At last August’s Unpacked event, I shared my strategy to bring more empowering mobile technology to as many people as possible, especially at a time when they needed it most. Now, around one year later, our world is slowly but surely preparing to reopen in many ways. We’re all yearning for freedom and the possibilities that this new world has to offer thanks to advancements in technology that are set to make our world bigger than it ever was.

This past year, new technologies continued to reshape the way we live. Our collaboration with trusted industry partners allowed us to drive seamless experiences that offer more personalization and versatility than ever. As we enter this new era of agile transformation, I believe that open ecosystems are the only way to accelerate innovation and give people more freedom to create their own experiences that are best for their lifestyles.

Samsung Electronics is poised and ready to unveil visionary, purposeful mobile technology for a better world. In a few weeks, we will unleash our latest and greatest Galaxy Z series to reshape the smartphone category and completely reimagine your experiences.

Life Opens Up With Galaxy 

Today, the world needs flexible technologies that give people room to explore. At Samsung, people are at the heart of everything we do. We’re constantly listening to you to ensure that any new device and experience we create really brings meaningful innovations. We want to enrich everyone’s life, not just the lives of a select few. From epic cameras and vivid, immersive viewing experiences to long-lasting batteries and strong security, we’re focusing on what really matters to you.

As we explore new ways to empower you, we often venture into uncharted territory. That’s how we ended up creating a brand-new category with the launch of the Galaxy Fold. And we didn’t stop there. We kept improving the category with our second generation of foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold2 and the Galaxy Z Flip, with more screen and more of the features you now know and love. I’m excited to say our third generation of foldable devices will open up amazing new multitasking capabilities and enhanced durability for even more people around the world.

Samsung Is Bringing More People Into the Fold

This will be especially important as the world leap frogs into new frontiers of connectivity that demand open ecosystems and reliable mobile experiences. At Samsung, “open” and “secure” are never mutually exclusive. In fact, our collaborations with trusted industry leaders like Google and Microsoft are why we are able to deliver mobile technology that is secure and optimized for today’s rapidly evolving and interconnected world. We constantly work with key partners to create cutting-edge security solutions that keep your devices and data safe every step of the way. This allows us to give you even more control over your apps, data and privacy, so you can curate your own experience — with total peace of mind.

Collaboration enables us to build mobile experiences that make your life easier and better. It fueled the development of a new unified wearable platform, which we built jointly with Google. On top of your favorite Galaxy apps like Samsung Health and SmartThings, there will be so many others in the new Google Play Store. Furthermore, our One UI Watch user interface is deeply integrated with our other Galaxy devices and provides consistent connectivity between your Galaxy Watch and Galaxy smartphone.

We are also working with Google to enrich our foldable ecosystems with popular apps and services. For our third generation of Galaxy Z phones, we have lined up even more partner apps that make the most of the versatile fold-out format. From hands-free optimized video calling with Google Duo and watching videos in Flex mode on YouTube to multitasking in Microsoft Teams, our foldable ecosystem will offer a wealth of seamless and optimized experiences.

A New Chapter in Smartphone Innovation Is Here

The upcoming Galaxy Z Fold combines the very best that smartphones and tablets offer and delivers completely new ways of working, connecting and creating, while the upcoming Z Flip exhibits an even more refined style, armed with more durable, stronger materials. I firmly believe these devices will answer the call for the versatile mobile technology we need as we navigate the open road ahead.

We are out to set new heights and open up a whole new world of exciting experiences for even more people. I hope you’ll join us as we debut our next Galaxy Z family and share some foldable surprises — including the first-ever S Pen designed specifically for foldable phones. Instead of unveiling a new Galaxy Note this time around, we will further broaden beloved Note features to more Samsung Galaxy devices. In the meantime, mark your calendars and tune in to our Unpacked event on August 11 to see what unfolds.

