Located at the entrance of the two-story showcase, the Unbox Samsung Gallery takes a look back at Samsung’s historic mobile innovations, dedication to design and craftsmanship, and the history of the company’s celebrated Olympic Games campaigns.

A History of Innovation

The Unbox Samsung Gallery begins with the History Wall, an exploration of Samsung Mobile’s 30-year history divided into six periods, each showcasing the devices that defined the era. In 1988, Samsung launched its first mobile phone, the SH-100, which was only the third mobile phone in the world to be developed independently.

Other major milestones include the SH-770, the first mobile phone to be launched under Samsung’s Anycall brand. The SH-770 became the top-selling phone in Korea just two years after its release and was lauded for its excellent call quality. For those interested in the history of Samsung’s mobile technology, the gallery also features a living archive where some of the company’s cutting-edge products are on display.

Visitors can also explore the state-of-the-art features of Samsung’s past products through the use of an interactive, transparent panel that displays each device’s most impressive specs.

But while Samsung’s history is full of remarkable technology, the company is also well known for its impeccable craftsmanship and leadership in mobile design.

Dedicated to Design, Committed to Craftsmanship

Celebrating the balance between aesthetics and technology Samsung is known for, the gallery’s Design Wall showcases the artistry behind some of the company’s award-winning devices.

The Design Wall features interactive drawers, each showcasing a different part of the design process. In the first drawer, guests will find the raw materials used to develop Samsung’s modern smartphones. From tiny, near-invisible components to instantly-recognizable signature metallic plates, the showcase highlights that there is more than meets the eye to Samsung’s designs.

The manufacturing process comes to life in the Craftsmanship Zone. From molding aluminum chassis to post-assembly functionality testing, visitors can experience the attention-to-detail and quality that goes into every Samsung smartphone.

Along with highlighting Samsung’s mobile innovations, the gallery also explores the company’s extensive history as an Olympic sponsor in the Olympic Heritage exhibition.

On TOP of the Games

Samsung’s Olympic Games story began in 1988 when the company served as a local sponsor of South Korea’s first Olympic Games. For the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano ten years later, Samsung formalized the relationship by joining The Olympic Partners (TOP) program as a worldwide partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category. The Olympic Heritage exhibition takes visitors on a trip down memory lane through a series of campaigns featured over the last two decades.

Samsung’s support has also helped bridge the Olympic Games into the digital age. For the Olympic Games Sydney 2000, Samsung provided 25,000 mobile phones, technical support, and an Olympic Rendezvous pavilion where athletes and families could meet to watch live feeds of events together.

In 2004, Samsung released the Wireless Olympic Works (WOW) platform for the Olympic Games Athens 2004. The program enabled real-time transmission of information from the Olympic Games to mobile phones; an updated version of WOW was released at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014. These digital programs paid dividends as Samsung continued to extend its Olympic Games sponsorship.

The Olympic Games Rio 2016 saw some of the highest engagement to date with the #DoWhatYouCant campaign, which reached more than 121 million fans. The campaign’s success continues with PyeongChang as Samsung celebrates the Olympic Winter Games and showcases the crossroads where technology meets ambition.

In collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Samsung Electronics, Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment and Computing Equipment category, gifted 4,000 devices to all PyeongChang 2018 Olympians, helping them to enhance their experiences in PyeongChang and connect more easily with family and friends around the world.

A special edition of the Galaxy Note8, the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games Limited Edition features a shiny white back glass to celebrate the winter theme, and gold Olympic Rings – inspired by the Olympic Torch – an expression of the Olympic Movement with the union of five continents and unity worldwide.

Throughout the Olympic Winter Games, a total of nine Samsung Olympic Showcases, featuring a mix of cultural, technological and immersive fan experiences, will be in PyeongChang and Gangneung, including Olympic Parks and the Olympic Villages, the Main Press Center, and four at the Incheon International Airport. Samsung Olympic Showcases @ PyeongChang Olympic Plaza and @ Gangneung Olympic Park opening on February 9^th will provide visitors with engaging experiences incorporating Samsung’s legacy of breakthrough innovation and interactive activities powered by Samsung technology.

Athletes and fans will first experience the Samsung brand history and heritage in engineering, design, and craftsmanship, and then the partnership history with the Olympic Games. Then through interactive experiences, visitors will be able to feel the exhilaration and escape into real-world thrills in winter sports through VR including snowboarding and skeleton, as well as participate in alpine and cross-country skiing contests that will challenge fans’ fitness capacity. For the first time, visitors will be able to experience the ‘Mission to Space VR: A Moon for All Mankind’ created by Samsung. Visitors will experience a full space mission including mission briefing, trying on the training suits and helmets, and the truly immersive experience in the Moon rig where they will feel lunar gravity with every step.

“For two decades as a Worldwide Olympic Partner, Samsung has connected fans, visitors and athletes from around the world with our latest technological innovations, which have now evolved to also include immersive experiences,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics. “We’re delighted to share Samsung’s latest mobile technologies and products so fans and athletes can enjoy new, unique experiences while at the Olympic Winter Games.”

