The Samsung Galaxy series is noteworthy for its pioneering role in bringing Android into mainstream popularity beginning in the early 2010s.
The Galaxy Watch is the first Galaxy-branded smartwatch since the release of later iterations of the Gear smartwatch from 2014 to 2017. In 2020, Samsung added the Galaxy Chromebook 2-in-1 laptop running ChromeOS to the Galaxy branding lineup.[3] The follow-on Galaxy Chromebook 2 was released in 2021.[4]
Galaxy C series: premium mid-range versions of the Galaxy A series sold in Asian markets. They succeed the premium mid-range Galaxy A series devices.
Galaxy Xcover series: rugged business phones with low specifications.
Galaxy Wide series: low-end devices based on Galaxy J, On, A, F and M series, sold primarily in South Korea by SK Telecom.
Galaxy Quantum series: premium mid-range devices based on Galaxy A and M series (A71 5G, A82, M53, A54, A55) sold primarily in South Korea by SK Telecom.
Samsung Galaxy Tab series: Divided into three series, Tab S: high-end to mid-range tablets; Tab A: mid-range to low-end tablets; and Tab Active: mid-range rugged tablets.
Samsung Galaxy Watch series: Divided into three series, Galaxy Watch: base models; Galaxy Watch Classic: premium smartwatches; Galaxy Watch FE: affordable smartwatches based on older Galaxy Watch models.
Galaxy Note series: devices with a large screen and a built-in stylus, discontinued in 2022 and merged with the Z series and S Ultra models starting in 2021 (With the S21 Ultra which support S-Pen input, as the S-Pen is not included in packaging since there's no dedicated slot to put the pen inside, making the S-Pen available as an optional accessory for the devices, and the S22 Ultra, which brought back the integrated S-Pen and the pen slot).
Galaxy Watch Active: Variants of base model Galaxy Watches that focused more on fitness and wellness, merged with the base models in 2021 starting with the Galaxy Watch 4
Galaxy J series: entry-level devices touted as a replacement for the Galaxy Core, Grand, E, Ace and Trend lines, merged with the Galaxy A series and all models were discontinued in 2020.
Galaxy On series: online-exclusive mid-range phones, discontinued in 2019 in favor for the Galaxy M series.
Galaxy Gear series: lineup of wearable devices that included headsets, earbuds, smartwatches and activity trackers, headsets discontinued in 2017 and the rest of the product lineup was discontinued in 2019 in favor for the Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Fit.
Galaxy Grand series: mid-range devices, discontinued in 2016 as original models but continued production as rebranded models of Galaxy J series until the latter was merged with the Galaxy A series in 2019.
Galaxy S Active: rugged versions of base-model S series, discontinued in 2018 and replaced by the Xcover family.
Galaxy Neo models: refreshed versions of older Galaxy models with newer hardware but lower specs compared to the original models, discontinued in 2017 and succeeded by the Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy Note 10 Lite and Fan Edition ("FE")[5] models beginning with the Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S20 FE.
Previous Galaxy Tab devices: Galaxy Tab series sold before 2017 that included the Tab 7.0, Tab 8.9, Tab 10.1, Tab Education, Tab Pro, Tab Note and Tab E. Samsung streamlined the Galaxy Tab product family and these devices were succeeded by the Galaxy Book, Galaxy Tab A and Galaxy Tab S.
Galaxy Pocket: small devices, discontinued in 2015.
Galaxy Camera: camera phones, discontinued in 2014 and replaced by the Galaxy S4 Zoom, Galaxy S5 Zoom and Galaxy K Zoom. Samsung would later stop selling camera phones after 2015.
Galaxy Beam: phones with built-in projectors, discontinued in 2014.
Galaxy Mini: small devices, discontinued in 2013 and replaced by Galaxy Pocket series and Galaxy Y series.
Galaxy R: mid-range devices, discontinued in 2012 and replaced by the Galaxy Grand family in April 2013.
Hierarchy
The hierarchy of Galaxy smartphone models as of 2025 looks like this:
Galaxy S ("Ultra" and "Edge" models) and Galaxy Z ("Fold" model)
Galaxy S (base and "+" models) and Galaxy Z ("Flip" model)
Galaxy S ("FE" model)
Galaxy A5x and Galaxy M5x/F5x
Galaxy A3x and Galaxy M3x
Galaxy A2x
Galaxy A1x and M1x/F1x
Galaxy A0x/M0x/F0x
Model numbers
Since September 2013, model numbers of devices in the Samsung Galaxy series are in the "SM-ABCDE" format (excluding the Galaxy J SC-02F, Galaxy Centura SCH-S738C, and SGH-N075T), where A is the model series, B is the device class, C is the generation, D is the device type, and E is the country/region that is made for (if applicable). Prior to September 2013, the model numbers were in the "GT-XXXXX" format; they were also in the "SCH-XXXX", "SGH-XXXX", "SPH-XXXX" and "SHV/SHW-XXXX" formats.
