Best Case Scenario

 
One of the most frustrating things about getting a brand new device is the disappointing selection of cases when it is released. Since the launch of the Galaxy S5, Samsung has offered fashion-forward cases through designer collaborations, as well as its own sleek cases. With the launch of the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note5, Samsung introduced seven stunning cases, offered in brilliant colors to protect your device and reflect your personal style. These cases include the S View Cover, Flip Wallet, Clear View Cover, Clear Cover, Glitter Cover, Glossy Cover and the Keyboard Cover.

With Samsung’s clever re-introduction of the smartphone keyboard, the Keyboard Cover both protects and offers a detachable QWERTY keyboard. When not needed, the keyboard can be removed and attached to the back cover, and your device will automatically detect and adjust the screen. The design is both practical and convenient.

Samsung’s Clear View Cover is slim and sleek, fingerprint and scratch resistant and offers quick access to all the essentials. The case is translucent and made to show off the brilliant colors of each device. Ten percent thinner than its predecessor, the Clear View Cover allows you to maintain the sleekness of the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note5. A lipophilic finish and PET film keeps your device looking fresh.

The clear front allows users to answer and reject incoming calls, see missed call alerts, check battery life and access audio functions – all without opening the cover.

Power Up

The newest Galaxy devices come with improved wireless charging that is more advanced and faster than ever. The Wireless Charger pad is the world’s fastest wireless charging device for the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note5. It’s easy to use with a convenient LED light that indicates charging status. The premium design, offered in white and navy blue, fits any home or office.

Along with Opening Ceremony’s Battery Pack, Samsung offers its own fast-charging portable Battery Pack. Exceptionally practical with a sophisticated design, Samsung’s Battery Pack is lightweight. It provides an extra 5200mAh boost in battery life. With four LED light indicators, the Battery Pack is easy to use. The Battery Pack is compatible with the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 edge, the Galaxy Note 4, the Galaxy Note edge, the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note5. Just ten minutes of super-fast charging power gives your device up to four hours of battery life, and 90 minutes will fully charge your device*.

*may vary depending on individual usage patterns

Samsung also offers the Wireless Charger Pack which is a protective case, wirelessly charging pad and external battery, all-in-one. Designed for the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note5, the Wireless Charger Pack is equipped with 3400mAh of power.

Sound Off

Samsung’s premium audio accessories provide ultimate sound quality for an immersive experience. Samsung’s wide range of audio accessories include LEVEL On Wireless, LEVEL On Wireless Pro, LEVEL Box Mini, LEVEL U, LEVEL Link and Bluetooth headsets.

LEVEL U is offered in four beautiful colors, black sapphire, white, gold and blue, and is ergonomically designed for flexible comfort. Offering best-in-class sound quality, LEVEL U is perfect for multiple purposes. LEVEL U also allows users to make calls and control music using the magnetic earbuds.

LEVEL On Wireless Pro headsets offer studio sound quality that is rich and balanced. With a stylish, foldable design, they are portable and convenient. Available in two colors (gold and black), LEVEL On Wireless Pro is equipped with easy touch controls to adjust volume, control music and answer calls.

Stylish and Functional

Samsung is committed to offering the latest in mobile device technology, and the best in accessories that both fit your personal style and help you use your device to its fullest capabilities. With stylish cases, powerful and fast charging and immersive audio, Samsung offers an abundance of options to reflect your personal style.

The Gear S2 has made a big impression with its innovative design and functionality since it was unveiled at IFA 2015 in Berlin. The most noticeable differences are a circular display and rotating bezel that controls the UX (User eXperience), which has totally transformed how smartwatches are used, making them simpler and more intuitive.

So the big question is, how did Samsung’s designers develop such a new vision for the smartwatch? Let’s take an inside look at the design of the Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic, and how the designers created such an innovative device.

Getting the Right Fit

For the Gear S2 to fit everyone at every moment, Samsung’s designers realized that they needed to focus on two key elements: finding the optimum size for the display and a suitable wristband for everyone.

“The width and shape of people’s wrists are different based on a number of factors. But we were dedicated to developing a Gear S2 strap to fit everyone,” said Jaehyung Hong, Senior Designer.
Reducing the size to fit comfortably on the wrist, while maintaining the same highly advanced technologies found in smartphones, was not easy. After much brainstorming, research and trial and error, the designers finally found a solution. Though it required a more complicated assembly process, the space between the watch face and the wristband was reduced, resulting in a more comfortable fit.

A Revolutionary Bezel

One of the most signature aspects of the Gear S2 is the rotating bezel. Rotating bezels have been used before in analog watches, but chiefly with dive watches, which are most commonly used for timing events. But when Samsung applied that technology to the Gear S2, it was a revelation.

“As touch screens have spread to all electronic devices, people are gradually forgetting about the rotary feel of analog devices,” said Yongseok Bang, Principle Designer. “We used to control the volume of TV or audio, the heating level of the range, by turning a dial. We’ve tried to revive the analog feel with the Gear S2.”

Bang also noted that circular designs had been considered for many years, but it was not easy to provide a convenient user experience with the full circle design.

“The circle design offers less space to display information than a square design,” noted Eunjoo Kim, Principle Designer. “We needed to consider how to use the space more efficiently. Then we realized users can enjoy and control the full display without any interruption through a rotating bezel.”

Because the Gear S2 is operated by the rotating bezel, the UX is faster, easier and more accurate. Users can control the interface without blocking the screen with their fingers. Although the rotating bezel is used in timer-like bezels of analog wristwatches, it functions completely differently, so designers had to come up with a wholly new approach.

“For every movement of the bezel, we discussed which way the screen should move,” said Yusic Kim, Senior Designer. “The most difficult part of the Gear S2 UX design was that we had to invent something totally new. We had to let go of our past designs and practices.”