Samsung Electronics Co. announces plans to enhance the premium television viewing experience by expanding its new and existing European Ultra High Definition (UHD) and High Dynamic Range (HDR) content partnerships. Consumers can now enjoy all-new programming from their favorite content providers, including Amazon, Netflix and a growing list of local partners, in the best picture quality on all Samsung 2016 UHD and SUHD TVs. The entire series supports HDR technology designed to highlight contrast in dark areas and create distinguishing color differences in brighter areas.

“We are thrilled to work with amazing content partners, who share our mission of providing consumers with the best entertainment available,” said WonJin LEE, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “With fresh UHD and HDR content debuting soon in the European market in the coming months, we are excited to offer consumers more of their favorite television shows and movies in the best picture quality.”

Samsung has partnered with global content leaders such as Amazon and Netflix and Samsung has also expanded the partnership with them to provide more HDR content to subscribers across the Europe market. Amazon was the first to launch HDR with Samsung TVs and titles available today include award-winning and popular Amazon Original Series like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle and Mozart in the Jungle. Launched early this year, Netflix are now offering sought-after series and titles such as Marco Polo, Adam Sandler’s The Do-Over and The Ridiculous Six. European consumers can enjoy these much desired HDR titles with the Amazon Video app and Netflix apps on Samsung’s Quantum dot SUHD TV, which are slated to provide over 300 hours of HDR programming combined by the end of the year.

Several popular European content providers will also debut HDR programming, as well as newly-dedicated UHD channels and content. Arte and Sky will launch new UHD services for the European market this year and Insight TV and RTVE will each launch new HDR and UHD services. Samsung’s current partners, CHILI, Infinity and Videoload, will expand their UHD services to include HDR by early next year.

Samsung is also leading the proliferation of HDR technology through the launch of its Quantum dot SUHD TV, which expresses UHD and HDR content to its highest quality. The technology has been instrumental in the vast improvements in brightness, color and contrast across the television industry.

Samsung at IFA 2016

This year’s IFA attendees are encouraged to stop by Samsung Electronics’ booth to experience the complete lineup of Samsung premium TV and audio offerings. The booth will highlight Quantum dot display technology with a unique QD Experience zone, as well as showcase the Smart TV experience through a variety of content partners and smart technology.

Samsung Electronics’ booth will be open at Level 2 of City Cube Berlin from September 2 through 7 for IFA 2016.

For consumers, so much of the TV viewing experience has completely transformed in recent years, as people now expect to be able to watch all of their favorite content, anytime and anywhere, easily and conveniently. And Samsung has transformed in step with them, Das notes, always looking to optimize access and seamlessly integrate all of people’s content.

What’s next? Das says the company will continue refining and improving their TVs, based on Samsung’s foundational pillars—picture quality, design and smart TV capabilities. Check out Das’ interview to learn more.

New research released by Samsung Electronics* investigates how changes to ‘the beautiful game’ are influencing TV purchases revealing that almost 1 in 10 (9.17%) adults in Europe are now watching, on average, more than 468 hours of football every year.  This equates to 28,080 minutes or 62.4 working days spent watching the sport.

As players are faster and skills have improved, almost one in two adults in Europe plan on investing in a new TV specifically to watch this summer’s sporting events as their viewing expectations increase.

The top three frustrations of European adults when they tune in to watch at home are; not being able to identify one player from another (28.53%); followed by not being able to see the ball as it passes from daylight into shadow (21.47%) and the screen being too small (9.8%).

Catering for all of those who want to ensure they see players in detail from every angle and never miss a moment, Samsung has introduced the latest range of SUHD TVs that offer unparalleled picture quality with Quantum dot technology, Ultra black TV panel and 1,000 nit HDR brightness.

Michael Zöller, European Head of TV at Samsung Electronics comments: “The Samsung SUHD TV is the perfect screen to watch sport on this summer. Quantum Dot technology offers the best picture quality available to ensure you see everything as if you are in the stadium. The grass will be just as green, the kits just as bright and our curved TVs offer enhanced depth perception. You won’t miss a moment of the beautiful game from the comfort of your own home, no matter how fast the action is.”

