

To enable users to experience true auditory immersion, Samsung placed powerful, AKG-tuned stereo speakers at the bottom and earpiece of the Galaxy S9. Together, the speakers pump out audio that’s not only loud, but also rich and balanced, no matter the volume.

This means that whether you’re streaming the latest binge-worthy show or jamming out to a new playlist, you can count on the Galaxy S9 to provide high-quality audio that keeps you engaged and makes your show, song, or podcast that much more enjoyable.

The Galaxy S9 also features a Dolby Atmos effect that gives users listening through headphones or the device’s speakers the sensation that they’re experiencing 360-degree surround sound. The clever feature carefully analyzes how key variables affect the audio in order to create the most immersive sound experience possible.

The function enriches both Dolby Atmos-exclusive content as well as various other forms of media, and may easily be toggled on or off.

More Tools to Multitask

The Galaxy S9 also features an array of useful functions specifically designed to make it easy for users to multitask using the Infinity Display.

Galaxy users are by now long acquainted with Multi-Window, a convenient feature that enables users to simultaneously manage two windows on their screen for increased efficiency. Edge Lighting Notifications add a new layer of utility to this function by allowing users to easily manage incoming messages while enjoying their favorite content.

With Edge Lighting Notifications, once a message comes in, users are presented with an icon that they may pull down to instantly launch a Multi-Window. This allows them to view their message and compose a reply without needing to navigate away from the website that they were viewing, or falling behind in their movie, show or game.

That multi-app versatility is also the key benefit of App Pair, a convenient feature that quickly became a fan favorite when it was introduced on the Galaxy Note8. App Pair lets users create custom pairs of apps that they can launch simultaneously from the Edge panel or their home screen. This means that with a single tap, a user could instantly launch their music and navigation apps as they began their morning commute, or open their Internet and messaging apps to coordinate dinner with friends.

The Galaxy S9’s powerful combination of sound and display innovations offers users premium multimedia and multitasking experiences without compromise.

*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.

Johannesburg, South Africa, 22 December 2017 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced the latest additions to the Galaxy A series: the Galaxy A8.

The Galaxy A8 feature a Dual Front Camera, a large Infinity Display and stunning ergonomic design that draws on Samsung’s flagship design heritage and experience. With additional everyday features, the Galaxy A series is more stylish, practical and convenient than ever before.

“With the release of the Galaxy A8, we’re bringing our customers’ favourite features from our flagship smartphones, such as the Infinity Display and our first Dual Front Camera with Live Focus, to our Galaxy A series, which is already known for its premium design,” said Craige Fleischer, Vice President of Integrated Mobility at Samsung Electronics South Africa. “The Galaxy A8 exemplify our continued dedication to meeting the needs of our consumers by providing them with greater choice and convenience.”

Snap bright, clear selfies with the 16MP F1.7 rear camera and 16MP+8MP F1.9 Dual Front Camera, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. The Dual Front Camera is made up of two separate cameras so you can switch between the two to take the type of selfie you want – from close-ups with the background to portrait shots with a clear and crisp background. And with the advanced Live Focus feature, you can easily adjust the bokeh effect before or after you take the picture to create high-quality images.

From day to night, the advanced camera makes sure you capture sharp images, even in low-light conditions. The new devices also allow you to customize your photos with fun options, from adding stickers to your selfie or highlighting a culinary extravaganza with Food Mode.

Shaky video footage will be a thing of the past with video digital image stabilisation (VDis) technology, and with an added hyperlapse feature, you can now create time-lapse videos that let you record, tell and share even longer stories.

When watching movies or playing games, the latest Galaxy A devices set a new standard for uninterrupted, immersive viewing experiences. The Infinity Display goes beyond the bezel with an immersive 18.5:9 display ratio[1], so that you can view the whole scene across your screen for the ultimate cinematic experience. The large screen is supported with ergonomic curved glass on the back and front. Its sleek glass and metal frame, smooth curves and comfortable grip make it even easier to watch or interact with content on your phone. The Galaxy A8 are available in four colours including black, orchid grey, gold and blue to suit your personal style[2].

Both devices will continually keep you informed with the Always On Display, meaning you can get information at a glance without unlocking your phone. Offering IP68 water and dust resistance[1], the Galaxy A8 can withstand the elements, including sweat, rain, sand and dust, making it suitable for nearly any activity or situation. The Galaxy A8 support microSD cards so you can expand your storage capacity by as much as 256GB, and are the first in the A series to support Samsung’s Gear VR.

The Galaxy A8 will be available in early January 2018.

For more information, visit www.samsungmobilepress.com

Samsung Galaxy A8 Product Specifications:

* Features and functions will vary by market and mobile operator

* 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.