Phones
SM-Sxxx – S series model from S22 and later
SM-Fxxx – Z series model, and some older F series model
SM-Gxxx – S series (S5 - S21), XCover model, and some J series Prime model
GT-Nxx00/GT-Pxx20 – older mainstream Tab with built-in S Pen stylus model (Note 8.0 and 10.1, 3G/4G LTE respectively)
GT-Nxx13 – older mainstream Tab with built-in S Pen stylus model (Note 8.0 and 10.1, US/Canada Wi-Fi)
GT-Nxx10 – older mainstream Tab with built-in S Pen stylus model (Note 8.0 and 10.1, International Wi-Fi)
GT-Pxx00/GT-Pxx20 – older mainstream Tab model (Tab 1 to Tab 3, 3G/4G LTE respectively)
GT-Pxx13 – older mainstream Tab model (Tab 1 to Tab 3, US/Canada Wi-Fi)
GT-Pxx10 – older mainstream Tab model (Tab 1 to Tab 3, International Wi-Fi)
GT-Snnn5/GT-Nnnn5/GT-Pnnn5/GT-Innn5/SM-NnnnF/SM-Tnn5/SM-GnnnF – 4G/LTE model
Regions
A: AT&T
AZ: Cricket
P: Sprint, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile
R4: UScellular
T: T-Mobile
T1: Metro by T-Mobile (formerly MetroPCS)
V: Verizon
U: USA carrier locked
U1: USA factory unlocked
S: SK Telecom
K: KT
L: LG Uplus
D: NTT Docomo
J: au by KDDI
Z: SoftBank Mobile
Q: Japan factory unlocked
N: Korea
W: Canada
E: Asian
M: Latin America
0: China mainland (phones)
C: China mainland (tablets) and Rakuten Mobile (Japan)
B: International 5G
F: International 4G/LTE
H: International 3G
X: Live Demo Unit
Duos or Dual SIM models end with the /DS suffix.
Firmware numbering
The following is a list of known firmware regions.
Korea
KS: Korea (phones)
KO: Korea (cellular tablets)
XX: All Wi-Fi tablets
India
IN: India (all phones)
Americas
SQ: USA (carrier locked phones)
UE: USA (carrier unlocked phones and Wi-Fi tablets), Canada (Wi-Fi tablets)
VL: Canada (all variants except Wi-Fi tablets)
UB: Latin America & Caribbean
XX: All Wi-Fi tablets
China
ZC: China mainland (all devices)
ZH: Hong Kong/Taiwan (all phones)
XX: Hong Kong/Taiwan (all tablets)
Background
The original Samsung Galaxy was launched in June 2009 as Samsung's first Android powered device. At the time, the brand's flagship smartphone was the Samsung Omnia and its successor, powered by Windows Mobile.[6] Omnia had been the second full-touch Samsung device running the TouchWiz user interface (after the Tocco), but the Galaxy had an unmodified Google Android interface; the TouchWiz UI made its way to the Galaxy series with the Galaxy S.[7] The Galaxy S and its successor Galaxy S II became very successful, eclipsing the company's other lines and operating systems.[8] During the decade, the Galaxy phones "became the company's most-praised products [and] also were among the best-selling smartphones in the world."[9]
The Galaxy S series is Samsung's flagship line of high-end smartphones. Since 2022, the Ultra model has been targeted towards power-users, replacing the Note series that was aimed towards the same demographic. The latest models, the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra, were released in January 2025.
The Galaxy A series is Samsung's line of low- to mid-range smartphones sold since 2014 (and formerly premium mid-range from its introduction until 2021), providing a more affordable alternative to the high-end Galaxy S series or Fan Edition devices the with reduced specifications and features. The latest models, the Galaxy A06 and A16, were released in October 2024.
Samsung Galaxy C series
The Galaxy C series is a line of mid-range devices for specific markets. The latest device released under this line is the Samsung Galaxy C55 5G.[10]
The Galaxy F series is an online-exclusive, low- to mid-range smartphones sold alongside the M series.
Galaxy XCover series
The Galaxy XCover series is a line of rugged "business" phones, which have low-end specifications but with stronger build quality and durability. The latest in common is the Galaxy Xcover 7.
Discontinued lines
Samsung released multiple series of smartphones, often overlapping with each other. Most of these series were dropped.
The Galaxy Note series was a line of high-end devices primarily oriented towards pen computing using Samsung's S Pen. The line was replaced by the Galaxy S Ultra series and Z series starting in 2021 (with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, with the S Pen being an accessory, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which brought back the integrated pen and pen slot).
The Galaxy Core/Grand series is a line of mid-range devices released between 2013 and 2015. The line was replaced by the J and A series.
The Galaxy Tab series is a line of Android-powered tablets that debuted in 2010.[9] There are two sub-categories currently under this series:
The Galaxy Tab S is a line of mid-range to high-end tablets, with a focus on productivity and pen computing. The Galaxy Tab S10+ and S10 Ultra are the latest devices, released in September 2024.