Cameraman, Andy Reik who has worked on many high-profile sporting events, comments, “HD creates a more immersive experience so the way we film the game has changed. Cameramen need to ensure they get multiple shots and capture the action from every angle. There are usually more than 40 cameras on the pitch as HD technology has doubled the picture quality.”

As well as influencing people’s viewing habits the improvement in picture quality has also led to footballers sharpening up their image.  More than two thirds (67.78%) agree that footballer’s physical appearance has improved over the past 15 years and almost one in three (32.23%) European men rank footballers as their number one personalities for style inspiration, ahead of actors, musicians and reality TV stars.

* Research conducted by One Poll (from 19th 30th May 2016) with 9,000 adults across 10 European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and UK)

Samsung Electronics UK today unveiled the latest innovation in sports viewing, the Samsung Slider. Rugby fans will be offered a chance to get closer to the action than ever before at Twickenham Stadium on the 21^st and 22^nd May, as the Samsung Slider makes an appearance at the HSBC London Sevens.

A UK first, the Samsung Slider is a state of the art four person mobile seating unit that offers an innovative new way for fans to enjoy the match. Travelling up and down the pitch from try line to try line on an 80m custom built track, the Slider will reach speeds of up to 20mph to ensure that those lucky enough to be riding it will never miss a moment of the game.

Current England internationals and RBS 6 Nations champions Jonathan Joseph and Joe Launchbury as well as 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio were all on hand to help launch the Samsung Slider’s arrival in the capital as it passed some of London’s most famous landmarks, ahead of next weekend’s HSBC London Sevens at Twickenham.

Rugby World Cup winning ex-international Dallaglio said “This is a brilliant new innovation for fans, there is nothing like being in the stadium and hearing the roar of the crowd. The Samsung Slider is an incredible opportunity to bring fans closer to the action than I have ever seen made possible before”.

This new benchmark for in-stadia fan viewing experience is mirrored away from the pitch by the latest Samsung 4K SUHD TV range. Enjoyed on a deeper, wider and clearer Samsung curved screen, the quantum dot technology, HDR 1000 and Smart Hub ensure an unrivalled picture quality by delivering unparalleled accuracy in natural colour reproduction on the smartest TV on the planet.

Samsung will be providing multiple opportunities for fans and customers to experience the best seats in the stadium both in the lead up to the event and at Twickenham across the weekend through their social media channels and at www.samsung.com/uk/offer/samsungslider/.

Stuart Mayo, Head of Marketing – TV and AV, Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland, commented: “The innovative Samsung SUHD TV product range provides a quantum leap in picture quality and an unparalleled viewing experience at home. The Samsung Slider is a brilliant illustration of how we can use technology to create the best viewing experience possible and enhance how fans at the HSBC London Sevens can enjoy the game of rugby like never before.”

The Samsung Slider will provide more than 150 rides across a 45 match schedule at Twickenham Stadium over the full tournament weekend, providing fans with multiple opportunities to win a place on the best seat in the house for a match viewing experience they will never forget.

To find out more about the Samsung SUHD TV product range and to win a place on the Samsung Slider at this year’s HSBC London Sevens, 21^st-22^nd May, follow the Samsung Sport social channels – Twitter @SamsungSport and Facebook.com/SamsungSport, or visit www.samsung.com/uk/offer/samsungslider/.

To see the Samsung Slider in action, check out this video.

The Samsung Slider

The Samsung Slider was built from an aluminium superstructure similar to airliners. At 5m long and 1.73m wide, the Slider sits atop an 80m custom built track and is capable of speeds of up to 20mph. It comes complete with a 135 laser safety curtain that immediately stops operations if it is breached during play.

Samsung Electronics UK will be offering rugby fans the chance to get closer to the action than ever before at Twickenham Stadium on the 21st and 22nd May, with the launch of the Samsung Slider at the HSBC London Sevens.

A UK first, the Samsung Slider is a state of the art four person mobile seating unit that offers an innovative new way for fans to enjoy the match. Travelling up and down the pitch from try line to try line on an 80m custom built track, the Slider will reach speeds of up to 20mph to ensure that those lucky enough to be riding it will never miss a moment of the game.

