Helping users say goodnight to washed-out, blurry night images was a group effort driven by Samsung’s experts. To learn more about this groundbreaking camera feature for the Galaxy S23 series, Samsung Newsroom spoke with the experts at Samsung Research’s¹ global R&D centers, who collaborated on the technology.

Read on to see what John Seok-Jun Lee, Head of Computational Camera Part at Samsung Research America (SRA), and Narasimha Gopalakrishna Pai, Head of AI Computational Imaging Part at Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore (SRI-B), had to say about their joint development of Nightography, the best way to take crisp photos and videos from dusk until dawn.

Every year, judged by a panel of sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) experts, the SEAL Awards recognizes the most impactful sustainability initiatives and top companies that drive environmental progress. Samsung is a recipient of the SEAL Sustainable Product Award, which honors inspiring purpose-built products that move and change the world in a better way.

“We are honored to receive the 2022 SEAL Sustainable Product Award for our efforts to advance more circular product designs and by doing more with less when it comes to ocean plastic waste,” said Sungsun Park, EVP and Head of Mechanical R&D Team of MX Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is committed to continuing our sustainability journey and unleashing the company’s scale, innovation and spirit of open collaboration to deliver even more tangible climate actions.”

“A staggering 640,000 tons of fishing equipment are abandoned in the ocean each year, trapping and entangling marine life and damaging coral reefs. We applaud Samsung for transforming the Galaxy smartphone series to combat this environmental challenge,” said Matt Harney, Founder of SEAL Awards.

Discarded fishing nets are one of the most widespread and invasive ocean-bound plastics that pose a serious threat to marine life and our planet. Samsung first incorporated recycled discarded fishing nets with the Galaxy S22 series and since then, has used the material in designs throughout the Galaxy ecosystem, including in tablets, laptops and earbuds. By collaborating with like-minded organizations, Samsung created a new material from recycled ocean-bound plastic and upheld its high-quality standards.

This innovation is part of Samsung MX’s sustainability vision, Galaxy for the Planet, which outlines the company’s journey to taking tangible climate actions across global business operations and product lifecycles. Through Galaxy for the Planet, Samsung strives to develop and incorporate recycled materials in all new products, eliminate single-use plastics in mobile packaging, achieve zero standby power consumption for all smartphone chargers and divert all waste from landfill by 2025.

About the SEAL Awards
SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) Awards is an environmental advocacy organization that honors leadership through our business sustainability awards & environmental journalism awards while funding research and pursuing our own environmental impact campaigns.

The SEAL Awards’ core pillars are:

• Business Sustainability Awards — honors the most sustainable companies in the world, like Adidas, AMD, Cisco and Tide
• Environmental Journalism Awards — representative past winners include journalists from Guardian, New York Times and Grist
  
• Impact Campaigns — representative campaigns include “#UpTheCup” and “Eco Rewards”
• Environmental Research Grants
  

For more information, please visit https://sealawards.com/.

Samsung Electronics today was recognized by Interbrand, a global brand consultancy, as one of the top five in the Best Global Brands 2022. Each year, Interbrand announces the world’s top 100 brands, and Samsung’s brand value was evaluated for USD 87.7 billion, which represents 17% growth compared to USD 74.6 billion in 2021, ranking the company in fifth place for three years in a row.

The achievement was based on Samsung’s restored financial performance, which is now near pre-pandemic levels, and higher demand for memory due to an increase in data usage. In 2021, Samsung scored a brand value growth of 20% compared to 2020 and this year, continues the double-digit growth. Samsung first entered the top 10 list in 2012, placing in ninth position, and has managed to rise in the chart each year, reaching sixth place in 2017 and fifth place in 2020.

“Samsung Electronics was able to record two consecutive years of double-digit growth in brand value, all thanks to the support from our global customers,” said YH Lee, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics. “In return, the entire company will work together as a team to provide a better and more satisfying customer experience.”

Various Factors Evaluated by Interbrand to Build the Samsung Brand Value

At the end of 2021, Samsung Electronics merged its SET Division and created the Device eXperience Division to increase synergy among its products and provide a next level of experience to customers. Furthermore, Samsung also launched the Customer eXperience-Multi Device Experience Center to strengthen its multi-device connection experience.

