Since its launch, the Galaxy S22 series has been impressing users all over the globe thanks to a range of exciting events and collaborations put on by Samsung’s regional offices. From features at festivals to capturing the nighttime wonders of historic cities, the leading functionalities of the Galaxy S22 series have been being showcased in a range of innovative ways around the world.

In order to showcase how people have been celebrating the Galaxy S22 series and its next-level camera in unique ways, Samsung Newsroom has curated a list of some of the notable activities that have gone on since the introduction of this game-changing latest entrance into the Galaxy S series.

Going Global With the Galaxy S22 Series

Capturing the Night Using Nightography Mode in Lima, Peru

In Peru, Samsung hosted a vibrant night tour of the country’s capital Lima that allowed participants to capture next-level shots of the city’s distinctive architecture using the Galaxy S22 and its powerful Nightography mode.

As well as getting to experience the beauty of Lima at nighttime, those on the tour were able to document their experiences in full thanks to the S22’s powerful photo and video capturing functionalities. Learn more about the starlit tour here.

Capturing All Aspects of the Creation Process With Fat Cap Sprays and the Galaxy S22 in Germany

Notable graffiti artist, Fat Cap Sprays, is known for his glowing artworks that command attention. But due to the nature of the artist’s work — he often works under the cover of darkness — low lighting conditions have previously made it hard to capture both the artist’s working process as well as the end result.

However, through this exciting collaboration with Samsung, Fat Cap Sprays has been able to create, document and showcase his work from start to finish in almost any lighting condition with thanks to the Nightography mode of the Galaxy S22 series. Learn more about the collaboration and take a look at the video series Fat Cap Sprays and Samsung developed with help of the Galaxy S22 here.

Harnessing the Power of the Galaxy S22 Camera for Lollapalooza Brasil

As exciting spaces in which to spend time with friends and enjoy great music, festivals are the perfect events for making memories that will last a lifetime. Lollapalooza Brasil 2022 is one such space at which Latin American music fans can get together and capture their experiences both with their loved ones and their favorite musicians.

In order to ensure that the photos and videos you capture are next-level, Samsung Brazil has put together this handy guide showcasing how the Galaxy S22 is a festival must-have in order to take your photos and videos to the next level. To learn more about how features such as Zoom Lock and Director’s View are the perfect tools for recording your experiences, read more here.

Keeping Track of the Action With Dual Tele Zoom and More in Jakarta

The parade of Mandalika Moto GP racers held in Jakarta is a must-visit event for locals, tourists and racing enthusiasts alike, offering visitors a first-hand view of the riders and their bikes as they parade through the vibrant city.

In order to capture the parade in all its glory, the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s powerful Dual Tele Zoom, capable of zooming in up to 100x, Director’s View feature and panning shooting functionality let eagle-eyed visitors capture the event just as it happened. Take a look at the stunning and action-packed results here.

Samsung Creates A New Guinness World Records Title With Epic Unboxing

In order to bring Galaxy users from all over the country together, Samsung India held a truly epic unboxing event for the Galaxy S22 series across 17 cities including New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai which saw 1,820 people simultaneously unbox the all-new Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Setting a Guinness World Record, the event showcased the anticipation of Indian Galaxy users for the all-new and ultra-powerful devices, and echoed the enthusiasm felt the world over for the latest iteration of the Galaxy S series. To learn more about this record-breaking act, take a look at the article here.

The Galaxy S22 Brings Light to the Darkness Through An Art Installation in Milan

At the core of the user experience of the Galaxy S22, and in particular its camera functionalities, is a fascinating intersection of technology and art. In order to showcase the artistic as well as the innovative capabilities of the Galaxy S22 Ultra and its revolutionary Nightography mode, Samsung unveiled a commanding art installation project in Milan for the public to enjoy.

In collaboration with C2C Festival, Europe’s leading avant-garde event, the immersive art experience, created by visual designer Weirdcore and featuring musicians and composers, paired continuous rays of light with a dark background for a mind-bending experience inspired by the transformative results one can achieve with the Galaxy S22’s Nightography mode. Check out more details of the installation here.

Spotlighting Young Creators, Backed by the Galaxy S22’s Powerful Camera, in Belgium

These days, young content creators have incredible potential, and modern technology is allowing them to create their own stories and share them with others thanks to the leading camera functionalities of devices such as the Galaxy S22 series.