This new benchmark for in-stadia fan viewing experience is mirrored away from the pitch by the latest Samsung 4K SUHD TV range. Enjoyed on a deeper, wider and clearer Samsung curved screen, the quantum dot technology, HDR 1000 and Smart Hub ensure an unrivalled picture quality by delivering unparalleled accuracy in natural colour reproduction on the smartest TV on the planet.

Samsung will be providing multiple opportunities for fans and customers to experience the best seats in the stadium both in the lead up to the event and at Twickenham across the weekend through their social media channels and at www.samsung.com/uk/offer/samsungslider/

Russell Taylor, Vice President – Marketing, Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland, commented: “To showcase the innovative Samsung SUHD TVs, a product range that provides a quantum leap in picture quality and an unparalleled viewing experience at home, we’ve brought The Samsung Slider to Twickenham Stadium. We think it’s a brilliant illustration of how we can use technology to create the best viewing experience possible with live sports; allowing fans at the London Sevens to enjoy the game of rugby like never before.”

The Samsung Slider will provide 180 rides across a 45 match schedule at Twickenham Stadium over the full tournament weekend, providing fans with multiple opportunities to win a place on the best seat in the house for a match viewing experience they will never forget.

To find out more about the Samsung SUHD TV product range and to win a place on the Samsung Slider at this year’s HSBC London Sevens, 21st-22nd May, follow the Samsung Sport social channels – Twitter @SamsungSport and Facebook.com/SamsungSport, or visit www.samsung.com/uk/offer/samsungslider/

Samsung Electronics announced today that it has sold more than one million curved monitor products worldwide. The global display provider introduced its first curved LED monitor – the 27-inch, 4000R (curvature radius of 4,000 mm) SD590C model – in September 2014, and since has expanded its line-up to include several additional curved monitors. As a result, Samsung currently accounts for more than 85 percent of all global curved monitor sales (Source: International Data Corporation (IDC), 2015 Q4 worldwide sales results for 15”~34” curved monitors).

Designed to match the natural shape of the human eye, Samsung’s curved monitors feature uniform center-to-edge viewing distances to create a more comfortable and immersive viewing experience conducive to long-term use. Combined with extra-wide viewing angles and enhanced contrast ratios, these curved displays are ideal for gamers and at-home entertainment users seeking realistic, distraction-free picture quality. As a result, Samsung has capitalized on growing demand from these audiences (many of whom employ several monitors during game play or content viewing).

“Since the launch of our first curved monitor in 2014, we’ve seen this technology evolve to become an industry standard that gaming and entertainment viewers expect,” said Seog-gi Kim, Senior Vice President, Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics. “As curved monitors continue to grow in popularity, we welcome the challenge of further advancing our displays’ design and capabilities to drive new levels of viewer engagement and comfort. We are happy to have reached one million sales for our curved monitors so far, and we look forward to delivering new curved technology innovation in the coming years.”

Samsung’s curved monitor design refinement includes the introduction of a sharper curve with each new model while maintaining a consistently sleek and stylish presentation. In January 2015, Samsung released its second curved monitor, the 34-inch SE790C, featuring 3000R curvature. The company’s latest curved offerings – the CF591 (27-inch model) and CF390 (23.5- and 27-inch models) – further expand visual possibilities with an industry-leading 1800R composition.

“It is our everlasting goal to continue to provide a more immersive, best-possible viewing experience to consumers,” said Hyun-Suk Kim, President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “In the near future, our children will describe their TVs at home as something with a curved screen, not the flat one that had long been in use.”

Samsung has been the number one brand in the global TV market for ten consecutive years since 2006, selling over 427 million TVs. Throughout the past decade of its TV manufacturing history, Samsung has acted much more like a start-up meeting risks head on, never slowing down the pace of challenge and creativity.

Challenging the Norm in the TV Industry

In addition to producing a number of world firsts, the company has continued to innovate within the overall technologies and components that enhance the performance and quality of its products. State-of-the-art design has also been a major focus for the company’s TV lineup.