Along with these measures, Samsung has integrated the SmartThings across its product categories, creating an inclusive ecosystem and a multi-device experience. SmartThings also empowers consumers to get the most out of their Samsung devices, as well as third-party products they may already own.

In addition, Samsung’s Future Generation Lab has been created to foster authentic conversations around the activities of the next generation. The insights from the lab have been applied to the products and marketing activities.

As well as innovative products based on consumer experiences, the development of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, automotive and robotics through consistent investment also played a role in Samsung’s growth.

Samsung’s Recognized Efforts in Each Product Division for a Better Customer Experience

Mobile

• Camera innovation of Galaxy S22 series based on customers’ insights, and Nightography campaign rollout Cementing leadership in the foldable mobile phone category
• Partnership with Google and Microsoft to strengthen users’ connected experience
• Respecting the value of user security and privacy through Samsung Knox

Network

• Pioneering network innovation path in virtualization and openness with large-scale commercial experiences
• Driving 5G industry with its market-leading 5G portfolio from RAN and Core to automation tools
• Realizing the ESG commitment through intelligent network solutions for energy efficiency

Visual Display

• Continuing innovation of premium TVs, including Micro LED, the Neo QLED 8K/4K
• Strengthening its product portfolio based on customers’ lifestyle, such as The Frame, The Freestyle
• Providing new gaming experiences to consumers, including the Samsung Gaming Hub and the Odyssey Ark

Home Appliances

• Expanding Bespoke product categories beyond kitchen to entire home including clothing care, floor care and air care
• Delivering sustainability values through its products (achieving high level of energy saving rate for major products, guaranteed warranties for digital inverter compressor, reduced microplastic emission from washing machines in collaboration with Patagonia)
• Creating excitement among Bespoke fans through participation-focused online and offline campaigns

Semiconductor

• Investing in next-generation technologies and production capabilities to ensure stable supplies for cutting-edge applications (constructing new $17B manufacturing line in Texas, KRW 20-trillion R&D complex in Giheung)
• Delivering industry-leading semiconductor innovations that enhance product performance and energy efficiency (industry’s first 3nm GAA mass production)
• Developing innovative memory solutions to address the explosive growth of data-intensive tasks in areas such as AI and ML (CXL memory, HBM-PIM, second-generation SmartSSD), and expanding strategic partnerships to tackle new industry challenges
• Pushing boundaries of logic solutions that can offer enhanced user experiences and new opportunities (5G Exynos Modem, Exynos 2200, 200MP ISOCELL HP3)

Interbrand’s Best Global Brands are listed according to the evaluation of each brand value, which is a result of comprehensive analysis of the financial performance of the company, the influence of the brand on customer purchases and brand competitiveness.

Samsung Electronics announces today that it has made progress towards achieving the 2025 sustainability goals for the MX(Mobile eXperience) Business. Key initiatives include developing and incorporating recycled materials into products, designing more eco-conscious packaging and giving new life to older Samsung Galaxy devices to reduce e-waste.

Since announcing the Galaxy for the Planet vision at Unpacked in August 2021, Samsung has worked diligently to create new ways to recycle and repurpose resources that would otherwise become harmful waste, minimize its environmental footprint and inspire innovation that helps preserve the planet. Today, Samsung is sharing the progress so far on its sustainability journey.

“Samsung is taking consistent and impactful actions that help protect people and the planet. We marry sustainability and innovation in everything we do,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “I am proud of our progress to date. At the same time, it’s been a humbling experience that enables us to continue on our journey towards achieving our sustainability vision with even more conviction and rigor than before.”

Expanding the Use of Recycled Materials to the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4

Developing new, recycled materials is a key focus area for Galaxy for the Planet. The more Samsung recycles, the more resources it preserves. While repurposing materials into Galaxy devices presents many challenges, the benefits for the planet make it well worth the effort.

Samsung designed the new Galaxy Z series and Galaxy Buds2 Pro with repurposed fishing nets, or ghost nets, that could otherwise end up in the ocean.

