Samsung Newsroom sat down with members of Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Communications Business, who were behind the development of the Sunrise Gold color of the Galaxy S9 and S9+. They include instrument developers Seung-hwan Park and Young-gun Kim from the Mechanical R&D Team, and designers Hye-jin Bang and Hye-jung Lee from the Design Team.

(from left) Hye-jin Bang, Young-gun Kim, Seung-hwan Park and Hye-jung Lee

Q: What inspired the development of Sunrise Gold?

Hye-jin Bang: Samsung has released a gold edition for every Galaxy model. For Galaxy S9 and S9+, we wanted to create a new luxurious gold edition that is both gender neutral and appeals to people of all ages, including millennials. Based on the latest trends in various industries, such as interior design, and extensive global consumer surveys, we found that Sunrise Gold meets all our objectives.

Sunrise Gold is inspired by satin-weave fabric, which reflects a unique, subtle aura of gloss. We spent several years developing the Satin Gloss Finish – a new type of glossy surface that also includes qualities of a matt finish – to capture the exact texture of the fabric.

Each color of gold is different, yet beautiful. Take a look at Galaxy S9’s Sunrise Gold (left) and Galaxy S8’s Maple Gold (right).

Q: How did the team achieve the Satin Gloss Finish?

Seung-hwan Park: To realize the subtleties of Satin Gloss Finish, we had to accurately adjust the glossiness of the surface. That’s why we added an extra layer of glass coating on the back of the phone, and made the surface rugged afterward, to change the way it reflects light. The reduced glossiness of the finish also reduces fingerprint marks on the phone. Samsung patented the Satin Gloss Finish, as it’s a first in the smartphone industry.

Hye-jin Bang: We have been wanting to develop the Satin Gloss Finish for around four years. We were finally able to put the idea into practice after countless experiments. During the development process, we had difficulties producing the glossiness we had in mind while maintaining the coating’s durability, which is crucial for smartphones.

Q: How did the team improve the durability of the Satin Gloss Finish?

Seung-hwan Park: The production technique we used to improve durability involves several high-temperature treatments of the coating to unify glass coating with mobile back glass. This was the first time we used this technique in our manufacturing process and we spent a lot of time improving its reliability.

Young-gun Kim: One of the most difficult part was finding a way to produce the precise level of glossiness. We produced many samples with different techniques and tested them under various conditions. We finally achieved the Satin Gloss Finish after a lengthy process of trial and error.

Q: Finally, what’s the meaning behind the name Sunrise Gold?

Hye-jung Lee: The concept of Galaxy S9 and S9+ revolves around capturing everyday moments in special ways. Samsung has so far introduced four color editions for the devices. Each of the colors represent a different time of the day: Midnight Black is inspired by the night; Titanium Gray symbolizes the liminal time between night and day; Coral Blue mimics the dawn; and Lilac Purple reflects the sunset. We wanted to apply the same theme to the new color edition.

The impressive reddish hue of the latest gold edition resembles the light of a rising sun. That’s why we chose the name Sunrise Gold to represent the magical moment when light radiates across the sky when daylight breaks.

Samsung Newsroom recently conducted a series of interviews with various members of the team behind the company’s latest flagship. Check out the roundup of quotes below to learn more about the insights that shaped the Galaxy S9.

Providing a Single, Intuitive Experience

“[When designing the Galaxy S9,] we focused on enhancing the end-to-end user experience. For the camera, that involved ensuring easy-to-use Super Slow-mo video functionality, with immediately accessible videos that could be directly uploaded to social media through one intuitive process.”

Encouraging Self-Expression with AR Emoji

“‘Communication’ today has come to mean ‘self-expression’. We wanted [the AR Emoji feature] to provide the most personal emojis possible, which would capture users’ individuality with innovative AR technology. The My Emoji feature, which resembles the user’s own facial features, allows users to communicate their emotions in a way that’s uniquely personalized.”

Utilizing the Camera to the Fullest

“We will continue to strive for perfect, professional-quality images. But more importantly, our aim is to make it easier for users to fully utilize our sophisticated camera technology. Our goal is to develop a camera that always produces the best pictures for all users, without requiring them to tinker with settings.”