With the 2006 launch of the three million unit-selling R7 (‘Bordeaux’) TV, followed by the ToC (Touch of Color, or Crystal design) TV, the Full HD 3D TV with the world’s first 3D screen, to today’s immersive Curved UHD TVs, Samsung has created products that successfully anticipate, understand and meet consumer needs. Significant industry milestones include the creation of the 29.9mm world’s slimmest TV in 2009, the 110-inch world’s largest UHD TV in 2013 and the 105-inch Curved UHD TV in 2014.

As a result of Samsung’s continuing exploration to find the better ways to enjoy TV, smart TVs became a mainstay in homes around the world. In 2010, Samsung opened the world’s first TV application store and adopted the smart TV user interface – Smart Hub – a year later in 2011. Since then, the company has introduced voice, gesture and facial recognition technology, as well as incorporating the Tizen operating system for improved, intuitive usability and connectivity.

Samsung’s 2016 Smart TVs make it easier for consumers to discover and access all their favorite content and services, from TV and movies to games and program information, all in one place. The Samsung Smart Control remote serves as a single control unit for nearly all devices connected to a Samsung Smart TV, eliminating the need for multiple remote controls. Featuring IoT hub technology, the 2016 SUHD TV can also connect with and control more than 200 SmartThings compatible devices – whether it’s to see who is ringing the doorbell, lock the doors or turn off the lights – all from the TV.

The Launch of the SUHD Era

For the best viewing experience possible, Samsung’s biggest focus has been on improving picture quality—the essential value of TVs. This is well demonstrated in how Samsung has been spearheading the improvements in picture quality of modern TVs; from FHD to UHD, 2D to 3D, smaller to bigger displays, and from the conventional flat displays to curved ones.

The 2015 launch of the SUHD TV was a major contributing factor to achieve the ten-year market leader milestone, enhancing the brand’s overall product line. The popularity of this premium TV range can be attributed to SUHD offering the best possible picture quality, design and connected user experience, enabling consumers to enjoy ultra high definition television in any environment.

At CES 2016, Samsung announced the latest SUHD TV with Quantum dot display – featuring the world’s only cadmium-free, 10 bit panel Quantum dot technology. Quantum dot is a next-generation display material that uses nano-size semi-conductor particles to express dazzling brightness, a broader range of colors and the most accurate color representation of any display material.

Setting the year 2016 as a starting point for the next decade of leadership, Samsung will continue to push the envelope to the limit in order to demonstrate why the company is still in the lead and what its TVs are truly capable of.

“Over the last ten years, our TV sales and rate of innovation have been buoyant and are born from our ongoing desire to offer the best in technology, content and services,” said Hyun Suk Kim. “As we move into a new era, in which the TV experience is more immersive and spectacular than ever, we will not lose sight of the values and consumer understanding that has helped us earn our longstanding market leadership.”

Since releasing the industry’s first curved LED monitor in 2014, Samsung has continued to refine its design to accommodate growing demand from various user groups. The new CF591 and CF390 monitors feature many of Samsung’s latest innovations, including a sharper curve (1800R, translating to a curvature radius of 1,800 mm) and improved picture quality to deliver an optimal presentation that matches the shape of the human eye.

Samsung will launch the new curved monitors in the US, Europe and Asia in March and will expand the sales to other regions by April.

“As consumers seek a more pleasurable and immersive viewing experience – whether at work or at play – curved monitors can take their experience to the next level,” said Seog-gi Kim, Senior Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “The release of our cutting-edge curved displays signifies our commitment to continuous innovation and delivering the best viewing experience in any environment.”

A Viewing Experience that’s Easy on the Eyes

All of Samsung’s new curved monitors include a host of features that further reduce reflectance and visual fatigue, enabling users to view their screens for longer periods. The CF591 and CF390 displays leverage Samsung’s flicker-free technology to prevent interruptions that can strain users’ eyes. A complementary Eye Saver Mode setting further protects audiences from exposure to harmful blue light emissions. To benefit gamers and at-home entertainment users, all three displays include embedded AMD FreeSync Technology over HDMI^® functionality that synchronizes screen refresh rates with users’ AMD graphics cards to reduce input latency, stutter and lag when viewing interactive video content.