First integrated into the Galaxy S22 series in February 2022, today there are eleven Galaxy devices that use repurposed fishing nets including Galaxy Book2 Pro series and Galaxy Tab S8 series as well. By repurposing abandoned fishing nets into a high-performance material for Galaxy technology, Samsung helps to minimize the effects of plastic pollution — 640,000 tons of fishing nets are abandoned and pollute the world’s oceans every year.¹

Repurposing discarded fishing nets is only one example of Samsung’s advancements in increasing its use of recycled materials in its products.

Samsung has incorporated eco-conscious materials including repurposed fishing nets, post-consumer materials (PCM) or bio-based resin into 90% of Galaxy devices launched in the past year.² For the Galaxy Buds2 Pro, more than 90% of the plastic components are made with partly* recycled materials.³

This process requires complex engineering and technical skills to ensure the overall quality, safety and reliability of all new materials for Samsung’s innovative technologies. Samsung plans to make further investments in research and development to source and transform other, new materials for use in Galaxy products and to increase the presence of recycled materials in each device. 

Changing the Way Galaxy Products Are Packaged

Samsung set a goal to eliminate all single-use plastics in mobile product packaging by 2025, and the company has already reduced a sizeable amount of single-use plastics in its current packaging for Galaxy smartphones including the new Galaxy foldables. Samsung will explore more ways to eliminate single-use plastics in packaging by assessing every aspect of its packaging designs, down to the smallest of details.

Starting with the launch of the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung now uses 100% recycled paper for flagship product packaging.

By doing so, Samsung will be able to save the equivalent of nearly 51,000 trees⁴ with the Galaxy S22 series and the new Galaxy Z series this year.

Samsung has also reduced the volume of packaging for Galaxy Z Flip4 by 52.8% and for Galaxy Z Fold4 by 58.2% respectively compared to the first-generation Galaxy foldables. By reducing each device package’s volume, Samsung ultimately reduces its environmental footprint in transporting these units using trucks, planes and ships. The company estimates that this reduction in packaging volume equates to a reduction in carbon emissions from transportation of approximately 10,000 tons by the end of 2022.⁵ In addition to continually evolving packaging for flagship smartphones, Samsung will expand eco-conscious packaging to other product categories.

Scaling Solutions That Reduce E-waste

More than ever, reducing e-waste is crucial to advancing a circular economy that preserves and repurposes the planet’s finite resources. According to the World Economic Forum, 57 million tons of e-waste was generated in 2021, and it is expected to grow by 2 million tons per year.⁶

To address this, Samsung has been expanding the Galaxy Upcycling program, which gives new life to older Galaxy smartphones. Through Galaxy Upcycling at Home,⁷ Samsung repurposes smartphones with a simple software update that turns them into smart home devices that support everyday needs, such as childcare and pet care.

An important part of Galaxy Upcycling is ensuring that these sustainable practices not only support the environment but also improve people’s lives. The company also upcycles secondhand Galaxy devices into medical diagnosis equipment called EYELIKE fundus cameras that provide necessary eye care services in underserved communities. This program has already upcycled hundreds of Galaxy devices and provided basic eye care for over 13,000 patients in Vietnam, Morocco, India and Papua New Guinea.

The Path Forward

Samsung has set clear sustainability goals by scaling solutions across its business. Whether it is repurposing discarded fishing nets for Galaxy devices, striving to achieve plastic-free packaging or moving us forward to achieve zero waste to landfill and zero standby power of smartphone chargers, Samsung is realizing its Galaxy for the Planet vision one step at a time.

There will be more challenges along the way, but Samsung will hold itself accountable and continue to report progress on its mission to effect positive change and inspire others to protect the planet for generations to come.

¹ FAO and UNEP.

² By number of models. This includes Galaxy smartphones, tablets, laptops and wearables Samsung launched globally from September 2021 to August 2022. There are 37 models launched globally during this period and 34 models include at least one component that is made of recycled materials or bio-based resin.

