With Fun Mode, Galaxy A series users can take pictures and videos from the proprietary camera app, applying playful, quirky lenses to create any moment into a fun and unique content to share with your friends or upload on to your social media.

Fun Mode is a result of Samsung and Snap’s vision to use the latest technology to provide enjoyable camera experiences. Fun Mode is powered by Snap’s Camera Kit, allowing businesses and developers to bring the power of Snap’s augmented reality into their own applications. Now, Fun Mode has also expanded to Galaxy F and M series devices^[5].

“Galaxy users are constantly seeking new ways to express their creativity,” says Woncheol Chai, EVP and Head of Experience Planning Team at Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is constantly innovating to empower users to do more of what they love. That is why we continue to grow our partnership with Snap, one of the biggest and most creative augmented reality platforms, so we can explore further improvements and bring one of the best camera experiences to more users.”

Samsung and Snap have been working to offer users around the world more engaging and localized experiences. In 2021, they launched region-specific AR Lenses in India, and since then have expanded to other countries including Germany, Indonesia, Brazil, the Philippines, and Mexico.

“Lenses are the way over 250 million Snapchatters engage with augmented reality every day, and we’re thrilled that these experiences delight and resonate with Samsung Galaxy’s community,” says Ben Schwerin, SVP of Content and Partnerships at Snap. “Integrating the Camera Kit into Samsung Galaxy’s proprietary camera is an opportunity to collaborate on compelling, local AR experiences and bring them to Galaxy users around the world.”

In addition to the Galaxy A series, Samsung has also brought its camera capabilities to the Snapchat app on Galaxy flagship devices^[6], enabling users to enjoy better resolution, alongside innovative features like super night and smooth zoom, so they can snap impressive, high-quality content.

^[1] Fun Mode availability may vary depending on device and region

^[2] Snapchat is a trademark of Snap Inc. Availability of Snapchat AR Lenses may vary by device and region.

^[3] Available on select Galaxy A series models

^[4] Source: Snap Inc. internal data (March 15, 2021 – August 22, 2022)

^[5] Available on select Galaxy M series models

^[6] Available on select Galaxy S, Note and Z series models

The demonstration, held at the ‘Korea International Circuit’ racetrack, was made possible by Samsung Networks’ end-to-end 5G mmWave solutions, including 5G New Radio (NR) base stations. The same equipment has been in commercial operation in the United States since the first half of this year.

While the racing car moved at approximately 130 miles per hour (210Km/hour) on the track, the trial verified the stable performance of live downloads, uploads and handovers between 5G cell sites on the racetrack. Download speeds reached up to 1Gbps, demonstrating the capacity for multi-gigabit downloads on a 5G device inside a racing car, using 200MHz bandwidth of 28GHz spectrum.

5G’s high speeds, instantaneous communications, and seamless handovers allow for a more effective and safer way to transfer video to and from cars accelerating up to 130 miles per hour (200~370Km/hour.) The companies were able to use this live video streaming capability to broadcast multiple views of the race in real time over SK Telecom’s live broadcasting solution, T Live Caster 5G.

The test showed that the mmWave technology can unlock the full potential of 5G, for delivering innovative uses cases and business models, such as new entertainment experiences in motor sport events. For example, cameras built into the cars’ cockpits will be able to stream real-time video data from each car over 5G wireless links, allowing viewers to enjoy vivid scenes of the race from the driver’s point of view. Through VR, AR and 360 degree video streams, racing fans will be able to enjoy the immersive experience of feeling as if they are inside an actual moving car.

“5G already opened up a new horizon when the first commercial service started in the first half of 2019 across Korea and the U.S.,” said Jaeho Jeon, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is at the forefront with global operators in bringing 5G benefits to consumers, industries and societies by helping them deliver 5G commercial networks. This trial is a great example of taking a user experience and the racing industry to new heights.”

“5G commercial service means much more than just faster speeds. It is a vital engine in transforming digital landscapes to bring enhanced and new business models that had only lived in our imagination,” said Park Jin-hyo, Chief Technology Officer and Head of ICT R&D Center of SK Telecom. “We will continue to work closely with Samsung in pushing the limits of legacy technology and maximizing the power of the 5G network.”

