We act on three packaging design principles – reduce, replace, and recycle; these principles have guided the eco-conscious changes to packaging for the Galaxy S series. From the quantity of packaging to the materials used, Samsung has worked to streamline product packaging and implement more sustainable processes.¹

From Galaxy S7 To Galaxy S21: Our Journey to More Eco-Conscious Packaging

Since the release of the Galaxy S7 in 2016, Samsung has developed more eco-conscious packaging with each generation of the Galaxy S series. Throughout this journey, we had worked diligently to remove elements that could stand in the way of people easily recycling their product packaging after purchase.

The packaging for the Galaxy S21 series contains just 4%² of the plastic used in the Galaxy S7 packaging, reducing waste generated per packaging unit by 49%. Similarly, the Galaxy S21 packaging contains only 58% of the paper used in that of the Galaxy S7, helping save some 44,802 trees a year.³ As a result of these continued sustainability efforts, we decreased the amount of carbon generated during the development of the Galaxy S21 series’ packaging by 50% compared to that of the Galaxy S7.⁴

Following extensive research into eco-conscious materials, the Galaxy S8’s packaging saw several evolutions compared to the previous Galaxy S series. We removed the magnet from inside the packaging along with the plastic in-box case for earphones, and the accessory tray – traditionally comprised of plastic – was made with paper-based material.

For the release of the Galaxy S9, we made an extra push towards reducing plastic waste. Samsung changed the device tray material from plastic to a pulp-mold material, integrating upcycled materials into our process.

For the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S20, Samsung expanded eco-conscious changes to packaging. We replaced plastic with paper to tie together accessories, the package structure was simplified, and all the packaging trays for in-box accessories were integrated into one pulp-mold tray to cut down on unnecessary materials. Furthermore, the protective film was removed from accessories such as the charger plug and the USB connector, and the coating for all accessories was changed from a glossy finish to a more eco-conscious matte finish that hides fingerprints and is harder to scratch.

The packaging for our latest flagship device, the Galaxy S21 series, is the most eco-conscious product packaging within the Galaxy S series. Every box for the device is made with corrugated cardboard, instead of rigid paper, to improve recyclability. Accessories such as the charger plug and in-box earphones were removed to further minimize the amount of packaging and promote reuse and recycling habits among Galaxy users.

Promoting Resource Efficiency Into the Future

Despite emerging challenges around the availability of sustainable materials and productivity of global supply chains as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Samsung still has a responsibility to help combat climate change and protect the environment in everything we do.

At the end of 2020, we achieved our goal of using 100% recycled or sustainably-sourced paper packaging⁵ and now require paper suppliers to submit certifications and conform to international standards, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. We recognize that our journey to shifting to a fully circular economy is not over.

Samsung continues to search for new and innovative eco-conscious materials for our product packaging, to discover new ways to minimize materials used and to optimize our product development processes. In advance of future product releases, Samsung will continue to make changes that provide people with more eco-conscious product and packaging experiences as we work together with our supply chain and our customers to create a more sustainable world.

¹ Some of the listed components or materials may differ by country or region.

² This includes the screen’s protective film. It may differ by country or region.

³ A 30-year-old tree can produce 59kg of paper.

⁴ As evaluated and certified by the UK-based Carbon Trust.

⁵ For Consumer electronics and IT & Mobile communications products

The latest addition to Samsung’s Galaxy S series, the Galaxy S10+, was recently rated “Best of Test” by PROTESTE, the largest consumer protection association in Latin America.

The Galaxy S10+ took the top spot in PROTESTE’s smartphone rankings with a record-setting score of 85 points (out of 100). In second and third place are the Galaxy S10 with 84 points, and the Note9 with 83. The Galaxy S10e ranked sixth with 82 points, and the Galaxy S9+ ranked eighth with 81, which means that half of the top ten smartphones in PROTESTE’s rankings are Samsung Galaxy devices.

The Galaxy S10+ stood out in a variety of tests, and was particularly impressive in the portion that evaluated resistance to shocks and water. To test the Galaxy S10+’s durability, PROTESTE repeatedly dropped the device from a height of 90cm, and immersed it in a container of water for an extended period of time.