In order to provide a platform for young creators wanting to get their start in the film industry, Samsung held a video contest in partnership with leading Belgian film directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, with selected participants then able to attend workshops and flex their skills with the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s Portrait Mode in order to create compelling, high-quality video stories — even in low-light conditions. Learn more about the competition here.

Fostering the Ultimate Galaxy S22 Experience Zone in Guatemala City

Cayalá, a famed tourist destination in Guatemala City, saw its photo-worthy outdoor spaces transformed into an all-new kind of experience with the launch of Samsung’s immersive product experience space to celebrate the launch of the Galaxy S22 series.

With 4 experience zones titled Nightography, S Pen, Reflection and Mirror, visitors have been able to get to know the impressive features and functionalities of the all-new Galaxy S22 series in unique ways alongside the compelling backdrop of the popular Cayalá district. Get a closer look at the vibrant installation here.

Expressing the Galaxy Experience Through the Power of Music in Colombia

In order to highlight that all of Samsung’s devices have creativity at the core of their experience, Samsung Colombia decided to introduce the Galaxy S22, along with the Galaxy Tab S8 and The Freestyle, through a musical presentation that showcased the true identity of each product.

Featuring musicians, dancers and leading members of the Samsung Colombia community, the presentation not only enthralled guests with its artistic twist, but also showcased the differentiated power of Samsung’s latest devices in impressive fashion. Learn more about this musical experience here.

Showcasing the Galaxy S22 Series While Surrounded by History in Breda

Koepelgevangenis, located in Breda, the Netherlands, is a former prison built in the late 19^th-century with a storied history, and has been designated a national monument by merit of its striking architecture featuring a monumental dome.

Understanding that the intersect of where past meets present is the starting place for future progress and innovation, Samsung held a launch event for the all-new Galaxy S22 series in the notable building, at which users were able to get to know the devices’ Nightography mode in all its glory. Learn more about this immersive event here.

Be sure to stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom for more on the revolutionary Galaxy S22 series and its game-changing camera.

Take notes you won’t forget with a super-smooth S Pen that flows as fast as your thoughts, and power up quickly with a battery that records over 50 minutes of video after a 10-minute charge. Plus, with Samsung’s brightest and most brilliant display yet, the Galaxy S22 Ultra was made for the golden age of content, giving movies and shows the screen they deserve.

Want to take photos like a pro? Samsung’s most intelligent camera yet lets you choose the lenses that tell your story and features DSLR-like settings that allow you to tailor your photos to a style all your own. And with an AI-enhanced Portrait Mode, you can capture your friends — and your furry friends — in their best light every time.

Check out the infographic below to see what makes the Galaxy S22 Ultra the perfect tool for shaping your world.

From birth through their first encounters with their owners and up until their retirement, training a single guide dog requires the dedicated efforts of not just one, but a large group of people – not to mention the dogs themselves. Socialization training, for example, is a must in many countries for guide dogs.¹

In order to celebrate the efforts of guide dogs and the people who work with them, Samsung Newsroom visited the Samsung Guide Dog School, which has been training up guide dogs since 1993. Take a look at the photos below to learn more about the stories of these special companions.

* The following photos and videos have been captured using the Galaxy S21 Ultra

① Birth

Over 90 percent of guide dogs currently serving are retrievers, a breed that has been recognized for their disposition, affinity, and health. Amongst them, Labrador retrievers account for the largest number of guide dogs by merit of their adaptive, gentle and loyal natures.

▲ Three-week-old guide dog training candidates.

▲ At this young age, it’s especially important that the puppies eat and sleep well. They spend most of their time with their mother and are constantly growing.

We filmed three-week-old puppies and soon-to-be guide dogs with the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The device’s camera vividly captures the soft fur of these adorable puppies – it is almost as if you can hear their calm breathing right from the photos. Of course, eating and sleeping are of utmost priority for these animals at this stage of their lives.

② Puppy Walking

Once they have grown somewhat, the next stage of their guide dog lives commences: puppy walking. At around seven weeks of age, the puppies are entrusted to volunteers and undergo various different socialization activities. The puppies’ walkers care for them for around a year and help with the different training procedures at home and at nearby parks, as well as at local restaurants and cafes.

“Puppies normally learn to interact with people at about three to 15 weeks of age,” explained Taejin Park, Director of the Samsung Guide Dog School. “The new experiences they gain during this period play an important role in determining their lifelong personalities.”

