by Hark-sang Kim

In light of modest global sales recently, some observers say that smartphone innovation has hit a bottleneck, as new devices bear more iterative upgrades instead of groundbreaking features. Others even predict that the smartphone era may be coming to an end soon.

But with mobile technologies like 5G, AI, and AR maturing rapidly, users will be able to do even more with their smartphones soon. Instead of losing relevance, the next wave of technological innovation will make the smartphone more central to our lives than ever before. Whether it’s leveraging increased connectivity or harnessing next-generation mobile intelligence, a larger display will be key to accessing future smartphone experiences.

Despite current trends, we are still living in a world where the size of the smartphone display can only be as large as the device itself. At Samsung, we began to ask ourselves how we can overcome this limitation and expand the possibilities of what users can accomplish on the go.

The Shape of Things to Come

Smartphone displays can’t get any larger without compromising portability – this was the orthodoxy for a long time.

Instead of accepting the status quo, resolving the contradiction between screen size and portability and developing a new form factor became the central focus of our innovation efforts.

The recent unveiling of the Infinity Flex Display at SDC 2018 signaled the start of this new chapter. But building a foldable device was no mean feat. After the prototypes of the flexible display debuted at CES in 2011, it took another seven years to perfect the technology and deliver a truly meaningful experience to users. From developing new materials to overcoming mechanical challenges, the foldable screen demanded a total reconfiguration of the smartphone from inside out.

Preparing for the New Era

We expect to see a sea change in the smartphone form factor in the coming years. From rollable and stretchable devices to the devices that can fold in multiple ways are no longer beyond the realms of reality. Samsung is ready to usher in this future and create meaningful experiences for consumers that help them do more of what they love.

To build the new foldable device, we made significant investments to create a new material that completely changes the anatomy of the smartphone display. We also created a natural and durable folding experience that users can appreciate from the very first time they unfold the device and crafted an innovative mechanical technology that can withstand hundreds of thousands of folds. We also had to rethink the placements of the battery, cooling system, and camera so that they can be placed inside the slim body efficiently. Last but not least, we developed an intuitive UX to ensure apps can transition seamlessly between the smaller and larger displays. We are committed to continue pushing the limits of possibility and lead the mobile industry into a new era.

Smartphone innovation is at the cusp of the next major transformation. The arrival of the Infinity Flex Display is just the beginning. We will continue pushing the limits of possibility and shape the future as it unfolds.

The Writer is Senior Vice President, Head of Visual R&D Team, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics

Designed to make your every touch, tap and swipe on the phone more purposeful, Galaxy S9 and S9+’s intuitive UX seamlessly translates simple gestures into meaningful actions. Whether it’s realizing ideas floating around in your head or simply making your ride home from work more enjoyable, the smartphones are packed with features to help you experience and discover more.

Lock Screen and AOD

The lock screen is the part of the smartphone we interact with the most. It’s often one of the first things we see when we wake up and check throughout the day. Galaxy S9 and S9+’s lock screen features give you the best platform to tell your own story every day. With the video wallpaper function, you can customize the lock screen to play your favorite images to keep you inspired all day long. The feature even lets you transform your treasured Super Slow-mo videos into lock screen wallpapers. You can also try making the notification bars on the lock screen transparent to see all the things that matter to you more clearly.

Adjust the transparency of notifications in Lock Screen and Security under Settings

Whenever you need to read the time precisely, simply tap the clock on the lock screen and it will tell you the seconds as well as minutes and hours.

Change lock screen time format

Want to keep something that makes you smile close by? Pin one of 20 pre-loaded animated GIFs on your Always on Display so you can be greeted with a dash of delight whenever you check your phone.

How to pin animated GIFs on Always on Display

Edge

There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to find an app quickly only to forget which folder it’s in. The Edge function on the Galaxy S9 and S9+ solves this problem by giving you the option to store your favorite apps and contacts on the side of the Super AMOLED screen. Samsung has improved the function to facilitate quicker access. Simply drag and drop an icon from Apps Edge to a designated box for a pop-up view. The Edge function on Galaxy S9 and S9+ also allows you to quickly reply to messages in a pop-up window.

Drag and drop icons from Apps Edge for pop-up view

You can now switch between Apps Edge, People Edge and Smart Select with a simple swipe. People Edge allows you to easily call or message your frequent contacts, while Smart Select lets you capture an area of your screen as an image or animation.

Swipe to access Apps Edge, People Edge, and Smart Select

App Pair

We’ve all been there. Switching back and forth between different documents and apps to gather all the information while writing an email on the go. The time spent navigating multiple apps could make writing a simple message feel like running a marathon. With App Pair on Galaxy S9 and S9+, you’ll never find yourself in such a situation again. With just one touch, the function launches two apps simultaneously in Multi-Window mode. You can even place the customized App Pair icon on the home screen to ensure easy access all the time.