Producing an Exclusive Sound Experience

“Samsung partnered with HARMAN and Dolby Atmos to craft speakers that are richly satisfying in both sound quality and volume. Through our extensive research and development process, we found that immersive sound can bring a whole new experience to smartphone users who frequently view premium content on their devices. The Galaxy S9’s speakers are the culmination of Samsung’s ongoing efforts to foster peerless multimedia experiences.”

Refining Design Based on User Feedback

“The Galaxy S8 was applauded for its smooth, continuous design. When developing the Galaxy S9, we listened closely to input from users on ways to make that design even better. We decided to adjust the placement of the fingerprint sensor and the side buttons, and made the barely there bezels even slimmer. To create a more seamless look, we crafted the bezels and screen in a deep black, which allows them to blend together nicely and helps conceal the iris sensor, and we also equipped the device with thicker, more durable glass.”

Developing an Efficient UX That Empowers
Users’ Self-Expression

“We designed the Galaxy S9’s UX (user experience) with an emphasis on efficiency, because the easier it is to manage your device, the better your experience will be. And because smartphones are a representation of the user’s personality, we strived to make the UX as customizable as possible in order to foster users’ creativity and self-expression – and that includes the device’s wide spectrum of sound effects.”

Partnering to Make AI More Convenient

“We’ve greatly enhanced Bixby through partnerships that have enabled customized services in different countries, and we’re constantly exploring new Bixby features that can help make people’s everyday lives easier.”

Redefining Smartphone ‘Satisfaction’

“The basic features of smartphones have been refined to the point that consumers are largely satisfied. What matters is not how diverse the features offered are, but whether each feature delivers a high level of satisfaction. At this point, we need to think about the next phase for smartphones, which will involve delivering innovations that really resonate with the new generation of users.”

Staying Ahead of the Game

“[Going forward,] it will be important to stay a step ahead in innovative features, as well as time them to the market appropriately to grab consumers’ attention. We plan to continue exploring dynamic visual features, in addition to working on integrating new technologies like AR (augmented reality) and AI (artificial intelligence) into our devices.”

Sitting down with three of the flagship smartphone’s designers in the Mobile Communications Business – Dongsoo Kim from the Global Product Planning Group and Jaehyun Kim and Seongkwan Yang from the Audio Group – we took a closer look on how the speakers of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ were optimized for multimedia content.

(from left) Jaehyun Kim from the Audio Group, Dongsoo Kim from the Global Product Planning Group, and Seongkwan Yang also from the Audio Group at Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business

More Speakers, More Sound

Dongsoo Kim reflected on what drove the team to bring the stereo speaker experience to the Galaxy S9: “As more and more people access content through their smartphones, greater emphasis was placed on the screen and creating bigger, higher-quality displays to view content with. Since display technology has already reached this point, we set out to design a high-performing speaker to equal the screen.”

The first step in Samsung’s journey towards stereo sound was equipping the device with two speakers. Whereas previous generations of the smartphone have placed a single speaker at the bottom of the phone, the Galaxy S9 has speakers at both the bottom and the top of the phone, creating a more immersive experience.

“The key was to develop speakers and amplifiers that serve the dual purpose of making phone calls and consuming media,” said Jaehyun Kim. “We poured our efforts into enhancing the quality of the sound and creating greater volume.”

The speaker holes were redesigned to be larger, producing higher quality audio, and the team was also able to increase the device’s volume, making it 1.4 times (3-4 dB) louder than the Galaxy S8.

Over 80 Designs Tested

There are strict procedures to ensure the reliability of Samsung products and multiple stages of testing were involved in designing the speakers of the Galaxy S9.

To achieve greater sound accuracy and precision, the audio designers paid close attention to enhancing the speakers’ dynamic range – the ratio of the quietest to the loudest sounds that the speakers can reproduce – and their frequency range, which controls the pitch.