³ More than 90% of all the plastic components of Galaxy Buds2 Pro are made of partly recycled materials. 29 grams of plastics are used in the Galaxy Buds2 Pro in total, and components weighing more than 27 grams are made with partly recycled materials. Each of these components contains at least 20% of either discarded fishing nets (ocean-bound plastic) or post-consumer materials. Recycled fishing nets are used in three internal components of the cradle case in its bracket deco front, bracket battery holder and bracket-PCB. Post-consumer recycled materials are used in eight exterior components. Four components in both Ear Buds in its case front left/right, case rear left/right. And four components in the cradle case in its deco front, case-upper, case-upper inner and case-lower.

⁴ A 30-year-old pine tree can produce 59 kg of paper.

⁵ This is calculated based on ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006 standard, using Ecoinvent 3.8 database for transportation of SM-F700F, SM-F721B, SM-F900F and SM-F936B models from Korea to Europe.

⁶ World Economic Forum, “This year’s e-waste to outweigh Great Wall of China,” October 18, 2021. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/2021-years-e-waste-outweigh-great-wall-of-china/.

⁷ Galaxy Upcycling at Home is available in the US, the UK and Korea currently and availability may vary by carrier. This feature is available on all Galaxy S, Note and Z series released since 2018(Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note9 or later) running Android 9 and above. More devices will be supported in the future.

*The content has been revised as of January 30, 2023 to provide more accurate information. 

Every color has its own unique characteristics and heritage. Among them, purple has been one of the most beloved. It is a compelling color, blending the calmness of blue and the excitement of red to create a different kind of energy that evokes warmth and optimism. It is welcoming and inclusive, embracing diversity.

In that sense, purple stands for the same things Samsung Galaxy does: embracing individuality, pushing boundaries and relentlessly innovating under the philosophy of openness.

From light and playful to dark and bold, many shades of purple have resonated through the ages in different ways — as they have through Samsung’s palette. With the Orchid Gray Samsung Galaxy S8, the Lilac Purple Galaxy S9, the Violet S22 series and the Lavender Z Flip 3, purple has been a hallmark of Galaxy’s signature style. To extend purple’s heritage, which goes hand-in-hand with Galaxy’s philosophy, we introduce our newest shade: Bora Purple. “Bora” is the Korean word for purple and we designed the bright and eye-catching Bora Purple Galaxy S22 to evoke joy, spark creativity and embrace individuality.

▲ Samsung Galaxy S22 in Bora Purple

“With its pastel and neutral tones, Bora Purple embodies optimism and a sense of calm. It will unfold your world with the power of choice,” said Sonia Chang, VP of Global Brand Marketing Group, MX Business at Samsung Electronics. “Whether you’re a K-pop star or a lifelong purple lover, the Galaxy S22 Bora Purple was made for you. We are excited to introduce Bora Purple, first for the S22 but also for exciting new Galaxy devices later this year.”

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 in Bora Purple will be available for purchase starting August 10.1

For more information, visit Samsung.com.

1 Availability may vary by market.

In the short film, the Stranger Things-inspired theme serves as a fitting backdrop to showcase the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s powerful Nightography capabilities. In season four of Stranger Things, nighttime opens up a portal to an extraordinary world — and the S22 Ultra is used to recreate that distinct style and tell a cinematic story demonstrating how Galaxy technology has the power to capture what would otherwise go unseen in the dark.

Making Nighttime Epic

In Make STRANGER Nights Epic, a young girl puts her Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in her back pocket while riding her bike to a Stranger Things 4 watch party at her friend’s house. During her journey, her video inadvertently turns on, capturing footage of what’s lurking behind her in The Upside Down. All of the vertical phone footage scenes were filmed with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.¹

The short film also makes the most of the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s powerful Nightography camera features, which include a 108MP main camera and a massive 2.4μm pixel sensor powered by advanced artificial intelligence (AI) that allow it to capture more light and data for brighter, crisper video footage, day and night.

Creating a Galaxy of Extraordinary Content

Samsung and Netflix have a longstanding partnership and have collaborated on Bespoke campaigns featuring several of the streaming platform’s most popular series. In January, they launched an integrated campaign to help kick off the second season of Emily in Paris, including letting fans “flip the script” and become the lead character in their own animated poster via Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G.