In September 2017, Samsung achieved the world’s first 5G handover at 118 miles per hour (190Km/hour) and 1Gbps speed download in a vehicle moving at 127 miles per hour (205Km/hour) in Korea (Link). Based on these achievements, Samsung has advanced network innovation through a comprehensive series of real-world use cases powered by 5G in partnership with global operators, helping to overcome the limits of legacy technology.

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom is the largest mobile operator in Korea with nearly 50 percent of the market share. As the pioneer of all generations of mobile networks, the company has commercialized the fifth generation (5G) network on December 1, 2018 and announced the first 5G smartphone subscribers on April 3, 2019. With its world’s best 5G, SK Telecom is set to realize the Age of Hyper-Innovation by transforming the way customers work, live and play. Building on its strength in mobile services, the company is also creating unprecedented value in diverse ICT-related markets including media, security and commerce.

For more information, please contact skt_press@sk.com or sktelecom@bcw-global.com

The Galaxy Note10’s predecessor had provided hardcore gamers with all the tools they needed for the best mobile gaming experiences, but with the Galaxy Note10, users will be able to discover a device optimized for both heavy and casual gamers. In order to bring fun new gaming experiences to users, Samsung has been working hard to create exclusive experiences with leading mobile games, including joining forces with the incredibly popular Candy Crush Friends Saga.

Bringing Hungry Yeti to Life with the Galaxy Note10 and S Pen

Candy Crush Friends Saga is bringing one of its iconic characters, Hungry Yeti, to life in-game with a new augmented reality feature for Android users. Thanks to Samsung’s new partnership with Candy Crush Friends Saga, users of the Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ will be able to access exclusive bonus in-game AR interactions with their S Pen while playing.

Players need simply point their device at a flat surface to see Yeti come to life on-screen and in-room. By feeding this beloved character of the Candy Crush franchise daily, players can earn gifts which they can then use in-game when matching  and switching candies. Users with a Galaxy Note10 or Note10+ are able to unlock even more fun in-game features with the S Pen’s Air actions; shaking the S Pen will activate the Yeti dance.

K-Pop superstars and Candy Crush superfans Lisa and Jisoo of BLACKPINK were invited to the King HQ in Stockholm to be the first to try out the new feature on the Galaxy Note10. “We are big fans of Candy Crush,” enthused Lisa while visiting the King’s office. “While we are on tour, we spend a lot of time in transit and in hotel rooms, which is when we tend to play a lot.”

“Candy Crush Friends Saga has the cutest characters, and we’ve always loved Yeti,” continued Jisoo. “It was a lot of fun to see Yeti come to life and to dance with him. We really loved the moment when Yeti gave us a gift!”

Check out the videos below to see Lisa and Jisoo experiencing the Hungry Yeti AR feature for themselves and taking on the Candy Crush Friends Saga dance challenge!

“With technology advancing at such a fast pace, the Galaxy family of smartphones feature next-generation accessories such as the S Pen and are optimized for the best gaming experience possible,” said Thomas Ko, VP Global Head of Service Partnerships at Samsung Electronics. “This is why we wanted to team up with King to offer an exclusive augmented reality experience using the S Pen in Candy Crush Friends Saga, the latest game from the hugely popular franchise. We can’t wait for players to beat their high scores on Galaxy devices!”

The new Hungry Yeti AR feature is available for Android and Galaxy Candy Crush Friends Saga players¹ on level 25 and above from August 30^th. S Pen Air action interactions for the Hungry Yeti AR feature are available exclusively to Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ users.

© 2019 King.com Ltd. King, the King crown logo, Candy Crush Friends Saga and related marks are trademarks of King.com Ltd and/or related entities.

¹ The Hungry Yeti AR feature is available on the following Samsung devices: A3, (v8.0+), A5, A6, A7, A8, A8+, A30, A40, A50, A60, A70, A80, J5, J5 Pro, J7, J7 Pro, Note8, Note9, S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8+, S9, S9+, S10e, S10, S10+, S10 5G, Tab S3, Tab S4, Tab S5e, Note10, Note10+.