“Our primary focus was to develop a speaker that is both high performing and stable,” Seongkwan Yang explained. “We carefully examined the quality of the components, testing more than 80 versions of the diaphragm before we were finally satisfied that we had a speaker that functioned seamlessly at both high and low pitches.”

Jaehyun Kim added: “We encountered unexpected challenges as we converted the mono speaker into stereo speakers, so we strived to optimize the device for viewing multimedia content.”

Partnering with Audio Experts

As part of their commitment to create a high-quality sound experience for the Galaxy S9, Samsung joined forces with two global experts in audio technology: premium Harman’s brand AKG, and Dolby.

The developers aimed to achieve high-fidelity sound quality and precision at any volume by leveraging the expertise of Harman’s AKG. Coordinating closely, it took half a year to fine- tune the speakers to meet AKG’s high standards.

“Users with a good ear for sound can immediately appreciate the difference. Samsung’s long dedication in search of enhanced audio, coupled with Harman’s expertise, resulted in the speakers satisfying both sound quality and volume,” commented Jaehyun Kim.

The Galaxy S9 also integrates Dolby Atmos® immersive sound technology, which brings entertainment to life with moving audio that flows all around you, be it over a device’s built-in speakers or through regular stereo headphones. Leveraging Dolby’s deep understanding of what listeners prefer in an audio experience, Dolby Atmos® on the Galaxy S9 makes you feel as if you are inside the action as the sounds of people, places, things, and music come alive with richness and depth and seem to move in three-dimensional space. This feature benefits other types of content in addition to Dolby Atmos® enabled content, through enhancements to sound quality and consistent playback volume across all content.

“During our testing, our results showed that immersive sound could bring a whole new experience to smartphone users,” Dongsoo Kim elaborated. “Since so many people now view premium content on their smartphones, it felt like the right moment to implement Dolby Atmos on our devices.”

Making the Most of an Optimized Audio Experience

The audio developers had plenty of tips about how to enjoy the stereo sounds of the Galaxy S9.

Jaehyun Kim recommended listening to classical music to gain a fuller understanding of the difference: “You can distinguish the individual sounds and characteristics of each instrument. It’s an amazing feeling to hear the audio how it was originally intended, picking out every interaction between soft and loud.”

“Head to the sounds and vibration settings on your phone,” advised Dongsoo Kim. “Take a look at sound quality and effects under the advanced features and turn on Dolby Atmos to enable immersive audio. Users can also enhance their headphone audio experience by turning on the UHQ upscaler and the Adapt Sound feature, taking their listening to a new level.”

Now, one month on from the launch of the Galaxy S9, the team is already carefully considering its next steps in audio design. Dongsoo Kim elaborated: “Our aim will be to create a mobile multimedia experience that is just like holding a cinema in your own hands.”

Clockwise from left: Dongsoo Kim, Sungwook Choi, Junmo Kim and Youngmin Nam (below)

A Three-layer Stacked Image Sensor, including the Sensor itself, a Circuit, and a DRAM for Super Slow-mo and Low-light Capabilities

“We were able to achieve a readout speed that is four times faster than conventional cameras thanks to a three-layer stacked image sensor that includes the CMOS image sensor itself, a fast readout circuit, and a dedicated dynamic random-access (DRAM) memory chip, which previously was not added to image sensors,” explained Dongsoo Kim. “Integrating DRAM allowed us to overcome obstacles such as speed limits between the sensor and application processor (AP) in a high-speed camera with 960fps features.”

An enhanced camera sensor delivers useful benefits. The improved image sensor on the Galaxy S9 supports the Super Slow-mo feature in bright environments, and also decreases noise in dark environments. “The Galaxy S9 reduces noise by 30 percent under low light, compared to the previous model. Low noise, coupled with the Dual Aperture lens, which automatically adjusts to lighting conditions just as the human eye would, completes the superb low-light capabilities of the Galaxy S9’s camera,” said Sungwook Choi.

Enhancements to the image sensor, the Dual Aperture lens, and other camera features foster completely new experiences for consumers. For example, users can now capture a 0.2 second moment via the Super Slow-mo feature, and record beautiful scenery that is bright and clear even in low-light conditions.