The Galaxy Tab Active is a line of mid-range rugged tablets, with a focus on durability and use in extreme environments. The Galaxy Tab Active 5 is the latest 8" model, released in January 2024.
The Galaxy Tab A is a line of low-end tablets. The Galaxy Tab A9 and A9+ are the latest models, released in 2023.
Samsung announced the Galaxy Gear, a smartwatch running Android 4.3, on 4 September 2013. The Galaxy Gear was Samsung's only smartwatch to feature Galaxy branding; later Samsung smartwatches use the Samsung Gear branding. The Gear series was later succeeded by the Galaxy Watch series.
In a software update in May 2014, Samsung replaced the operating system of the Galaxy Gear from Android to Tizen.[citation needed] Samsung's One UI, which is running on newer Galaxy devices released after 2019, is available to Galaxy Watch on 20 May 2019.[15][16]
After the release of the Galaxy Watch Series, Samsung transitioned from Tizen to Google's WearOS with their Galaxy Watch4. The latest release of Galaxy Watch is the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch7.
Activity trackers
Samsung announced the Galaxy Fit, an activity tracker positioned below the Galaxy Watch line. The first iteration was released on 2019.[17] Samsung later announced the Galaxy Fit2, which is a follow-up of their first tracker from 2019. In 2024, Samsung would once again announce a new device in the Fit Line, known as the Fit3.
Samsung announced the Galaxy Buds, which is the new replacement to the Gear IconX.[18][better source needed]. The first iteration was released on 20 February 2019. Subsequent Galaxy Buds iterations will be revealed during the Galaxy Unpacked event annually.
The Galaxy brand is also extended in laptops, notebooks, and 2-in-1 convertibles. The Galaxy Book consists of products based on Microsoft Windows, while the Galaxy Chromebook line is based on ChromeOS.
Samsung Galaxy smartphones run the Android operating system under the Google Mobile Services platform, however Samsung and third-parties have bundled various other software in them too. The TouchWiz interface was used until 2017, replaced by Samsung Experience. This was then replaced by One UI in 2019.
The company has created many apps and services under the Galaxy brand specifically for these devices - many of which come preloaded - including the Galaxy Store which provides apps and customizations. Since late 2019, several Microsoft apps like Outlook also come preloaded[22] on Galaxy as a result of a Samsung-Microsoft partnership.[23][22]
Interoperability
Samsung Flow
Samsung have made several tools for making various Galaxy devices like phones, tablets and watches, work closer together. Samsung Flow is a feature allowing content to be synced with a PC, such as notifications, replying to messages and authenticating from a PC, and sharing content.[24] It was announced in November 2014,[25] released in a preview form in May 2015[26] and final released in May 2016.[27] Microsoft's Phone Link also comes on Galaxy smartphones since 2019.[23]
Another feature named Multi Control allows controlling of a Galaxy smartphone with a Galaxy Book keyboard and mouse, and drag and drop files between them.[28]Device Control is another feature in the quick panel that can control SmartThings and other devices.[29]
Release history
The following is a table showing the full initial release history of every Galaxy device since 2009.
Starting from the Galaxy Note 3, Samsung phones and tablets contained a warning label stating that it would only operate with SIM cards from the region the phone was sold in. A spokesperson clarified the policy, stating that it was intended to prevent grey-market reselling, and that it only applied to the first SIM card inserted. For devices to use a SIM card from other regions, one of the following actions totaling five minutes or longer in length must first be performed with the SIM card from the local region:
Make calls on the phone or watch from the Samsung Phone app
Use the Call and Text on Other Devices feature to make calls
With the launch of the Galaxy S8 series in 2017, that process has changed. Due to the fact that many variants use a Multi-CSC, it will only work with SIM cards from the same CSC group. For example, an AT&T SIM card will not work on cellular-based Galaxy devices sold in Europe and other countries.
"Over the Horizon" is the trademark sound for Samsung smartphone devices, first introduced in 2011 on the Galaxy S II.[83] It was composed by Joong-sam Yun and appears as music in the music library of most Samsung phones released since 2011.[84] Prior to 2011, "Beyond Samsung" served as Samsung's trademark music track, while "Samsung Tune" was used as the default ringtone. The sound appears as the default ringtone, as well as the sound when the phone turns on or off (a snippet is used), and as a notification sound. While the basic composition of the six-note tune has not changed since its inception, various versions of different genres have been introduced as the product line evolved.
While the first two versions were created in-house at Samsung, later versions were outsourced to external musicians. The sound has been covered by various popular artists who have released their own arrangements and remixes of the song, such as Quincy Jones, Icona Pop, Suga of BTS, and various K-pop artists. In Samsung's U.S. registration of the trademark for the sound, it is described as "the sound of a bell playing a B4 dotted eighth note, a B4 sixteenth note, an F#5 sixteenth note, a B5 sixteenth note, an A#5 eighth note, and an F#5 half note".[85]
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