Faces of Innovation: The Stories Behind the Galaxy S6

Over the last two months, Samsung Tomorrow has presented a series of editorials from the lead designers and engineers who made the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge an innovative mobile device loaded with the latest technology. In these editorials, the designers and engineers describe how each component was developed, what their goals were and what technical challenges had to be overcome. See below for a brief idea of what each part was about and click the links to read the editorials.

Part 1: Design

In the first installment, Minhyouk Lee, Vice President and Head of the Design Team at the Mobile Communications Business, discussed how the design for the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge was born. Rather than building on previous versions of the Galaxy S, Lee and his team started at zero, developing the concept of “Beauty Meets Purpose.”

“Water was the inspiration behind the design because of its purity and malleability in color and depth. Like a metal bowl filled to the brim with water, the glass is beautifully wrapped in metal to symbolically represent a dynamic harmony of reliable technology and creative design.” – Minhyouk Lee

Read More: Starting at Zero: The Story Behind the Design of the Galaxy S6

Part 2: Cameras

The second editorial in the series, Heung-Sik Jung, a camera R&D engineer, wrote about the specs on the front and rear camears of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. Jung discussed how the camera engineers found ways to make the cameras better than ever while dealing with stringent space restraints. The team opted to enlarge the sensors while maintaining the overall thinness of the cameras. A wider aperture (F1.9) means better photos in low-light. They also applied Auto Real-time HDR on both cameras.

“Of course, not all smartphone users have an expert-level of knowledge of all the features of the camera. However, users want to be able to capture the beautiful moments of their everyday lives with high-quality pictures and videos, even if they don’t have expert knowledge of their phone’s features. The Galaxy S6 allows users to take high quality pictures at any time by simply pressing the shutter, without having to consider any background factors or conditions.” – Heung-Sik Jung

Read More: Bigger and Better But Still Thin: The Story Behind the Galaxy S6 Cameras

Part 3: Wireless Charging

Principal engineer Se-Ho Park wrote about the groundbreaking wireless charging capabilities in part 3 of the series. Park explains how his team’s main challenge was slimming down the wireless charging components enough to fit inside the thin device. For the last few years, wireless charging had limitations. Users need a buy a thick cover accessory and many complained that charging time took too long. Samsung engineers were able to fix these issues for the Galaxy S6.

“I am proud that wireless charging was introduced and believe that it will become an innovation that will benefit users. Although wireless charging technology existed before, we were able to apply the technology to a model and take it a step closer towards commercialization.” – Se-Ho Park

Read More: The Awesome Power of Wireless Charging

Part 4: Display

Jason Choi, Principal Engineer at Display Lab, discusses the immersive power of the state-of-the-art display in part 4 of the series. Choi writes about how the adaptive display technology maximizes viewing experience depending on the circumstances and how the Display Lab team worked to make the screen more energy efficient without compromising on image quality.

“We knew how difficult this job would be, and how many roadblocks were out there. The early scepticism concerning the feasibility, and the repeated trial and error finally allowed us to determine the optimal bonding procedure. All the related divisions made it a priority and were fully committed to this project. The matchless Galaxy S6 edge’s appearance was created thanks to such an immense amount of effort.” – Jason Choi

Read More: How the Galaxy S6 Display Gives an Immersive 3D-like Experience

Part 5: Sound

In the penultimate installment of the series, Senior Engineer Gunhyuk Yoon explained how his team made the most of very limited real estate, creating a speaker for the Galaxy S6 that was 1.5 times more powerful that the one on the Galaxy S5.

“Eventually, the speaker was moved to the bottom of the phone and we were able to secure a few extra millimeters, allowing us to reproduce high-quality original sound at a wider range with the high-powered speaker. The result is the one of the most outstanding speakers ever found in a mobile device, one that surpasses the performance of existing micro speakers.” – Gunhyuk Yoon

Read More: Big, Sophisticated Sound Quality From a Small Device: The Story Behind the Galaxy S6 Sound

Part 6: Materials

In the final editorial of the series, Principal Engineer Kwangjin Bae explained the advantages as well as the obstacles, presented by the new glass and metal used to build the Galaxy S6. A stronger type of aluminum was used, along with the latest strong glass, in order to ensure the Galaxy S6 was as durable as possible.

“It is a demonstration that often leaves people in awe. A full grown man attempts to break a thin glass plate by bending it with both hands, even stepping on it for extra leverage. He then picks up aluminum brick and slams it with great force on the glass plate. When all is said and done, both the glass and the aluminum remain in immaculate condition. These are the materials we used to make the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge.” – Kwangjin Bae

Read More: The Perfect Fusion: The Story Behind the Metal and Glass of the Galaxy S6