[Interview] How the Galaxy S10’s Design Team Created a Galaxy for Everyone

The Galaxy S10 line celebrates a decade of Galaxy innovation with incredible new features and award-winning technologies. But the first thing consumers will notice when they see a new Galaxy S10 isn’t the Dynamic AMOLED display or the pro-grade camera system—it’s the eye-catching design.

The Samsung Newsroom sat down with the Galaxy S10 design team to learn more about how they created the most striking Galaxy lineup yet.

A Whole New Spectrum of Colors and Materials

The overarching design concept of the Galaxy S10 line is: “Radical, Magical”. From its bright colors and luxurious materials, to its sleek shape and bold display, the Galaxy S10 delivers radical change with a magical feel. Focusing on “prism colors”, the design team aimed to create iridescent hues that change depending on how they catch the light, so each device refracts light to produce a vast spectrum of colors.

“To create Prism White, we overlaid around 1,000 sheets of nanofilms together, each with different reflectivity,” explained Duyeong Choi, a member of the Design Team’s CMF Group responsible for color. “It was especially difficult to fine-tune which colors would stand out the most.”

In addition to adopting the prismatic design, the team also introduced bold new colors that are particularly attractive to Millennials and Gen Z. Youngmi Shin, in charge of the design strategy division from the Design Team elaborated: “We chose playful colors in line with current trends, with ‘Canary Yellow^*’ for the Galaxy S10e based on the viral-hit color Gen Z Yellow and ‘Flamingo Pink^*’ for the Galaxy S10e, S10, and S10+.”

In a Galaxy-first, the team also introduced premium, ceramic backs for the Galaxy S10+ with the colors Ceramic Black and Ceramic White. Recalling traditional ceramicware, which is heated to 1,400- degrees centigrade to achieve a tough exterior, the Galaxy S10+’s ceramic backs offer greater strength and durability, as well as better scratch resistance, thanks to an added inner layer of scatter-protection film. The beautiful ceramic finish is the result of an intense, 200 hour-long process, handled by Samsung from start to finish. “Some users want a more sophisticated look and substantive feel for their device,” Shin said.

“The Galaxy S10 line is defined by choice. From the option of a flat display and compact form factor of the Galaxy S10e, to the larger, end-to-end displays of the S10 and S10+, there’s something for everybody,” Seungho Jang, a member of the Flagship Product Design Group in the Design Team, emphasized.

The Difference is in the Detail

Ensuring that the Galaxy S10 line was free of any friction or frustration was a top priority for the designers. For instance, the team had to position the front camera so that it did not interfere with content on the display, and they had to optimize the refractive ratio of the display to minimize bezels.

There were also larger challenges. A secure, comfortable grip is a vitally important consideration for a smartphone, so the form factor was a major point of focus for the design team.

“The Galaxy S10’s feeling of openness comes from its shape at the edges,” Jang continued. “We shaped the sides of the device to be smooth and solid like a pebble. Not only does it feel great in your hand, it reduces the shadow on the display from reflected light.” 

These design choices can influence the integrity of the display—especially one as technologically advanced as the Infinity-O Display. Dongkyun Kim of the design team recalled the development process: “The key is finding the perfect balance between the feelings of solidness and slimness.”

Putting it All Together

With the Galaxy S10 line, every decision—big or small—mattered. The result is something extraordinary: a device that honors the Galaxy legacy and sets a new standard for the smartphone.

Seungho Jang reflected: “In smartphone design, continual innovation is no easy task, but we are always listening to users, and are committed to pushing the boundaries of design to create Galaxy devices that everyone can enjoy.”

^*Availability of Canary Yellow and Flamingo Pink may differ by region, device, and carrier.