To adjusting a physically rotating bezel, Samsung designers had to more closely work together with engineers than ever before. “We had to consider things like how much force was necessary to rotate the bezel, how much rotation was to be regarded as one unit, how many fingers were required to rotate the bezel, and more,” said Eunjoo Kim.

A Watch That Fits Your Needs

The most-used features on smartwatches are usually related to health, communication and music. With the Gear S2 and the Gear S2 classic, these features are easier and more intuitive than ever. Activity is recorded automatically on a 24-hour activity log. Notifications can be accessed simply by raising your wrist and music is controlled by the bezel. The Gear S2 and the Gear S2 classic have improved even the most basic features.

The Gear S2 and the Gear S2 classic also feature Samsung Pay, ensuring safe and easy mobile payments and freedom from carrying a bulky wallet. Smart Key replaces old keys, offering secure keyless entry. With the Gear S2 and the Gear S2 classic, simply enjoy more and worry about less.

Built-in wireless charging was specially designed for the Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic. Thinking about user experiences, the design team imagined how users would take off their watches at the end of the day. The wireless charging dock is magnetic and works when users place their watches on the dock, just as they would put their watches on the nightstand.

Of course, all that functionality is only half the equation. Users also have to be able to wear it in style. And thanks to hundreds of customizable watch faces and a wide selection of watch bands, all users have the ability to create a Gear S2 that’s just right for them. The design team wanted to make the bezel as simple as possible, so that the users have the freedom to decorate their Gear S2.

“Wristwatches have long been widely loved fashion items and we want users to feel they can wear a new smartwatch every day,” said Yusic Kim. “Gear S2’s many additional apps will be appearing continually at Samsung Gear Apps, including unique watch faces.”

The Smartwatch Everyone’s Been Waiting For

Through hard work and determination, Samsung’s designers have redefined the limits of smartwatches, bridging the gap between analog wristwatches and wearables. Thanks to their vision and focus on the needs of users, the Gear S2 is a smartwatch that fits into consumers’ lives, naturally.

From left to right: Jaehyung Hong (Senior Designer), Yongseok Bang (Principal Designer), Eunjoo Kim (Principal Designer), and Yusic Kim (Senior Designer)

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 the 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.

When we developed the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, the goal was to make Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone as strong and durable as possible, beginning with the metal chassis.

There were two missions that had to be completed with regard to the Galaxy S6 metal material. It had to be strong, yet it also had to be possible to make it elegant in post-processing (surface treatment). The metal handset itself is not a new idea, but the new phone had to have far superior functionalities than the existing products in the market. In short, the material needed to be thin and powerful. So we used 6013 aluminum, a high-strength aluminum alloy. This was the first time this kind of aluminum was used in a smartphone.

Why did we choose 6013 aluminum? A brief demonstration makes it obvious. The photo below shows the results of us banging together two types of aluminum: 6063, which is the standard type of aluminum used in electronics, and 6013. As you can see, the 6063 block has deep dents while 6013 survived with only minor scratches.

6013 aluminum — which is typically used in products that require high durability, such as aircraft parts, submarines, mountain bikes and yachts — is 1.5 times stronger and 1.2 times more durable than 6063.

The flip side of 6013’s strength is that it is difficult to work with in post-processing (surface treatment). We typically use a process called sandblasting in which a fine ceramic powder is used to create a luxurious matte finish. But because the aluminum was too strong, it was not easy to create a consistent surface. We had to develop a stronger method than the one that had been used previously, and numerous tests were carried out in order to find the optimal particle.

Before (top) and after (bottom) the sandblasting process

But our challenges did not end there. To make matters worse, the anodizing method we had used to process the exterior of our smartphones in the past was leading to the yellowing of the surface color. Anodizing creates a film on the surface of the metal so that color can be added. A chemical process is required to ensure the color is absorbed evenly.

We were faced with the prospect of having to completely discard the existing technology that had been used in mass production over the last several years. In the end, our equipment had to be changed to accommodate the new conditions. The new metal certainly presented some significant challenges, but in the end we were able to overcome the obstacles.

The photo below shows a 320-gram aluminum plate before processing on the left. After precision processing that required 20 different phases, we arrive at the 15-gram piece of strong yet thin metal on the right. It is no so dissimilar from a craftsman working on a gemstone to produce a gem.

Making Thin and Strong 3D Glass

The Galaxy S6 edge may very well be the epitome of 3D glass technology at its finest. The dual edge design uses Gorilla Glass 4 that is even thinner than the glass used for the Galaxy Note 4 Edge. Gorilla Glass 4 is a reinforced glass that is strengthened using a process in which the glass is soaked in chemicals. The sodium component of the glass is replaced by potassium, which has a larger molecule particle. The reinforcing processes give the glass stronger resistance to external shocks.

Samsung’s unique 3D thermoforming technology also played a vital role but determining the right temperature and pressure was very difficult. When we raised the temperature, the glass surface crumpled and when the temperature was set too low, the glass broke. We had to find the optimal 3D thermoforming condition to make certain that the surface quality was even and the precision degree of the measurement was right. After dozens of trials of making the molding frame with the right temperature and pressure, we were successful in producing the optimal 3D thermoforming condition that ensured we could get it just right. For the Galaxy S6, the 3D glass was molded at a temperature of 800℃ and machined to precision. The glass endured 15 sophisticated processes, including forming, machining, polishing of interior and exterior surfaces.

The development team for the Galaxy S6 worked around the clock. It was one of the most difficult times of my life and all the members of the group from bottom to the top worked together as one in developing the new product. It was not an easy task because it was unchartered territory for all of us. Based on the experience of developing Galaxy S6, we promise to continue to deliver products with differentiated values to consumers in the future.