Getting it Right through the Most Comprehensive Testing

While the Super Slow-mo prototype was already available, the developers continued to work on enhancements as well as subject the prototype to rigorous tests to prepare for commercialization. In the beginning, the function was only available through computers. So, in multiple instances, the team carted two or three laptops around Korean amusement parks in scorching summer heat. There, they tested the function’s Motion Detection feature, which automatically records the fleeting moment that the user wishes to capture.

“It wasn’t easy testing out Motion Detection for Super Slow-mo, especially with people staring at us when we brought our laptops to these amusement parks and took videos of fast-moving rides. However, we were all committed to getting the feature exactly right,” said Dongsoo Kim.

“We also shot for two hours in the middle of a mountain range, on a freezing night, to complete the low-light camera function,” recalled Sungwook Choi.

Enabling Users to Get the Most Out of their Smartphone Camera

With smartphones so intrinsic to people’s everyday lives, developing technologies that enable users to get the most of their camera was key. “The Galaxy S9’s camera focuses on ease of use of the Super Slow-mo function, from simple video generation to seamless sharing; a final GIF file typically ranges from three to 15 MBs, which is approximately six seconds in length and optimized for users to share and enjoy.

In the case of AR Emoji, My Emoji stickers can be shared via various messenger platforms. We’ve also enhanced the front camera, improving the user experience and adding fun features on top of advanced image quality. An example of this is the Selfie Focus function on the front camera, which recognizes faces from scenery based on deep learning features to provide an ideal selfie, and enables a background-blurring effect,” explained Youngmin Nam.

The future of smartphone camera development is headed in the right direction. “We will continue to strive for perfect, professional-quality images. But even more than that, our aim is to make it easier for users to share the results of our sophisticated camera technology. The ultimate goal is to develop a camera that always produces the best pictures for all users without tinkering with settings, allowing them to take photos and videos that satisfy their needs,” said Junmo Kim.

To learn more about this fun and unique new feature, we sat down with members of the AR Emoji’s design team, Wonhyung Cho and Hye-Bong Kim, from the Global Product Planning Group, and Hoik Hwang and Jiyoun Kim, from the UX Design Group.

Hoik Hwang, Hye-Bong Kim, Wonhyung Cho and Jiyoun Kim (from left)

Q. What was the inspiration behind the Galaxy S9’s AR Emoji feature?

Wonhyung Cho: People are communicating more and more through their smartphones, sending messages to each other throughout the day. Many of us are also looking for new ways to express a range of emotions in the short messages we send each other, and in this context, emoticons and emojis have become one of the most popular ways to express ourselves. As a next step, we wanted to go further and blend the emerging technology of AR with emoticon and emoji tools for a new form of visual communication.

Q. What makes the Galaxy S9’s AR Emoji special?

Cho: We thought for a long time about what the word ‘communication’ means today and it became clear that a large part of communication is ‘self-expression’. As a team, we wanted to make the feature as personal as possible by capturing our unique emotions, using an innovative technology like AR. In creating a My Emoji which captures your own distinct facial features, AR Emojis can provide a truer form of self-expression.

Hye-Bong Kim: The camera uses facial recognition technology to analyze a photo of your face and map more than 100 facial features. Using these data points, a 3D modeling form specialized for the contours of the human face creates a 3D My Emoji and 18 My Emoji stickers which reflect your unique facial features.

Q. How have users reacted to the feature?

Cho: AR Emoji has generated a lot of curiosity – it’s such a fun feature and many people want to see how their My Emoji looks.

Hoik Hwang: For everyone, the question is not ‘does this look like me?’, but rather ‘does this look like I want it to?’ AR Emoji actually creates two types of My Emoji: one that is realistic and one that is more like a cartoon. Some people like the first kind, while others prefer the second.

We want AR Emoji to be the best it can be. A close resemblance to the user isn’t the only thing we considered when developing the feature. Our goal was for creators to be able to use the AR Emoji to express themselves, however they want to look.

We’re currently working to allow users to make their My Emojis better express the mood they want them to.