Samsung and Netflix also teamed up to create a Bridgerton short film for the unveiling of the Galaxy S22 series at Unpacked in February. In the three-minute skit, innovators try to gain the attention of Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte. Inventor Lord Tristar succeeds when he showcases his visionary creation — massive Neoclassical paintings of the Galaxy S22 and S22+, ready in 209 years.

Samsung and Netflix will continue to work together to create compelling, high-quality content that people love.

Following the May release of Stranger Things 4 volume one, Samsung’s debut of Make STRANGER Nights Epic comes a day after Netflix released the official trailer for volume two, which will drop on July 1. To watch the Samsung and Netflix short film, Make STRANGER Nights Epic, visit Samsung’s YouTube channel.

About Netflix, Inc.

Netflix is the world’s leading streaming entertainment service with 222 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries, feature films and mobile games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

¹ Captured with Galaxy S22 Ultra. The quality of the footage captured may vary by environmental conditions. Back-pocket filming and Stranger Things creatures were added in post-production for illustrative purposes.

Samsung, India’s most trusted smartphone brand, has consolidated its smartphone business leadership in the month of March with strong double-digit growth during the month. In the first quarter (January-March, 2022), Samsung’s smartphone business registered 9% value growth over the same period last year.

“At Samsung, customers are at the heart of everything we do. Our recent launches – the flagship Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy A series – have witnessed strong demand from consumers, making March a record month for us. The exceptional growth in the month of March points to a stronger double-digit growth for Samsung in the current April to June 2022 quarter. Our endeavour is to constantly listen to our customers’ feedback – and continue to deliver mobile experiences that empower us all to evolve,” said Raju Pullan, Senior Vice President, MX Business, Samsung India.

“Samsung led the Indian smartphone market in March 2022 capturing 22% shipment volume and 27% revenue share, according to Counterpoint Research Monthly India Smartphone Tracker. Timely portfolio expansion with 5G capability down to M, F & A series and strong uptake of the Galaxy S22 and foldable flagship series helped Samsung grow back to the leadership position. This growth is commendable considering the entire industry is facing supply chain constraints whereas, Samsung leveraging its vertical integrated supply chain expertise and scale could navigate the shortages better. Samsung has gained strong momentum to capitalize and maintain the lead,” said Neil Shah, Vice President of Research, Counterpoint.

Galaxy S22 series has become Samsung’s best-selling flagship smartphone in India within a month of its launch. Galaxy S22 Ultra combines the unrivalled power of the Note series and the iconic S-Pen with pro-grade camera and performance of the S series to set the new standard for premium smartphones.  Built with a bold, sustainably conscious design, Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+ have dynamic cameras with advanced intelligent image processing to make every moment epic. After a record pre-booking, Samsung is looking to consolidate its market leadership in the premium segment in India by H1, 2022.

Samsung launched five Galaxy A series devices in March – Galaxy A13, Galaxy A23, Galaxy A33 5G, Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy A73 5G. This five smartphones will strengthen Samsung’s portfolio in the mid and high segment, where Samsung is targeting to increase its market share to 40% by H1, 2022. The all-new Galaxy A series gives consumers the power to make every day awesome through AI-powered camera, super smooth & bright display and up to two-day battery life.

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 S22here.

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 morehere.

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 resultshere.

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.

Watch the the most #EpicUnboxing EVER here –

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 articlehere.

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 competitionhere.

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 installationhere.

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 experiencehere.

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 even there.

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

Like so many great inventions, Expert RAW was a group effort — driven by Samsung’s experts and Galaxy users’ valuable feedback. To learn more about the Expert RAW experience, Samsung Newsroom spoke with the experts at Samsung Research² who collaborated on the app.

Read on to see what Hamid Sheikh, Head of the Intelligent Imaging Team at Samsung Research America’s (SRA) Mobile Processor Innovation (MPI) Lab, and Girish Kulkarni, Head of the Camera Solutions Group at the Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore (SRI-B), had to say about this innovative camera collaboration.

Q: What does the Expert RAW app do? What are the main benefits for users?

Hamid: Expert RAW really gives users the ability to take full control of their mobile photography experience much like a professional photographer would. The app captures much more comprehensive data for each image, which can be used to both improve photos and artistically enhance them with editing software like Adobe Lightroom — the go-to app for professional photographers.