“We evaluated points that are often extremely important to consumers, such as resistance and the battery,” said Thiago Leite Porto e Silva, a specialist in technology products at PROTESTE. “The Galaxy S10+ exceeded our expectations, and surprised us with the highest grade ever earned in our tests.”

The Galaxy S10+’s top ranking is a testament to the innovation of its features. “This ranking demonstrates that the consumer is at the center of our efforts and development, and will always be our main driving force,” said Jeonghwan Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Samsung Electronics Latin America.

The new flagship line combines groundbreaking innovations in display, camera and performance technologies to offer users more screen space for gaming, browsing and viewing content; more tools to help them get the most out of their phone; more ways to capture incredible photos and videos; and more choices, so they can find the phone that’s right for them.

Check out the infographic below to learn more about how the Samsung Galaxy S10+ line sets a new standard for smartphones.

The Samsung Olympic Showcases are specifically designed to celebrate the excitement of the Youth Olympic Games, enabling visitors to create, capture and share their own experiences through activities that help spread #DoWhatYouCant to a young audience.

Over 5,000 daily visitors visited the two Samsung Olympic Showcases, which opened to the public in Buenos Aires – one at the Youth Olympic Park and the other at Abasto Mall – enabling everyone to establish meaningful connections through different experiences, and interact with Samsung’s latest technology, including Galaxy S9 and S9+, Galaxy Tab S4 and Gear IconX – paired with Galaxy S9 and S9+.

Candelaria Costa, a local student from Buenos Aires, said, “The Samsung Olympic Showcase has a lot of fun activities that keep everyone entertained. I just finished the Galaxy Fitness Cycling Challenge against my friend, and I liked it a lot. I also experienced virtual reality for the first time and now I’m a big fan!”

Young Olympic fans race each other at the Galaxy Fitness Cycling Challenge while visiting the Samsung Olympic Showcase at the Olympic Park in Buenos Aires during the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.

Young Olympic fans receive Samsung-themed eco bags and participate in the Samsung Pin promotion by completing a variety of interactive experiences while visiting the Samsung Olympic Showcase at the Olympic Park in Buenos Aires during the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.

Young Olympic fans participate in the Super Slow-mo Football Challenge and embrace the Olympic Spirit while visiting the Samsung Olympic Showcase at the Olympic Park in Buenos Aires during the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.

Young Olympic fans are all smiles as they experience the high-speed thrill of Winter Ride 4D motion virtual reality at the Samsung Olympic Showcase at the Olympic Park in Buenos Aires during the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018. The film is displayed through the Samsung Galaxy smartphone and compatible Gear VR.

Young Olympic fans stop by the Samsung Olympic Showcase during their visit to the Olympic Park in Buenos Aires during the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018. In collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Samsung sponsored the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Pass giving the public free access to all competitions as well as more than 1,200 cultural activities.

Young Olympic fans learn more about Samsung’s mobile technology at the Interactive Table at the Samsung Olympic Showcase at the Olympic Park in Buenos Aires during the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.

Young Olympic fans show off their soccer skills as they experience Shoot-out motion virtual reality at the Samsung Olympic Showcase at the Olympic Park in Buenos Aires during the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018. The experience is displayed through the Samsung Galaxy smartphone and compatible Gear VR.

About the Youth Olympic Games

The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are an international multi-sport event for young athletes between 15 and 18 years old of an educational and cultural nature, with the objective of promoting Olympic values in Youth. The celebration of the event, which takes place every four years (in its two editions, winter and summer, which take place alternately every two years), is promoted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 will take place between October 6 and 18 and will involve 4,000 athletes from 206 countries.

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Olympic Games

Samsung began its Olympic Games involvement as a local sponsor of Olympic Games Seoul 1988. Beginning with Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998, the company extended its commitment to the Olympic Movement as the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category, providing its proprietary wireless communications platform and mobile devices. These innovative mobile technologies provide the Olympic Community, athletes and fans around the world with interactive communications and information services. Samsung hosts various Olympic campaigns to share the excitement of the Olympic Games with people around the world and enable everyone to participate in the Games through its innovative mobile technology. Samsung’s commitment as a Worldwide Olympic Partner continues through to Tokyo 2020 in the Wireless Communications Equipment and Computing Equipment category.