Q. When it came to UX design, what was your key consideration?

Jiyoun Kim: AR Emoji uses the Galaxy S9’s camera, so we wanted to integrate it with the camera’s UX. From start to finish, the user’s journey while creating their My Emoji and My Emoji stickers has to be simple and engaging.

Then we thought about how people might want to use the feature to express themselves in their daily lives. AR Emoji offers a new way tell our stories and because of that we felt that making it available across many platforms was important.

We created 18 stickers, which each communicate a different emotion. They can be stored in your smartphone Gallery application, can be used freely in your different applications and messaging services and are available as both PNG and GIF files.

Q. How did you go about designing the 18 My Emoji stickers?

Hwang: Our goal was to create emoji stickers that would communicate the same emotions across the world – and would mean the same thing in any country. We read a lot of research as we tried to categorize human emotions and to determine what the visual representations of fundamental human feelings – things like joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure – should be.

In time, the number of stickers will increase to 54 so that even more emotions will be expressed using the emoji stickers.

Q. Did you encounter any difficulties while designing AR Emoji?

Hwang: AR is an innovative technology and the AR field is quite new. We collected data from people around the world, interviewing them to discover their needs and ensure that the feature delivered on those needs.

As a team, we continue to collect this data so that we can make AR Emojis even better. User feedback helps us discover not only what consumers really want, but how we can make adjustments to this new technology.

Q. Can you elaborate on your experiences working with Disney to create the Mickey and Minnie Mouse AR Emojis?

Hwang: Like lots of people, I grew up with Mickey Mouse. I never thought that I would be working on a project like this with Disney when I grew up. When we first started I was really excited and couldn’t stop thinking, “Is this really happening?”

Throughout the project, we engaged in a great deal of knowledge sharing with Disney. For example, there’s a feature known as Blend Shape that allows the feature to recreate 75 basic user facial expressions – for example, if you combine two different facial expressions, you will produce a completely new one – explaining how this feature worked was time-intensive. But by working together, we were able to create these unique Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse AR Emojis.

Q. As AR Emoji designers, can you share some tips for creating an AR Emoji?

Jiyoun Kim: First, you need to be in a place with plenty of light – the brighter the better – like when you want to take a selfie. Make sure your face is not hidden by your hair or any other objects. Position your face fully inside the circular frame on the screen and take a photo. Just relax and be natural. After your My Emoji has been created, you can make manual adjustments to skin tone, hair style and color, clothing and other features, to your liking.

Q. Do you have any advice for making the most of the feature?

Hwang: I have seen videos where people create stories by recording their own voice for the dialogue, and use AR Emojis to act out the parts, which are really fun to watch. It’s a new and innovative way to use My Emoji. You can use them to present something your own behalf and remain almost anonymous at the same time.

Hye-Bong Kim: You don’t have to make just one AR Emoji. You can make several characters, as the mood takes you. Give your My Emoji a hairstyle you want try or a funky outfit you would never normally wear. Create AR Emojis of family or friends and share them with each other.

We like to make a game out of changing the hair styles and other features of the My Emojis, then guessing which one belongs to which team member, which is quite amusing.

Q. Can you suggest how users can get the most out characters like Mickey Mouse?

Cho: They are perfect for creating your own cartoon or animation. Since they are designed to mirror human facial expressions, you can make your characters express a range of emotions and make up a whole story using them.

Samsung Newsroom recently sat down with members of Samsung’s Global Product Planning Group – Nayoung Kim, Taihoon Kim, Joohyun Kim and Jonathan Min – who discussed the process of developing a device that’s more powerful, personal and in tune with how we use our smartphones today.

(From left) Taihoon Kim, Jonathan Min, Nayoung Kim and Joohyun Kim, of Samsung’s Global Product Planning Group, helped shape the Galaxy S9’s design.

Q. What inspired you to develop the Galaxy S9’s ‘visual communication’ features?

Nayoung Kim: Current mobile trends are being dictated by Generation Z, but they are very selective. In our research, we took a close look at how Generation Z are communicating, as well as what kind of apps and functionality they most enjoy. We eventually uncovered an increase in the use of visual forms of communication. For example, members of the social media generation will often use emoticons rather than texts, and they enjoy sharing fun images. So, to cater to this preference, we focused on adding new functionalities to the camera.