To improve the overall camera experience, we worked closely with Adobe to tightly couple Expert RAW with Lightroom. The result is that photographers have full control over their creative experience. Novice photographers can also utilize automatic set points for camera controls, and then use the Samsung-specific default values in Lightroom. In both cases, the tight integration of the two apps makes for an enjoyable experience.

Girish: Expert RAW is an epic leap forward for photography. It essentially places a professional studio in your pocket. Whether you are a pro photographer or you’re just a user who wants to capture amazing content, anyone can take full advantage of the Galaxy S22’s pro-grade camera with Expert RAW. It captures high-quality, high dynamic range pictures in the multi-frame RAW format that enables precise post-capture editing and professional results.

With Expert RAW, people can capture much more information in a single picture — from dark details to bright highlights. It also drastically reduces noise and increases sharpness and detail. If you’re looking for the ultimate creative controls, you can choose your own settings for aspects like ISO, shutter speed, white balance, EV and focus, and even choose which lenses you want to use for the subject and the scene. Finally, because both JPEG and DNG files are saved when shooting, you can hop right into the Adobe Lightroom app on your smartphone or PC and edit with ease.

Q: What was the original inspiration for Expert RAW?

Hamid: Samsung camera technologies have always relied on sophisticated computational photography algorithms to produce the best picture quality. However, the standard camera app makes many decisions about how the image will be rendered in terms of color, tone, detail and noise. The user has very limited say in these decisions.

Our inspiration came from the confluence of user experience limitations and the leaps in computational and AI capabilities of today’s mobile processors. We asked ourselves, “How can we make the photography experience more inspiring for users?” So really, our inspiration came from the expert and enthusiast photography community, which yearned for an easier mobile photography experience, without sacrificing the creative control that DSLR and post-capture editing allows. Expert RAW was born out of a desire to transform that inspiration into reality.

Girish: As we heard the input of professional photographers who were mostly utilizing DSLR cameras, they wanted to achieve a pro-grade experience with smartphones. Our consumer research also showed that after using their smartphone’s auto camera for a long time, typical users were very passionate about exploring Samsung’s pro-grade camera capabilities in-depth to become better photographers.

The more we talked to professional and amateur photographers, the more we understood their needs in terms of RAW image capturing, camera controls, the post-editing experience, creative capabilities and more. That’s when we set out to create a new pro-grade experience based around RAW capturing so that every level of photographer could merge our camera controls and their creativity to enjoy professional-looking photos.

Q: What makes Expert RAW such an important release for mobile photography in general?

Hamid: The camera experience is one of the most important experiences that a user has with his or her smartphone. Samsung has been at the cutting edge of camera quality, and the gap between consumers and professional/enthusiast photographers has always been a tempting one to bridge.

I think with the release of Expert RAW, users will find that their photography experience will take a quantum leap in terms of creative control and artistic expression. I expect more and more people will find this new experience rewarding because it lets them personalize their camera based on their tastes — exactly how they want them — and not based on what some other engineers chose for them.

Girish: As an app, this platform has simplified the RAW capturing process with precise camera and lens controls and post-editing with Adobe Lightroom. It’s for every user who is willing to go beyond — to unleash the true power of an Expert RAW camera, and explore their creative side.

Q: What role did the MPI Lab play in Expert RAW’s development?

Hamid: Any time we are creating a brand-new user experience, we have to consider and overcome many tough engineering challenges. The MPI Lab developed the main idea behind Expert RAW and its technologies, and we knew it was challenge worth pursuing.

We developed a brand-new computational photography pipeline that can produce both DNG as well as processed JPEG files. Developing a complex computational photography pipeline from scratch was not easy. We no longer had the benefit of an older, mature technology base to build upon. But our team successfully developed this new, AI-based 3DISP technology to produce raw data that looks very natural when users load it in editing apps like Adobe Lightroom.

Q: What role did SRI-B play in Expert RAW’s development? What were the team’s main areas of focus?

Girish: Expert RAW was a complex R&D project, and SRI-B’s role was to think in terms of end-to-end for the best consumer experience. This required multi-domain expertise and deep collaboration among multiple teams.