“The belief that the world holds endless possibilities begins at a young age, which makes it even more important that we support the youth of today who are pushing the limits to #DoWhatYouCant,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is committed to the Olympic Movement and we’re looking forward to providing exciting experiences powered by our latest technology to young fans at Buenos Aires 2018.”

To celebrate the Youth Olympic Games, Samsung is offering immersive and interactive visitor experiences at the Samsung Olympic Showcases, which highlight the latest wireless communications products and technologies, including Galaxy S9 and S9+, Gear IconX – paired with Galaxy S9 and S9+ and Galaxy Tab S4. For twelve days, two showcases will be open to the public in Buenos Aires – one at the Youth Olympic Park and the other at Abasto Mall–enabling everyone to participate in the Youth Olympic Games through Samsung’s innovative mobile technology.

Samsung Olympic Showcase located in Youth Olympic Park (top) and Samsung Olympic Showcase located in Abasto Mall

During the Youth Olympic Games, fans, athletes and visitors of the Samsung Olympic Showcases will be able to interact with Samsung’s latest technology and establish meaningful connections through a variety of activities, including:

• • Experiential Activations: Fans and consumers will be exposed to comprehensive and accessible experiences powered by Samsung technology such as the Interactive Table, My Emoji Gallery, Super Slow-mo Football Challenge, and Galaxy Fitness.
  • Immersive VR Experience: Unique 4D VR offerings powered by Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be available where fans can step outside their comfort zones with exhilarating Kayaking, Rowing, and Winter Ride experiences.
  • Mobile Products and Accessories Experiences: The Samsung Olympic Showcases will provide opportunities to test out Samsung products including the Galaxy S9 and S9+, Gear IconX – paired with Galaxy S9 and S9+, and Galaxy Tab S4.

At the Samsung Olympic Showcases, fans will also have a chance to celebrate the Olympic Spirit, and participate in the Samsung Pin promotion by completing a variety of interactive experiences, and collect up to 7 specially designed sport and culture themed pins.

As part of its goal to spread the Olympic Spirit and to help fans participate in the biggest multisport and cultural celebration in the world, Samsung is distributing the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Pass at designated Samsung Stores. With the Pass, the public has access to the four Youth Olympic Parks and the competition stadiums, as well as more than 1,200 cultural activities free of charge. Nearly 600,000 requests for the Pass, which comes in the form of an electronic bracelet, have already been processed.

“Samsung’s many activations at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 will allow all visitors to capture their unique experiences and share the Olympic Spirit around the world,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “By bringing its innovative technology to young athletes and fans from across the globe, Samsung is celebrating the power of sport.”

Samsung began its Olympic Games involvement as a local sponsor of the Olympic Games Seoul 1988, and extended its commitment to the Olympic Movement as a Worldwide Olympic Partner at the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998. Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires2018 will be held October 6-18, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

About the Youth Olympic Games

The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are an international multi-sport event for young athletes between 15 and 18 years old of an educational and cultural nature, with the objective of promoting Olympic values in Youth. The celebration of the event, which takes place every four years (in its two editions, winter and summer, which take place alternately every two years), is promoted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 will take place between October 6 and 18 and will involve 4,000 athletes from 206 countries.

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Olympic Games

Samsung began its Olympic Games involvement as a local sponsor of Olympic Games Seoul 1988. Beginning with Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998, the company extended its commitment to the Olympic Movement as the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category, providing its proprietary wireless communications platform and mobile devices. These innovative mobile technologies provide the Olympic Community, athletes and fans around the world with interactive communications and information services. Samsung hosts various Olympic campaigns to share the excitement of the Olympic Games with people around the world and enable everyone to participate in the Games through its innovative mobile technology. Samsung’s commitment as a Worldwide Olympic Partner continues through to Tokyo 2020 in the Wireless Communications Equipment and Computing Equipment category.