▲ Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance’s Samsung Guide Dog School offers basic training related to puppy walking, such as how to form a bond, how to get your pup to concentrate and sit down, and how to take a walk with a leash.

We were able to capture some puppy walkers and their companions, aged eight weeks old, on a visit to the School for a training session. The puppies captured below are just one week into their extensive training process.

▲ Activities like resting in one spot and even sleeping are all part of the guide dogs’ socialization training.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s Portrait Mode is the perfect way to capture these puppies enjoying life much as children do, as if they have no cares in the world. The AI-powered camera not only analyzes the direction and angle of the scene’s lighting, but also measures the depth of field, allowing you to capture precious photos that have a professional feel to them. What’s more, you can then edit the background and other effects in the Gallery to suit your tastes.

* A video taken with the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s Single Take feature.

You can also take all kinds of different photos and videos at once with the Single Take feature.

③ Guide Dog Training

After their year-long ‘puppy walking’ phase, the guide dogs in training return to the School for the formal training process. This training lasts around six to eight months, and the puppies learn such basic skills as sitting, waiting and toilet training, as well as such key behavioral traits as concentrating, learning to avoid obstacles and walking to target destinations.

▲ “Whose smile is the biggest?” This school is always full of smiles!

Once they have finished the entire training process, the puppies will undergo a test to ascertain whether or not they are fit to become guide dogs. But don’t be disheartened: puppies that fail the test then go on to become regular companions or work as ‘demonstrators’ within the guide school.

▲ This guide dog candidate is excelling at various tasks, including going upstairs, avoiding obstacles, and staying on the sidewalk.

“Truly, there’s no such thing as ‘success’ or ‘failure’ when it comes to undertaking guide dog training,” noted Park. “All the puppies ultimately live long, happy lives thanks to their kind natures and adaptive personalities.”

④ First Encounter with a New Family

Becoming a new member of the family they are to serve is an important step in any guide dog’s life, which is why the dog-to-owner matching process is extensive and rigorous. Factors such as the owners’ personality, vocation, walking pace and health condition are all taken into account when matching guide dogs to potential owners.

We paid a visit to a family to learn more about the life of a guide dog. Suhkjong Yu and his wife, Myeongji Sun, are both visually impaired and currently live with two guide dogs named Haedal and Jigu, as well as their two lovely daughters.

▲ Guide dogs, like any other dogs, require constant care from their owners. Owners should feed their guide dog breakfast every morning, take them out so they can relieve themselves upon request, walk them, and check to make sure that they’re feeling well. It goes without saying that owners should spend a large portion of their day dedicated to their guide dog.

▲ Seated comfortably under the dining table, guide dogs Jigu and Haedal join their family for dinner time.

“It is the responsibility of the visually impaired to take utmost care of the guide dogs who support them so much,” said Yoo. “The chemistry between the owner and the guide dog is really important, as they are the ones guiding us to our target destinations in the safest way possible, avoiding every obstacle along the way.”

▲ Cute and playful at home, guide dog Haedal is a very reliable and helpful partner during Mr. Yoo’s commute to work.

▲ Haedal and Mr. Yoo go for walks together every day. “The average life span of guide dogs is about one year longer than other retrievers. That goes to show you that guide dogs live happy, fulfilling lives,” said Tae-jin Park, Director of Samsung Guide Dog School

Guide dogs that retire after seven to eight years of service become rehomed with volunteers and go on to happily enjoy the rest of their lives.

▲ A retired guide dog who was adopted by a volunteer goes for a walk.

¹ Conditions may vary by country or region.

Starting with the Galaxy Note9’s Scene Optimizer, which used deep learning to deliver the best photos and editing effects, Samsung has continued to introduce more powerful AI features to its Galaxy cameras.

The Galaxy S21 series is the latest to feature Samsung’s cutting-edge AI-powered cameras, giving mobile photographers of all skill levels pro-grade tools that work behind-the-scenes to ensure every moment you capture is truly epic. In the first of this three-part series, we’ll take a closer look at how AI is improving portraits on the Galaxy S21 series.

Enhanced Selfie Experience

We’ve all had that moment of panic, frantically thumbing for the delete button, after taking a less than adequate selfie. But with the Galaxy S21 series’ selfie camera, you’ll always look your best with AI that delivers a more natural look and improved details. There are two key parts to the enhanced selfie experience:

1. Face information detection: When you snap a photo, the AI-powered selfie camera first identifies faces in the image, then segments them from the rest of the details in the scene, and finally applies natural enhancements to your subjects—all in the blink of an eye.

