Every new Galaxy phone might seem like a modest upgrade over the one that came before it. But if you zoom out, Samsung’s Galaxy lineup has changed dramatically over the years. Not all of those changes have been for the better, though — or at least that’s how most Galaxy fanboys like me feel.
Along the way, Samsung has also killed off some of the most iconic features. They all went away for different reasons, but none of them were easy to let go of. I’ve ranked them from least to most painful, and trust me, the last one still bugs me.
Related
7 old Android phone features today’s flagships still can’t replace
Bring back the headphone jack, why don’t you?
Heat rate and SpO2 sensor
Health tracking didn’t require a separate gadget
Skye Hudson / MakeUseOfCredit: Skye Hudson / MakeUseOf
There was a time when a Galaxy phone could double as a basic health tracker. With the Galaxy S5, Samsung offered a dedicated heart rate sensor on the back of its flagship phones. All you had to do was put your finger on the sensor, and your Galaxy phone would measure your heart rate.
Samsung expanded the health features with the Galaxy S6 by adding an SpO2 sensor so you could measure your blood oxygen saturation the same way. Of course, none of this was ever meant to replace actual medical equipment, but it was still handy nonetheless. Unfortunately, both these sensors disappeared with the launch of Galaxy S10e.
IR blaster
A universal remote that just worked everywhere
Amir Bohlooli / MUO
Losing a TV or AC remote used to be a non-issue, because your Galaxy phone could just take over. And no, you didn’t have to connect it to the same Wi-Fi network or install a separate app for every device. You could just use it to control almost any device that used a physical infrared remote control. We’re talking about TVs, set-top boxes, DVD players, soundbars, and projectors, and even AC units.
The Galaxy S4 was the first one to pack an IR blaster. You just head to open the Samsung WatchON app and choose the device you wanted to control. The feature wasn’t around for long, though. The Galaxy S6 ended up being the last device to have an IR blaster. It kind of made sense since most devices had started gaining app support by then. Still, the IR blaster was quite handy for controlling older devices.
Notification LED
AOD can’t replace it
Skye Hudson / MakeUseOfCredit: Skye Hudson / MakeUseOf
Yes, older Galaxy phones had giant bezels, but they weren’t completely useless. Like most Android phones back then, Galaxy phones had a notification LED to flag a missed alert or call. You could even customize it to glow different colors for different apps — green for WhatsApp, blue for Messenger, yellow for text messages, red for phone calls, and so on.
But as Samsung embraced edge-to-edge displays and slimmer bezels, the notification LED had to go. The Always-On Display tries to fill that gap, sure, but it’s not quite the same.
SD card
When running out of storage wasn’t a problem
Tashreef Shareef / MakeUseOfCredit: Tashreef Shareef / MakeUseOf
Buying a Galaxy phone used to be a lot less stressful because you didn’t have to guess how much storage you’d need three or four years down the line. If you ran out of space, you could simply pop in a microSD card and add hundreds of gigabytes of extra space. It was one of the biggest flexes the Galaxy phones had over the iPhones.
It was practical too. You could transfer files between devices by simply pulling the card out and inserting it into something else. Unfortunately, it’s now gone for good, and it’s a big step backward, because once you pick a 128GB or 256GB model, you’re stuck with it. Now if you run out of space, you either have to pay for cloud storage or transfer files to USB-C flash drives or SSDs.
Removable battery
Peak smartphone practicality
Arjun Vishnu / MakeUseOfCredit: Arjun Vishnu / MakeUseOf
Samsung’s latest Galaxy flagships promise up to seven years of software updates. But if you’re actually planning to hold onto a phone for that long, one thing’s certain: you’ll need to replace the battery once, maybe twice. This wasn’t a big deal back in the day because you could just order a fresh battery and replace it yourself. There were no labor charges that cost more than the battery.
It’s been more than a decade since Samsung abandoned the removable back in favor of a sealed design. This was done to mainly make the phone thinner and improve water resistance, sure, but it also closed the door on one of the most practical features smartphones ever had.
Headphone jack
Truly plug and play
Skye Hudson / MakeUseOfCredit: Skye Hudson / MakeUseOf
Times were simpler when you could grab a single pair of wired headphones and plug them into practically anything — your phone, laptop, tablet, gaming console, and even the entertainment system on a flight. All of them featured a 3.5mm headphone jack, so compatibility was never an issue.
To be fair, Samsung held onto the headphone jack longer than rivals like Apple, but let’s be honest, the writing was on the wall. Samsung eventually removed the headphone jack in 2019 with the launch of Galaxy Note 10. The reasoning was the same one Apple gave, which is more room for batteries, slimmer designs, and better water resistance. Of course, wireless earbuds are undeniably convenient, but they can’t match the ease of use and affordability of wired headphones.
Brand
House of Marley
Battery Life
Not applicable
Bluetooth
No
Additional Tips
3