The 5G SA Core, jointly developed by Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom, not only supports technologies including network slicing and function modularization based on 3GPP standards, but also offers additional functions that operators have been using since LTE, include billing, subscriber management and operational convenience system. The interoperability assessment is the final stage for verifying the validity of 5G SA data transmission, signifying that the SA system is ready to be launched for commercial service.

Both companies implemented several cutting-edge technologies in the 5G SA Core that has been used for the interoperability. The technologies include Data Parallel Processing technology that performs QoS and transmission control simultaneously; Data Acceleration technology that classifies and distributes similar traffic types; and Path Optimization technology that automatically delivers data traffic to Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) platform.

“The fundamental structure of 5G SA is built on a completely new configuration, successfully delivering the most optimized 5G service to customers and enterprises across numerous industries,” said Jaeho Jeon, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Maintaining Korea’s leadership in network innovations through continuous investments in next-generation technologies is important to Samsung and SK Telecom, and the companies will continue to collaborate on developing and commercializing 5G SA.”

“Along with the initial phase of NSA rollout, we have been continuously focusing on researching and developing the SA technology in order to provide customers a differentiated service quality with innovative products, which will be launched in the first half of next year,” said Park Jin-hyo, Chief Technology Officer and Head of ICT R&D Center at SK Telecom. “By strengthening bilateral collaboration with Samsung, SK Telecom will drive and lead highly innovative 5G technologies and solutions.”

Once 5G SA is commercialized, data processing efficient will be improved by threefold, allowing efficient control for supporting massive data traffic. Moreover, 5G SA system is highly optimized for emerging next generation services such as Autonomous driving, Smart Factory, Smart Farm, and AR/VR.

For the past five years, the two companies have been collaborating on LTE and 5G development, which ultimately led to this successful 5G SA Core interoperability test. Some of other accomplishments include the commercialization of Virtualized LTE Core and Packet Optimization system; and they have completed the development of 3GPP Rel. 15 based SA Core in July last year, and successfully launched 5G NSA commercial service in April this year.

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom is the largest mobile operator in Korea with nearly 50 percent of the market share. As the pioneer of all generations of mobile networks, the company has launched the fifth generation (5G) network on December 1, 2018. The company is not only leading innovations in the field of mobile network, but is also creating unprecedented value in areas such as media, security and commerce. In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, SK Telecom will inspire the world, building a future beyond expectations.

Building on its strength in mobile services, the company is also creating unprecedented value in diverse ICT-related markets including media, security and commerce.

For more information, please contact skt_press@sk.com or sktelecom@bm.com

Visualize Your New Room

Samsung’s AR service, Bixby Vision¹, acts as a visual guide, allowing you to see more with your smartphone camera. The home décor function of the Galaxy S10’s Bixby Vision can show you how your home might look with new home appliances and furniture, virtually positioning them wherever you wish to see them. To enable the function, simply open up Bixby Vision, select the home décor function from the apps menu and point your camera to the area where you want to place home appliances or furniture. After choosing an appliance or piece of furniture, the object will appear wherever you tap on the screen. You can choose sofas, rugs, tables, fridges, or any other home product that you want, and virtually place them wherever you like.

The discovery doesn’t end there: Bixby Vision offers even more services that allow you to visualize your new appliances and furniture from the comfort of your own home. The AR service can apply a 3D effect to key Samsung home appliances, allowing you to see how doors open, for example. Collaborating with U.S. online furniture company, Wayfair, Bixby Vision’s home décor function runs automatically whenever you encounter 3D content on the website within the Samsung Internet app, enabling you to see what the product would look like in your room without leaving your house.

“We are planning to increase the types of home appliances and furniture that support the home décor function,” said Martin Lee of Product Strategy team at Samsung Electronics.

Check for the Right Fit

With the Galaxy S10 5G, you can make speedy assessments of an object’s dimensions without frantically searching for the tape measure. Using the 3D Depth Camera on the Galaxy S10 5G, the Quick Measure app shows you the height, width and length of the object captured by your camera. This feature makes it easier for you to buy a mattress that fits your bed frame, or a set of chairs that are the right height for your kitchen table.

¹ Service availability and content provider may vary by country and device.