To deliver a more uniform presentation, Samsung’s CF591 and CF390 monitors offer a wide 178-degree viewing angle. This expanded visibility ensures that users can enjoy the full visual detail scope from multiple locations in the room, with less eye movement required.

Rich, Vibrant Color Presentation

By combining its optimized curvature and wide-angle viewing with premium color presentation and accuracy maintenance features, Samsung’s curved displays bring even the most minor visual details to life – even in traditionally environments for watching movies and playing video games. The displays’ 3,000:1 static contrast ratio is nearly three times higher than that of standard monitor alternatives, and presents content with deeper blacks and more pristine whites. All three curved monitors are reinforced with Samsung’s industry-leading Vertical Alignment (VA) panel technology to reduce backlight bleed and produce a more complete, high-quality picture.

To further amplify image detail, Samsung’s active color crystal technology supports sRGB 119 percent coverage within the CF591 monitor. This feature enables the CF591 to present a wider range of color hues and values than conventional displays allow, and share a more vivid picture with audiences.

For gaming users, Samsung’s Game Mode setting automatically adjusts picture conditions to become lighter or darker as dictated by gameplay, while also minimizing screen stuttering and tearing. These benefits, combined with the displays’ tight curve radius, give gamers a sense that the screen is surrounding them to inspire a more realistic experience. The CF591 monitor recently earned safety, quality and performance validation from UL (Underwriters Laboratories) following a rigorous testing process that evaluated its curved design, color presentation and viewing angles.

A Sleek, Stylish Design

Samsung’s CF591 and CF390 curved monitors feature a boundless, thin-bezel design that eliminates viewing borders and draws audiences into a distraction-free environment. This sophisticated boundless design facilitates the illusion that on-screen content is floating in mid-air and fosters a more immersive and captivating presentation.

Additionally, Samsung’s new monitors are built to be both practical and attractive, making them a compatible addition to any desktop or home entertainment setting. All three displays feature a metallic silver front and glossy white back that accentuate their curved structure. A circular stand elevates the look of the displays’ base while simultaneously providing stable support. Likewise, CF390 users can easily adjust their screen to the ideal height and viewing angle with the displays’ ergonomic tilt and swivel components.

An All-in-One Entertainment Center

Through amplified sound quality and versatile connectivity, the CF591 and CF390 displays transform on-screen content into a multi-sensory experience. The CF591 monitor features built-in dual 5W speakers that deliver enriched sound quality while preventing speaker and cable clutter on desktops. All three monitors also provide easy connectivity and seamless visual continuity for users’ PCs and gaming consoles through an embedded interface containing HDMI, D-Sub  ports and Display Port (only for the CF591).

Key Specifications

Located in Mountain View, California, Samsung’s Customer Experience Lab created the new Smart Hub UX, which is designed to make finding and viewing content more convenient than ever. The video embedded below shows the passion of the Customer Experience Lab’s researchers and how they conduct their research.

“It was very apparent that the traditional TV model is changing,” said Sophia Sung, Project Lead at the Customer Experience Lab, in the video. “Because we watch a lot of TV ourselves, we experience the same pain points that our users go through every day.” Sung added, “We are crazy about TV”.

Understanding the difficulties people go through with their TV inspired the lab to rethink the whole viewing experience. These days, people are using ever more devices to connect content to their TVs. There is broadcast TV, Video-on-Demand (VOD) services, Over-the-Top (OTT) services, game consoles and more, creating a complicated jumble of wires, remotes, formats and menus.

But the Samsung Smart Hub eliminates all of that, unifying all of people’s devices into one easy-to-use interface right on the TV screen, operated through a single remote control.

“In 2016, this is the first time we’ve really put the user’s content front and center,” said Jonathan Gaiser, Design Lead. “We have a vision to create an end-to-end, seamless content experience.”

Check out this video to learn more about how Samsung’s Customer Experience Lab is transforming the TV experience for all viewers.