Since the feature’s introduction with the Galaxy S9, Samsung Electronics and Disney have teamed up to bring a number of Disney characters to life as downloadable AR Emojis. Now, the addition of three beloved characters from Disney’s hit movie Zootopia has made messaging on Galaxy devices even more magical.

Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and Flash join the ever-growing roster of animated Disney characters that are currently available for users to download, including Mickey Mouse and friends as well as characters from The Incredibles and Frozen.

To download the new characters, simply access the camera’s AR Emoji mode, tap the plus icon on the right-hand side, and select the Zootopia AR Emoji pack from the Galaxy Apps store.

Once downloaded, you’ll be able to easily create and share the animated emojis as images, videos or gifs in your favorite messaging app^*. And if you simply can’t get enough of their cuteness, you can also apply an AR Emoji of Judy, Nick, Flash, or any of the other characters listed above as a GIF and pin it on your device’s Always On Display, or apply it as a video on your lock screen’s wallpaper^**.

Head over to the Galaxy Apps store to download Samsung and Disney’s latest AR Emoji characters.

^*Apps that do not support animated GIFs may still send AR Emoji stickers as a still image.

^**Function supports videos up to 15 seconds in length.

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.

To showcase how smartphone photography can match the beauty and detail of the real thing, Samsung has partnered with noted celebrity photographer Uli Weber, who created a bespoke series of low light images, shot exclusively on a Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9+, in Ibiza^*.

The Golden Hour

A mesmerizing effect is created in the periods just before sunrise and sunset, when the first light of the day begins to creep in and the last glow fades away. Amongst artists and photographers, this time has been given a special name: the “golden hour”. The term also has a significant presence in photography published on social media, with #goldenhour gathering over 2 million mentions on Instagram so far.

The golden hour is a time when daylight is redder and softer than when the sun is higher in the sky, creating stunning effects that are impossible to replicate without the use of post-editing software or filters. Just twice a day, there is a unique opportunity to see the world differently, capturing this on camera adds brilliance to otherwise ordinary images.

Gold Meets Galaxy

Using the cameras of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, professional-level shots can be achieved during golden hour with no need for additional equipment. Using a smartphone allows people to be more flexible with their angles and spontaneous with their shooting. The flagship Galaxy smartphones have Dual Aperture lenses, which adjust according to lighting conditions in the same way as a human eye, to produce striking low light photographs. No filter required.

The reddish hue of daybreak is also represented in the latest editions of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ in Sunrise Gold – a name that was chosen to express those moments when light first begins to radiate across the sky.

Golden Tips

Teaming up with German photographer Uli Weber, famed for shooting portraits of celebrities such as Kate Moss and Sting, Samsung held a masterclass in Ibiza to demonstrate how to shoot gorgeous images on your smartphone.

At the event, Weber offered up his tips for capturing the beauty of golden hour with your smartphone, as well as snapping a series of striking photos on the Galaxy S9 and S9+.

Weber reflected on his experience with the smartphones and their cameras: “Golden hour gives off the best natural light, transforming your holiday shots from ordinary to extraordinary. Having a handset with advanced low-light capabilities in your pocket as you travel means you can capture these one-off moments without having to edit afterwards. Often, particularly in low light, smartphone photography doesn’t reflect reality but Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9+ camera is a brilliant example of how smartphone photography has advanced. The way it captures low light means you can shoot the beauty of the world as you see it.”

In today’s world, both our methods and mediums of communication are shifting. As people share more of their experiences visually, Samsung designed the cameras of the Galaxy S9 and S9+to help them achieve golden hour photos with a professional flair.

^*All photos included in the article are shot on a Samsung Galaxy S9+

Samsung’s new washing machine with QuickDrive Technology 

In the video below, watch how Galaxy S9’s Super Slow-Mo feature captures the difference QuickDrive^TM technology makes for washing machine performance. The independent yet complemental rotation of the main drum and back plate generates dynamic movement for your most productive wash cycle yet.

*The exact time that the Quickdrive cuts down for users varies by region