Consumers in South Korea will be the first to get their hands on the world’s first 5G smartphone. A monumental release not just for Samsung but for the mobile industry as a whole, the Galaxy S10 5G allows users to unlock an entirely new mobile experience – one that combines bar-raising display, camera and performance innovations with support for the next-generation telecommunications standard, 5G.

How will putting the power of 5G into consumers’ hands change the way we enjoy things like AR, VR, 8K video and cloud-based content? To answer those questions and more, Samsung Newsroom spoke with Albert Hoseong Kang, of Samsung Electronics’ Innovative Product Planning Group.

Creating a Faster Future

The Galaxy S10 5G opens the door for users to access unprecedented speeds – up to 20 times faster than 4G.

As Kang explained, 5G speeds will fast-track the development of cloud-based services, make the idea of buffering videos a thing of the past, and change the way we create content and enjoy our favorite multimedia. “Downloads and uploads speeds will be dramatically reduced, which means more people will be watching and shooting high-definition content,” said Kang.

5G will also revolutionize gaming, sports, and other entertainment. “When 5G networks are implemented, response speeds will be drastically shortened, which means you’ll experience real-time responsiveness with most types of content,” said Kang. “Delay times will be virtually eliminated during sports broadcasts, and games like first-person shooters and racing games, which could be difficult to enjoy due to mobile devices’ technical limitations, will be taken to a whole new level.”

This also includes cloud-based games, or games that may be played in real time via a cloud server. Cloud-based games don’t have to be downloaded to your phone, don’t take up storage space, and don’t require individual updates. They do, however, require fast and stable network speeds, which makes them difficult to fully enjoy when connected to 4G networks. But with its 5G network support, the Galaxy S10 5G will allow users to experience graphics-intensive cloud-based games in all their glory.

The launches of 5G networks will also lead to more utilization of AR services. The Galaxy S10 5G’s innovative 3D Depth Camera works by measuring the length of time it takes for an infrared light signal to bounce off subjects, and uses that data to enhance AR services, generate Live Focus bokeh effects when shooting videos, and measure objects’ size – as well as the distance between them – with Quick Measure.

“The Galaxy S10 5G’s 3D Depth Camera will help bring about a variety of useful services,” said Kang. “All of these innovations are the results of careful consideration of how to deliver more value – and new multimedia experiences – to 5G smartphone users.”

Optimized Inside and Out

The Galaxy S10 5G was designed for consumers who want it all, and optimized to take full advantage of the incredible speed, power and connectivity that comes with 5G networks.

To maximize users’ immersion when viewing high-quality HD video and other digital 5G content, Samsung equipped the device with a 6.7-inch, edge-to-edge display – the largest in the Galaxy S10 line. To enable users to spend more time streaming, playing and doing, and less time charging, Samsung incorporated a high-capacity 4,500mAh battery, as well as support for Super Fast Charging of 25W.

When the time came to decide upon an optimal storage setup, Samsung focused on usability, carefully considering how smartphone users will utilize their devices in the 5G era. This ultimately led to the decision to equip the Galaxy S10 5G with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of baseline storage – the largest baseline storage in the Galaxy S10 line.

The Galaxy S10 5G has a futuristic feel to it, which, as Kang pointed out, extends to the design and color of the device. When refining the design, he explained, “We tried to create the impression that using a 5G smartphone is like using the smartphone of the future.”

Some of these enhancements included making the side metal frame thinner than on the other Galaxy S10 models, which makes the Galaxy S10 5G more comfortable to hold, and offering the phone in its own unique range of colors¹: Crown Silver, Majestic Black and Royal Gold. The Crown Silver model features a prismatic color treatment, which means that its color changes depending on the angle of the light.

Driving 5G Innovation

As Kang explained, developing the first smartphone optimized for 5G wasn’t easy. Because 5G phones had never been developed before, the process required venturing into unknown territory.

“Since it was the first time, we needed to overcome a number of technological barriers,” said Kang. “We also faced difficulties developing new hardware and software.”

To overcome those barriers, the company drew from its long history of developing industry-leading mobile innovations.

