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When Samsung is mentioned, many people first think of Galaxy phones. After all, from the early Note series to the later foldable screens, Samsung has participated in almost every major form factor change in smartphones over the years. Today, the Galaxy product line is very mature, and One UI is becoming increasingly sophisticated, but looking back at its development history, not every attempt has been successful.

Samsung has a unique characteristic: if it believes a design has the potential to become the future, it’s often willing to implement it first. Curved screens, ultra-large screens, styluses, and foldable screens all had a strong experimental element. This willingness to try new things has resulted in many classic products, but it has also left behind some phones that seem quite outlandish now.

Some models have great ideas, but the actual user experience falls short; some cut corners too much on performance and screen quality to keep prices down; and some seem to have everything, but are awkward to use in every way. The following discussion covers seven of Samsung’s most controversial and disappointing phone models. Which ones have you used?

Samsung UpStage

Released in 2007, the Samsung UpStage was designed when many mobile phone manufacturers wanted to combine a phone with an MP3 player. Samsung’s approach was unique: the phone was designed with two sides: one side for listening to music, and the other side for the numeric keypad and call interface.

When I first saw this phone, the dual-sided design was indeed quite novel. The music side had a larger screen and touch area, making it convenient to view album art and switch songs. However, actual operation wasn’t so smooth. To search for songs, you had to flip the phone to the keyboard side, press the side button to switch, and then flip it back after typing. Having to go through this repeated process to listen to just a few songs quickly turned the so-called dual-sided design into a burden.

The UpStage’s battery life is only about 2.5 hours of talk time, and its 1.3-megapixel camera lacks a flash, resulting in mediocre image clarity and color. As a music-focused phone, the included microSD card is only 64MB, barely enough to store many songs, meaning you’ll likely need to replace the card after purchase.

The problem isn’t that the idea is bad, but that Samsung combined the media player and the phone without solving the switching between the two operating systems. It looks innovative, but it’s always cumbersome to use.

Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016)

Back in 2016, the Galaxy J2 wasn’t the kind of phone that would immediately make you dislike it. The 5-inch Super AMOLED screen had vibrant colors, and the 2600mAh removable battery was quite practical. The problem was that after a while, many traces left by cost-cutting measures would appear.

It lacks even an ambient light sensor, so you have to manually adjust the brightness outdoors or at night. NFC, button vibration feedback, and an auxiliary noise-canceling microphone are also omitted. While the absence of one or two of these features individually isn’t a major issue, the sheer number of them makes daily use feel inconvenient.

Even more unacceptable was the performance. A 1.5GHz quad-core processor paired with 1.5GB of RAM made scrolling through interfaces and opening apps less than smooth, and even slightly complex games struggled. Samsung did add their so-called Turbo Speed ​​Technology at the time, but the hardware was too weak, and no amount of optimization could solve the lag problem.

The Moto G4 Play, priced similarly, is lighter, operates more smoothly, and can record 1080p video, while the Galaxy J2 is limited to 720p. The J2 has a decent screen, but it fails to deliver the most basic smoothness expected of an entry-level phone, which is its truly disappointing aspect.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

When the Galaxy Note 7 was first released, it was actually a flagship phone that garnered a lot of attention. The screen, camera, S Pen, and body design were all well done, and coupled with the good reputation of the Galaxy S7 series that preceded it, many domestic users had high expectations for it at the time.

However, subsequent battery issues overshadowed all the advantages. With overheating, smoke, and burning problems constantly emerging, Samsung ultimately ceased production and sales of the Note 7. A full recall was also initiated in mainland China, involving 190,984 units, including the 1,858 units already recalled.

This issue has sparked particularly strong controversy in China. Samsung initially emphasized that the Chinese version used a different battery and that there were no safety issues, but ultimately all Note 7 phones in China were recalled. For those who had already purchased them, this change in policy is clearly unsettling.

Later, the Note 7 even became a phone that couldn’t be taken on airplanes. The Note 7 wasn’t on this list because of its outdated specifications. On the contrary, it was originally a very competitive flagship. However, no matter how beautiful a phone is or how many features it has, if battery safety cannot be guaranteed, there’s no point in discussing other aspects of the user experience.

Samsung Galaxy Fold

Looking back at the original Galaxy Fold now, the most obvious feeling is: Samsung made a foldable screen, but hasn’t figured out how to make ordinary people feel comfortable using it.

Before its official launch in 2019, the first batch of test units quickly encountered problems. Some had their inner screens go black, others experienced flickering and bulging, and some people mistakenly peeled off the protective layer on the screen surface, thinking it was a regular screen protector, resulting in direct damage. Other malfunctions were related to hinge gaps, where small foreign objects could easily damage the already fragile flexible screen.

