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Blast from the Past: Samsung’s Mobile Innovations shows evolution of mobile tech

MWC 2025
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What a difference two decades make. At MWC 2016, Samsung created a museum of sorts, showcasing many of its biggest mobile tech innovations since 1988. We took a stroll through the exhibit during its Unpacked event for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. It was mesmerizing to see some of the ancient tech from the ’80s, ’90s, and early ’00s — Mobile tech has come so far since the first mobile phone hit the scene.

Just look at the first Samsung mobile phone from 1988 and that horrid smartwatch from 1999 and compare them to the gorgeous Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, the sleek modular LG G5, the deca-core Zopo Speed 8, the classy Huawei Watch, the stylish Moto 360, and all the other amazing mobile devices we’ve seen at this show or over the past year.

Although Samsung’s museum only represents a selection of its innovations, it does give you an idea of how much the industry has evolved over the past two decades (the period the museum primarily focuses on). Let’s take a stroll through time, shall we?

Malarie Gokey
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
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