“Although it was our first time developing a 5G device, we have a wealth of experience when it comes to developing technologies for new telecommunications standards,” said Kang. “The know-how we accumulated during the shifts from 2G to 3G and from 3G to 4G enabled us to gather valuable insights into the market for 5G devices and their users.”

When it came to testing and refining the device, the development team leaned on their company’s leadership in 5G network solutions. As Kang explained, “Samsung has already developed a wide array of end-to-end solutions for 5G services – ranging from network equipment to processors, memory semiconductors and handsets – which made testing easier.”

According to Kang, Samsung’s ultimate goal for these solutions, and for the Galaxy S10 5G, is to “create a world where anyone can enjoy 5G,” and create an environment in which cloud, AR, VR and ultra-high definition video services can truly flourish. “We will continue to provide new experiences that deliver the promise of the 5G era by working with our partners and strengthening our leadership in this area,” said Kang.

The Galaxy S10 5G’s Korean release is just the beginning. Soon, Samsung’s groundbreaking 5G phone will be released in markets around the world to help usher in the 5G era.

¹ May differ by region and carrier

Galaxy S9 and S9+ users can create AR (augmented reality) avatars of Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Kristoff. To start animating messages as one of your favorite Disney Frozen characters, just open the Galaxy S9/S9+’s AR Emoji mode, tap the plus icon on the right-hand side to access the Galaxy Apps Store and download the Disney Frozen pack.

AR Emojis are a fun and versatile way to personalize communications with friends, harnessing expressions through facial recognition technology, and are shareable across all platforms. The Disney Frozen AR Emoji pack is now available for download on the Galaxy Apps Store. Be sure to stay tuned for more AR Emoji releases from the collaboration coming soon.

With the update, after users snap a selfie to generate their AR Emoji, they’ll be able to easily make detailed adjustments to their AR Emoji’s hair, ears and facial features. This means that, for instance, when a child creates an AR Emoji, they’ll be able to adjust the shape of their face so that it more closely mirrors their own. And if you feel like your AR Emoji’s eyes, nose, lips, cheeks or other facial features are in need of a touch-up, the new My Emoji Editor function offers simple tools to fine-tune these distinguishing characteristics.

The update also enhances AR Emoji’s face-tracking function with a 65-percent increase in ‘landmark detector’ points. This will ensure that features such as your eyes and mouth are tracked more precisely. And thanks to the update’s frame rate boost, your AR Emoji will be able to mimic your movements in a manner that’s smoother and more natural.

^*Availability may vary depending on market.

The smartphones’ camera app update, now available in the ‘My apps’ section of the Galaxy Apps store, has expanded AR Emoji’s library of pre-set expressions from 18 to 36. Samsung also plans to add 18 more expressions in the coming months, which will bring the feature’s total number of emotion-capturing sticker options to 54.

Once users have downloaded the update, they’ll be able to access and share the new AR Emoji stickers directly from the keyboard, or copy and paste them from the Gallery app into their favorite messaging platform.

Get a sense of what the new AR Emoji stickers look like in the sample conversation below.

To learn more about this fun and unique new feature, we sat down with members of the AR Emoji’s design team, Wonhyung Cho and Hye-Bong Kim, from the Global Product Planning Group, and Hoik Hwang and Jiyoun Kim, from the UX Design Group.

Q. What was the inspiration behind the Galaxy S9’s AR Emoji feature?

Wonhyung Cho: People are communicating more and more through their smartphones, sending messages to each other throughout the day. Many of us are also looking for new ways to express a range of emotions in the short messages we send each other, and in this context, emoticons and emojis have become one of the most popular ways to express ourselves. As a next step, we wanted to go further and blend the emerging technology of AR with emoticon and emoji tools for a new form of visual communication.

Q. What makes the Galaxy S9’s AR Emoji special?

Cho: We thought for a long time about what the word ‘communication’ means today and it became clear that a large part of communication is ‘self-expression’. As a team, we wanted to make the feature as personal as possible by capturing our unique emotions, using an innovative technology like AR. In creating a My Emoji which captures your own distinct facial features, AR Emojis can provide a truer form of self-expression.

Hye-Bong Kim: The camera uses facial recognition technology to analyze a photo of your face and map more than 100 facial features. Using these data points, a 3D modeling form specialized for the contours of the human face creates a 3D My Emoji and 18 My Emoji stickers which reflect your unique facial features.