After the incident blew up, Samsung had to postpone the launch and rework the screen protector and hinge structure. The Chinese version didn’t officially go on sale until November 2019, priced at 15,999 yuan for the 12GB+512GB version. The price was already high, but users still had to be careful of dust, pressure, and scratches on the inner screen after receiving the product. Such usage pressure would be hard to accept even today.

Moreover, the original Fold wasn’t particularly user-friendly. The inner screen had a noticeable crease, and there was a large notch in the upper right corner; the phone was thick and heavy when folded, and the outer 4.6-inch screen was too small, making even replying to messages uncomfortable. Often, you weren’t enjoying the foldable screen, but rather making do with it.

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold certainly paved the way for later foldable phones, but the first consumers paid a heavy price. Spending 15,999 yuan on a phone that requires constant care seems more like paying for novelty than for a truly mature flagship device.

Samsung i908E (Omnia)

The Samsung i908E was a phone that dared to pack in a lot of features in 2008. It had a 5-megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, and large storage capacity, and the widgets for weather, music, etc. on the desktop could be dragged and dropped. When you first got your hands on it, you were easily attracted by its rich features; at least it looked more like a handheld computer than many other phones at the time.

However, in actual use, the problems with Windows Mobile 6.1 quickly became apparent. Samsung redesigned the desktop with TouchWiz, but after entering settings or applications, there were still densely packed small icons and multi-layered menus. Unfortunately, it used a resistive touchscreen, so light touches often didn’t work, requiring more pressure to press, and small buttons required the use of a stylus.

What’s even more awkward is that the stylus can’t be retracted into the phone body; it can only be hung on the outside. Many operations are inconvenient without the stylus, but carrying it feels cumbersome. It also lacks a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, uses Samsung’s own interface for charging and data transfer, and requires opening the back cover to change the memory card.

The i908E’s camera and battery life aren’t actually bad, but the more features it has, the more cumbersome it becomes to operate. Samsung tried to make Windows Mobile more suitable for touchscreens with TouchWiz, but ultimately only made the desktop look nicer; the system still relies heavily on the stylus. In an era where the iPhone 3G already emphasized finger operation, this experience quickly became outdated.

Samsung Galaxy A80

In 2019, manufacturers tried various methods to achieve full-screen displays, and pop-up cameras were no longer a novelty. However, the Galaxy A80 went a step further. When a selfie is needed, the top of the phone rises first, and then the rear camera module flips to the front. There’s no notch or punch-hole, and the front and rear cameras can share the same lens. The live demonstration was indeed very appealing.

This design might seem novel a few times, but it might not feel the same after daily use. Opening the selfie camera requires waiting for the module to rise and rotate, which isn’t a quick process, and you can hear the mechanical noise. Over time, issues like dust, unusual noises, and jamming will raise concerns, since regular cameras don’t require such a complex process.

Even more embarrassingly, such a big upgrade didn’t translate into particularly outstanding selfies. The 48MP main camera, while boasting impressive specifications on paper, delivers only mediocre low-light performance, and some rear camera functions are unusable in selfie mode. The in-screen fingerprint scanner is also unstable. Overall, the phone feels like it has many ideas, but the details fall short.

The Chinese version only had 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, with an initial price of 3799 yuan, and was equipped with a Snapdragon 730G processor. This price was not cheap in the domestic market at the time, as there were already many options with stronger performance and faster charging. The most valuable part of the A80 was almost entirely concentrated in that rotating mechanism.

I don’t deny that it’s highly recognizable, and even today it doesn’t seem boring. It’s just that we use our phones every day, and every time the camera pops up and flips, it reminds you how complex this design is. A full-screen display was achieved, but at a significant cost.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

The Galaxy Note 20 itself isn’t bad. The Chinese version uses the Snapdragon 865+, and it includes flagship features like the camera, S Pen, and wireless charging, so its performance won’t feel insufficient for daily use. What really caused its reputation to plummet was the discrepancy between its initial price of 7399 yuan and its actual specifications.

The most noticeable flaw is the screen. At 6.7 inches, it’s not small, but the resolution is only 2400×1080, and the refresh rate is stuck at 60Hz. Keep in mind that the Galaxy S20 from the same year already supported 120Hz, and the Note 20 Ultra offered both high resolution and a high refresh rate. Spending over 7,000 yuan on a standard Note, only to find the scrolling experience inferior to an earlier product from the same brand, is indeed somewhat awkward.

The back cover is also made of polycarbonate. Plastic isn’t necessarily inferior; it’s lighter and less prone to breakage. However, at this price point, users will inevitably compare it to glass or metal bodies. Furthermore, the fact that the Chinese version only offers 8GB RAM + 256GB storage makes the gap between the Note 20 and the Ultra too significant for Samsung.

The 4300mAh battery, 25W charging, triple camera, and S Pen are all acceptable on their own, but together they lack the appeal of a high-end flagship. It feels more like a Note with deliberately restrained specifications than a well-made standard flagship. It’s no wonder many people ultimately opted for the Ultra, spending more of their budget.

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