Create App Pair icons with these simple steps and place App Pair icons on home screen for quick access

Landscape Mode

Most multimedia contents are best experienced in landscape on the smartphone. Using the entirety of the screen, the experience becomes more immersive. But switching from a video stream to other tasks can be cumbersome at times, as the home screen is usually fixed in portrait – until now. The home screen of Galaxy S9 and S9+ can rotate to landscape automatically, which means you don’t have to physically change the phone’s position whenever you transition between multimedia contents and other tasks.

Dedicated Fingerprint

Our phones often hold highly personal information. While it’s important to have such data locked away securely, efficient authentication is equally crucial. Galaxy S9 and S9+ strike the perfect balance between security and usability with Dedicated Fingerprint. The function lets you register two fingerprints to unlock the phone. Your normal fingerprint takes you to the home screen while your dedicated fingerprint gives you access to the Secure Folder directly from the lock screen.

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are designed with an intuitive feel and uniform screen that maintain Samsung’s design heritage. The new user experience (UX) includes Always On Display that enables users to check time and notification with ease, enhanced use of messaging with minimized interference of other apps and one-touch shortcuts that increase functionality. With improved processing ability and software, the phones were designed with users’ needs in mind.

The UX designers of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge explained the many design changes of the device and how they see these changes improving the user experience.

(from left to right) Jonghyun Han, Jieun Yang, Sangdeuk Nam, Sukjae Lee, Donggyu Lim

Q. What differentiates the UX in the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

Sangdeuk Nam: These phones are designed with special features that reflect the actual needs, usage patterns and experience of the users. In particular, the new UX includes refinements to the clock and weather information on the home screen, an app search within the app tray – making for a faster app search.

Hyosang Bang: As we designed the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, we aimed the entire process of using the phone –taking it out of one’s pocket, using it and putting it back in one’s pocket – is one effortless flow of motion and experience. Through features such as the Always On Display, improved connectivity between messages, and quick access through the edge screen, the phones are designed to provide information in an intuitive and handy way.

Q. What is the Always On Display (AOD) and how do you expect users to benefit from this feature?

Jieun Yang: Through our research, we were able to see that users repeatedly turn the phone display on and off throughout the day just to check the time. The Always On Display allows users to check important information like time without turning on the screen and we expect improved user satisfaction from this feature.

To personalize their device, we also have developed themes like space, and many more, that users can download for AOD. The favorite theme will be applied throughout the device, including the clock and image on the home screen and will be continuous on the turned-on screen and the turned-off screen.

Q. What is the Smart Switch, and how will it benefit users?

Sang-a Eun: Some users are reluctant to change their phones because of the difficulty and inconvenience of moving data from one device to another. By using the Smart Switch, a service that allows users to easily send personal data from an old to a new device, users will have no trouble maintaining all previous experiences –even between various devices like a phone and tablet.

The users are able to transfer data from the previous device using a USB connector or by executing it in the setting menu of the device. To allow new users to easily and quickly send data themselves, we have explained the data transmission processes through image and infographic depicting the data transmission stage.

Q. What is notable about the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge messaging interface?

Hyojin Bae: The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge messaging are a trendier version of Legacy messaging and are intended to be used the same way as instant messaging (IM). We designed it to have Cross-app functionality, meaning that users can perform various activities using one particular app without moving around to different apps.

Sukjae Lee: For instance, if a user receives a web link in a text message, email, or memo app, they can use a web viewer to check the link in the same screen without exiting the app he or she was using. Also, the user can easily send attachments, like images, videos, music, memos, schedules, contact, and more, through a separate Attach Sheet interface.

Q. What is notable about the Sound & Haptic system in the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge?

Youngku Lee: The main focus in developing the audio ux was also the “consideration for users”. For example, we changed the low battery alert sound to be a more pleasant and relaxing auditory experience.

One example is the Galaxy devices’ signature sound – “Over the Horizon”. For the new Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, a fresh interpretation of the song has been uploaded in an exciting Fusion jazz style, a music genre that we think exemplifies the feeling of consideration.

Q. What are the improvements in UX for the enhanced edge function?

Donggyu Lim: The edge UX allows more efficient access to the routine tasks that are most frequently used. The biggest improvement is that the edge can be summoned on any screen without having to press a certain button. Also, the edge domain has been expanded so that users can check the news or scores for a particular sports team, right away. We also improved the shortcut function so that the user’s most frequently contacted person, most frequently used app, or the most frequently used function can be added and summoned on any screen.

Q. Is there a possibility for the edge UX advancement in the future?

Jonghyun Han: Samsung has released its third edge model and is also continuously advancing edge UX. In addition to the edge functions that we have prepared, there are even more functions being distributed through the SDK for use by third party app developers.

In the future, we expect that there will be an increase in more diverse services and functions through the expanded scope of the edge. Opportunities for messenger services, various news providers, and O2O services are wide open as well.