SRI-B is equipped with strong multi-domain expertise teams, so we formed a task force of talented experts. They all worked together as a single team within SRI-B and also worked with a larger team of experts based in Korea and at the MPI Lab.

The multi-domain expertise and close collaboration with all key stakeholders helped SRI-B continuously focus on improving Expert RAW’s product experience, end-to-end pipeline, etc.

Q: Could you offer more details on your collaboration with one another?

Hamid: The MPI Lab has been working with SRI-B throughout our entire history at Samsung. SRI-B contributed its amazing skillset and resources towards the development of the software technologies, as well as key AI blocks for the Expert RAW pipeline. They also owned the UI piece of the Expert RAW application and provided many innovation points on the Expert RAW experience. It’s always fun working with them.

Girish: The MPI Lab has world-class expertise in computational imaging domain, and has a proven record of developing successful IPs for Samsung flagship products. That expertise was one of the key requirements for Expert RAW’s development. The MPI Lab came up with the multi-frame pipeline building blocks implementation, which helped SRI-B integrate and enhance the same for the end-to-end architecture and pipeline.

One of the major expectations for Expert RAW was that it would enable the best image quality in different lighting conditions, which requires the tuning of the multi-frame processing pipeline. MPI’s strong expertise in this area helped us continuously improve image quality before the commercial launch. In summary, MPI’s expertise in computational imaging and SRI-B’s breadth of knowledge in multiple subdomains helped SRI-B prepare Expert RAW’s end-to-end experience for commercial launch.

SRI-B and the MPI Lab used their 12-hour time zone difference effectively to plan and collaborate on Expert RAW. SRI-B’s day was MPI’s night, and vice versa. It helped to have 24/7 development to finish this complex feature in record time. We are proud of Samsung’s culture that enables respectful collaboration among different overseas R&D centers and we always enjoy working with MPI Lab.

Q: How do the MPI Lab and SRI-B plan to build on this collaboration to develop even more innovative camera technologies?

Hamid: Our journey with the new RAW camera experience is just beginning. I am excited to think about what new improvements and enhancements we can make. One of the best parts of the Expert RAW experience is that the photographer is front and center. We’ll preserve that as we actively look into the experiences of different users and continuously implement improvements to make Expert RAW even better than before.

Girish: The MPI Lab and SRI-B have been working together for the last few years developing the world’s best night mode for Samsung flagship smartphones. This collaboration helped lead us to the success story that is Expert RAW on the Galaxy S22. We’re excited to continue that momentum for the next innovative products to come.

In the future, we would like to continuously enhance Expert RAW with a focus on creating a new ecosystem for pro photography that fully utilizes pro-grade camera capabilities.

Collaborating for Creativity 

Features like Expert RAW underline Samsung’s commitment to developing tools that empower users to unleash their creativity.

Going forward, the company will continue to strengthen collaborations that leverage the knowledge and capabilities of its world-class network of R&D centers. Doing so will help unlock technologies that change the way we live, work and create.

¹ Expert RAW must be downloaded separately from the Galaxy Store, for free, before use. Expert RAW app availability is currently limited to the Galaxy S21 Ultra and S22 series. Samsung Members notified Expert RAW will become available on Galaxy Z Fold3 in April 2022 and Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy Note20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold2 later this year.

² Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, which leads the development of future technologies for its Device eXperience division

Samsung Electronics has rolled up its sleeves to tackle the marine pollution issue that is threatening the safety of humankind and the environment. The company’s eco-conscious efforts include recycling discarded ocean-bound plastic (OBP) located within 50km of the coast and using recycled materials to produce high-resolution monitors and Galaxy devices.

In addition, the eco-conscious water treatment technology that’s currently being used at the manufacturing sites of Samsung’s Device Solutions (DS) Division significantly reduces water usage, reusing an amount of water equivalent to the total usage of two million people over half a year. Efforts like these underline Samsung’s commitment to conserving water.

Check out the infographic below to learn more about how Samsung is reducing marine pollution by transforming OBP into parts for monitors and mobile devices including smartphones, and by purifying wastewater at its semiconductor plants.