2.Restoration: The natural enhancements include bringing out the details in your subjects’ hair, eyes, and facial features and adjusting white balance to create more natural looking skin tones in any environment. The results are instantly shareable photos that don’t look overly processed or require further editing.

Samsung also included support for third party apps, so you can take images from your favorite camera or social media app and still get the benefits of AI-powered selfie camera.

Updated Portrait Mode

The Galaxy S21 series goes beyond just improving selfies—it also allows even beginners to capture studio-quality portraits of your friends, family, and even pets. The new advanced Portrait mode, formerly known as Live Focus, uses improved 3D sensing to deliver photos with more depth and dramatic effects.

When using Portrait mode, you can select from a variety of special effects to apply to your final image which include Blur, Studio, High-key Mono, Low-key Mono, Backdrop, and Color Point. As soon as you click the shutter, the onboard AI begins segmenting, matting, and refining the details of your subjects. Here’s how it works:

1. Segmentation Map: First, the AI immediately recognizes the humans or pets in the scene and generates an instant segmentation map to separate each individual subject.

2. Seed Map: Based on this segmentation map, a seed map of the subjects is generated to which your selected effects will apply. In a portrait like in the chart above, a seed map would separate the background from the main subject.

3. Tri-map: Image processing then adds a tri-map on top of the seed map, to identify the subject, the background, and the areas where they blend together.

4. Matte Map: Matting is then applied to the tri-map to bring out the details in the hair and facial features of your subjects.

5.Depth Estimation: Meanwhile, the AI simultaneously measures depth information to refine the background details and depth-of-field.¹

During segmenting, the AI powering Portrait mode is able to discern whether you’re capturing a singular person, a group of people at different depth levels, or a pet cat or dog.

Refining the Details

Regardless of whether your subject is a human or an animal, AI matting plays an important role in ensuring you capture them in as much detail as possible. As noted above, after segmenting your subjects, the seed map generates a tri-map where black represents the background, white represents the subject, and gray represents areas of the image that are uncertain.

During image processing when the background is blurred out in Portrait mode, this map ensures that the blur doesn’t overlap with your subject. A matte map is then generated to refine the details in the gray, unknown areas of the scene and to improve the resolution of the image. At the same time matting takes place, the AI uses the seed map to refine the details of the interior parts of the subject. The maps are then combined and upscaled to produce a final, high-resolution portrait where your subjects really pop off the background. Although it seems like quite an extensive process, it all happens within 3 seconds.²

To learn more about the intelligent features behind the Galaxy S21 series’ powerful camera, be sure to check out the rest of the Behind the Snapshot series at Samsung Newsroom.

¹ Depth-of-field adjustments are only applied when using the Blur effect on portraits of people and animals. If the camera measures an object at the same depth as a person, the effect is not applied, and the image is saved with its natural depth-of-field.

² Portrait mode processing times may vary depending on the shooting conditions.

Take a look at the video below to learn more about how Portrait mode on the Galaxy S21 series can help you capture epic shots.

The Sero – named for the Korean word for ‘vertical’ – has the ability to pivot between horizontal and vertical orientations just as a user might handle their smartphone or tablet. Geared toward younger users with an interest in viewing experiences such as the ones found on their mobile devices, The Sero is optimized for social media content, streaming services and gaming, for example, all wrapped up with an eye-catching design and innovative user experience formulated after extensive consumer research.

To learn more about the product, Samsung Newsroom sat down with Hayeon Kil, Chris Jo and Dong-wook Han from the TV Product Planning Group in the Visual Display Division at Samsung Electronics who spearheaded the process of bringing this innovative product to users around the world.

Interpreting Media Consumption Trends in the Mobile Age

Traditional visual content, such as photos and videos, are for the most part generated in horizontal formats. However, in recent years, users have become accustomed to enjoying social media or gaming content on their smartphones with a vertical orientation, as well as taking part in the growing trend of vertical-orientation music videos and concert footage.

During their extensive research, The Sero product planning team took note of these media consumption trends. “The trend we observed the most during our consumer surveys was that a variety of devices, from TVs and PCs to tablets and smartphones, are being used nowadays for media consumption, and furthermore that more people are using streaming video services as opposed to conventional media sources,” explains Hayeon Kil of the product planning process. “Therefore, we wanted to improve this content experience by moving it to a bigger screen.”