Q. How have users reacted to the feature?

Cho: AR Emoji has generated a lot of curiosity – it’s such a fun feature and many people want to see how their My Emoji looks.

Hoik Hwang: For everyone, the question is not ‘does this look like me?’, but rather ‘does this look like I want it to?’ AR Emoji actually creates two types of My Emoji: one that is realistic and one that is more like a cartoon. Some people like the first kind, while others prefer the second.

We want AR Emoji to be the best it can be. A close resemblance to the user isn’t the only thing we considered when developing the feature. Our goal was for creators to be able to use the AR Emoji to express themselves, however they want to look.

We’re currently working to allow users to make their My Emojis better express the mood they want them to.

Q. When it came to UX design, what was your key consideration?

Jiyoun Kim: AR Emoji uses the Galaxy S9’s camera, so we wanted to integrate it with the camera’s UX. From start to finish, the user’s journey while creating their My Emoji and My Emoji stickers has to be simple and engaging.

Then we thought about how people might want to use the feature to express themselves in their daily lives. AR Emoji offers a new way tell our stories and because of that we felt that making it available across many platforms was important.

We created 18 stickers, which each communicate a different emotion. They can be stored in your smartphone Gallery application, can be used freely in your different applications and messaging services and are available as both PNG and GIF files.

Q. How did you go about designing the 18 My Emoji stickers?

Hwang: Our goal was to create emoji stickers that would communicate the same emotions across the world – and would mean the same thing in any country. We read a lot of research as we tried to categorize human emotions and to determine what the visual representations of fundamental human feelings – things like joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure – should be.

In time, the number of stickers will increase to 54 so that even more emotions will be expressed using the emoji stickers.

Q. Did you encounter any difficulties while designing AR Emoji?

Hwang: AR is an innovative technology and the AR field is quite new. We collected data from people around the world, interviewing them to discover their needs and ensure that the feature delivered on those needs.

As a team, we continue to collect this data so that we can make AR Emojis even better. User feedback helps us discover not only what consumers really want, but how we can make adjustments to this new technology.

Q. Can you elaborate on your experiences working with Disney to create the Mickey and Minnie Mouse AR Emojis?

Hwang: Like lots of people, I grew up with Mickey Mouse. I never thought that I would be working on a project like this with Disney when I grew up. When we first started I was really excited and couldn’t stop thinking, “Is this really happening?”

Throughout the project, we engaged in a great deal of knowledge sharing with Disney. For example, there’s a feature known as Blend Shape that allows the feature to recreate 75 basic user facial expressions – for example, if you combine two different facial expressions, you will produce a completely new one – explaining how this feature worked was time-intensive. But by working together, we were able to create these unique Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse AR Emojis.

Q. As AR Emoji designers, can you share some tips for creating an AR Emoji?

Jiyoun Kim: First, you need to be in a place with plenty of light – the brighter the better – like when you want to take a selfie. Make sure your face is not hidden by your hair or any other objects. Position your face fully inside the circular frame on the screen and take a photo. Just relax and be natural. After your My Emoji has been created, you can make manual adjustments to skin tone, hair style and color, clothing and other features, to your liking.

Q. Do you have any advice for making the most of the feature?

Hwang: I have seen videos where people create stories by recording their own voice for the dialogue, and use AR Emojis to act out the parts, which are really fun to watch. It’s a new and innovative way to use My Emoji. You can use them to present something your own behalf and remain almost anonymous at the same time.

Hye-Bong Kim: You don’t have to make just one AR Emoji. You can make several characters, as the mood takes you. Give your My Emoji a hairstyle you want try or a funky outfit you would never normally wear. Create AR Emojis of family or friends and share them with each other.

We like to make a game out of changing the hair styles and other features of the My Emojis, then guessing which one belongs to which team member, which is quite amusing.

Q. Can you suggest how users can get the most out characters like Mickey Mouse?

Cho: They are perfect for creating your own cartoon or animation. Since they are designed to mirror human facial expressions, you can make your characters express a range of emotions and make up a whole story using them.