Q. Could you elaborate on the camera’s development process?

Nayoung Kim: When designing the camera, our team focused on three key points. It needed to be capable of recording dynamic video – the type of content that the younger generation loves to consume; it needed to be able to capture low-light photos, which should be a fundamental feature of any camera; and it needed to be easy to use and offer fun new features, like AR Emoji.

Taihoon Kim: The product development process for the Galaxy S9 was quite different from that of the previous years, as team members with different expertise strived to discover the visual experiences of everyday life through their own eyes, and how that might translate to camera functionality. These diverse insights enabled us to develop a camera catering to wide needs.

Q. How did you refine the Galaxy S9’s user experience?

Taihoon Kim: We focused on enhancing the End-to-End scenario of the user experience. For the camera, that involved ensuring easy-to-use Super Slow-mo video functionality, with immediately accessible videos that could be directly uploaded to social media through one intuitive process.

You see this sort of seamlessness with AR Emoji as well. Once you scan your face, you’re instantly given the option to customize your 3D avatar to your liking, and presented with 18 shareable GIFs encompassing a wide range of expressions.

Nayoung Kim: We tested the device’s usability extensively, and in various contexts, to ensure the processes were intuitive and organic, and could work across all aspects of daily life. As example, I brought a prototype of the phone with me when I went sledding with my children. The first-hand experience of recording a Super Slow-mo video of my children rocketing down the hill gave birth to the idea of an auto motion-detect function able to capture those sorts of fleeting moments.

Q. Which Galaxy S9 feature has received the biggest response from consumers?

Jonathan Min: We’ve found that users are very interested in the AR Emoji feature, which we first started working on in 2016. People are used to expressing themselves with emojis and stickers, but this feature allows them to create and express themselves through emojis that resemble their own faces, in a way that’s much more personal.

When we started it was new, so everything had to be built from the ground up, and it was difficult to predict consumers’ feedback. It was also our development team’s first time working on something like this, so it took a lot of trial and error to bring the function to life.

Nayoung Kim: Our most important goal is to provide users with new experiences by launching the product, enhancing it based on the market’s reactions, and continuing to develop innovative features. AR Emoji will continue to be enhanced in ways that reflect consumers’ needs.

Q. Do you have a favorite feature?

Jonathan Min: I personally use AR Emoji stickers the most, whenever I message my friends and family.

Taihoon Kim: I like the Super Slow-mo function the most. It’s not only great for capturing dynamic actions, but life’s little moments as well, such as the signature facial expression of your loved ones. And the Galaxy S9’s ability to display Super Slow-mo clips on the lock screen creates a touching way to enjoy videos of them.

Joohyun Kim: We redefined the design of the Infinity Display to make it even more beautiful and to minimize any ‘distracting’ elements. Subtle adjustments, such as ensuring that the iris scanner is hidden, and that the bezel and display are the same color, helped us deliver a display that makes it easy for viewers to immerse themselves in their favorite content.

Q. Going forward, how does Samsung plan to ensure that Galaxy smartphones remain among the most innovative in the market?

Taihoon Kim: It will be important to stay a step ahead in innovative features, as well as time them to the market appropriately to grab consumer attention. Consumers can experience visual communications features directly themselves, without an explanation. We plan to continue exploring dynamic visual features, given their unique appeal to the young generation of consumers, as well as integrate new technologies like AR (augmented reality) and AI (artificial intelligence) into our devices.

Nayoung Kim: The basic features of smartphones have been refined to the point that consumers are largely satisfied. What matters is not how diverse the offered features are, but whether the features offered to deliver a high level of satisfaction. At this point, we need to think about the next phase for smartphones, which will involve delivering innovations that really resonate with the new generation of users.

Joohyun Kim: Smartphones have become essential to daily life. As product planners, it’s our duty to constantly look for ways to improve on ‘basic’ features – those that we use every day – while also identifying brand new functions.