Samsung’s The Sero is the first TV equipped with an automated rotating display that can switch between horizontal or vertical orientation in accordance with the content being displayed just like a smartphone can. As it is the first of its kind, The Sero is setting new standards in all areas of its formation, from hardware to software and beyond.

“We worked hard to design and define a new user experience direction specific to The Sero,” noted Dong-wook Han. “The whole process was a challenge as we had to deal with a series of questions including how to go about designing the mobile-like viewing experience, how to best display and allow access to content and how to lay out the remote control, but we were careful to take care of each major decision one by one and verify each feature through extensive testing. Thanks to the cooperation of our colleagues and other teams, we were able to make this happen.”

A Seamless Mirroring Experience

One of the outstanding features of The Sero is its smartphone mirroring capability. The R&D team worked extensively to realize this technology without any setbacks. Just by tapping their smartphone anywhere on The Sero’s screen, users can begin automatic mirroring thanks to a feature called Tap View. They can then enjoy such mirroring perks as viewing their portrait-orientation videos in high definition or seeing themselves on a bigger screen after taking a selfie with their smartphone’s camera.

What makes The Sero exceptional is how it can seamlessly turn to match your smartphone’s orientation when mirroring content. “The Sero will display your mobile content in all its colorful glory on its screen, as well as doing the same for TV content,” explained Han. “Whilst mirroring their smartphone, users can enjoy a clear picture quality on The Sero supported by machine learning-based AI upscaling technology.”

Unlike other TVs, The Sero’s speakers are located under its vertical stand. Its woofer speaker is supported by a passive radiator to offer more resonance and deeper, richer bass sounds. “When playing videos, games and music, The Sero’s speakers provide a vivid and clear sound because they are positioned to face front and deliver sound directly to listeners,” explained Chris Jo. “While other TVs feature sound powered by Bluetooth, The Sero’s sound mirroring has a 4.1 channel configuration and a powerful 60W output. We have observed that over four times the number of consumers are making use of this superb sound mirroring than they are of similar features available on other TVs.”

Ready to Match Any Interior and Any Lifestyle

The Sero boasts a modern design that stands out in any space and offers a range of different standby display features for when it is not in use. By enabling Portrait Mode, users are able to display various clock effects or choose from a selection of cinematographic content when the TV is turned off.

The Sero has designed to serve not just as a TV, but also as a lifestyle object, just like the frames or posters people have all over their homes. “According to the consumer research we undertook after the initial launch, seven out of ten users are making use of the Portrait Mode,” said Kil. “Aside from making use of the content that comes with Portrait Mode, some users are engaging in creative uses of the feature by configuring their device’s standby mode to present their own pictures. We think that users are really enjoying using the vertical screen configuration as a method of showcasing their own content.”

The Sero is a stand-alone product, unlike other TVs that require being mounted on a wall or placed on a stand. Every aspect was taken into account during the design process, from how The Sero looks when at both vertical and horizontal orientations to how the sides work when it rotates – even its minimalist rear design. This is why wherever it may stand, The Sero can work well with any home décor, just like a piece of furniture.

Furthermore, The Sero suits any room of the house, not just the living room. “The Sero can serve as a large vertical monitor for showcasing work-related images or videos in a personal study or library. In the kitchen or dining room, The Sero can serve as a screen for playing a recipe video or as a music source to provide atmospheric music during mealtimes,” added Kil. “Commercially speaking, be it a restaurant, a café or a medical clinic, The Sero can serve as a promotional screen for videos or as a digital book, of sorts, for menus.”

A Whole New TV Experience

After its successful debut in Korea last year, The Sero will soon launch in other markets around the world. At CES 2020 this January, the Samsung booth was crowded with visitors who wanted to experience The Sero first-hand. “We aim to continuously develop the user experience of our TVs as people increasingly look to use their devices in scenarios that they cannot execute with conventional TVs,” said Han. “Our goal is to inspire users with lifestyle TVs that can meet their every need.”

The team is ready to put in even more effort to expand the possibilities of the vertical display. “To sum up The Sero in one phrase, it is a blank slate that comes in a range of attractive colors,” said Jo. “In the future, we will look to diversify the size, the shape, the installation process and the mobility of The Sero while constantly evolving it to be more connected to mobile by a growing number of app services. We will continue with our efforts to develop what is next for the TV industry.”