“Over the course of our longstanding partnership, Samsung has brought new experiences and technology advancements to each Olympic Games,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Samsung helps to make each and every one an exciting and meaningful experience for all.”

Visitors will experience and engage with Samsung’s products and Galaxy brand through a variety of activities through a comfortable, interactive environment, including:

• Immersive VR Experiences: Unique VR experiences powered by the Galaxy Note8 will allow fans to escape into exhilarating moments on the fresh mountain slopes in snowboarding and skeleton as well as escape to space in Mission to Space VR: A Moon for All Mankind’ – available to consumers to experience for the first time. Other experiences include simulated skiing adventures.

• Playful Experiences: Promoting the playful side of technology, Portrait Pool allows visitors to turn their “selfies” into painted characters for social sharing, S Pen Gallery to create own portraits with Galaxy Note8 and S pen as a paint brush, Infinity Moment to create user generated content with the Galaxy Note8.

• Kids Lounge: A dedicated kids lounge in a hands-on zone, where kids can play, learn and explore Samsung products and expand their creativity through hands-on experience.

• Smart Home (IoT): Multi Device and futuristic demos powered by mobile technology that showcase the IoT, helping visitors to imagine the future lifestyle.

• Unbox Samsung: The journey of ‘Unbox Samsung’ where visitors can experience the Living History of Samsung since 1988 when the first mobile phone was launched.

• Purchase and Customer Service: Visitors will also be able receive customer service and make purchases of the mobile products and its accessories.

• Interact & Relax: Within lounges and in the Cultural Community where various lifestyle programs will take place as well as in the Café where food and beverages will be available for purchase using Buddy Points acquired during the interactive experiences.

• Special Events: A series of events will take place at the Samsung Olympic Showcase to enhance the Olympic Winter Games experience including athlete visits and celebrating holiday moments.

“We are reaching out to this generation of doers, people who go out and make things happen. We want them to know that if the phone in your pocket can do anything, so can you. When the opportunity to support our first national figure skater Julian Yee came about, we jumped at the chance because Julian is a prime example of what it means to Do What You Can’t. Against all odds, Julian is today an Olympic contender in a sport that isn’t even common in Malaysia – and for that we are very proud of him and we hope others would see him as an inspiration to achieve greater things,” said Mr Yoonsoo Kim, President of Samsung Malaysia Electronics.

“Just like how Julian was able to achieve what many thought was unrealistic, we decided to remain in that spirit, and produce a beautiful and creative video from a mobile device. Both Julian and the video have shown us at Samsung that with the right mindset, attitude and support, Doing What You Can’t is something very attainable after all,” Mr Yoonsoo Kim added.

In view of the coming Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, Samsung prepared a short feature film entitled “Julian and His Magical Skates”, a special tribute to the rising star. The video was fully recorded and illustrated with the Samsung Galaxy Note8 and its S Pen, further cementing Samsung’s progress in innovation and of doing the impossible.

The Galaxy Note8 is Samsung’s ultimate productivity device, the very tool to help you push boundaries and break past your limits. With its one-of-a-kind S Pen, it allowed the creative team behind the video to bring the beautiful illustrations to life. Thanks to its large and gorgeous Infinity Display, there was a clear canvas big enough for the artists to place their quality work on.

Mr Chan Woei Hern, Executive Creative Director of Ensemble Worldwide Malaysia, who was commissioned to produce this brand film, shared that, “The best technologies are often the simplest ones.  Like a pair of skates or the S Pen. Two seemingly ordinary tools, but in the right hands or in Julian’s case, feet, it can capture people’s attention and imagination. As we heard Julian’s story, we wanted to get into the mood of Do What You Can’t as well. And that meant scripting, sketching and creating the story entirely from scratch with a Galaxy Note8 and S Pen. That’s the magic of technology at work. We’ll be releasing a behind-the-scenes video soon, shot entirely on a Galaxy Note8 as well, so everyone can experience the journey as we brought the video to life.”

“My story is a tale of Do What You Can’t because I really did; and I want to remind everyone out there that young or old, you CAN achieve your dreams and you will be surprised that you CAN actually do what you never thought you could. With innovations and advanced technology in today’s world to help make things easier, none of us should be held back by “ifs”, “buts”, or “maybes”. We should all have that burning spirit to achieve the impossible – and from here on out, it should be “yes”, “can”, and “Do What We Can’t”!” said Julian Yee.

“Julian and His Magical Skates” is the telling of Julian’s journey to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, and a reiteration of Samsung’s “Do What You Can’t” message to inspire others to break barriers to fuel meaningful progress and realise their dreams.

To view the short feature titled “Julian and His Magical Skates”, visit http://www.samsung.com/my/magicalskates/. Let’s bookmark this video as a reminder to continue pursuing what we are passionate about, and to continue supporting Julian as he represents Malaysia on the global Olympic stage.

Mr Yoonsoo Kim, President of Samsung Malaysia Electronics, opening the media session with a congratulatory note to Julian

The team and inspiration behind the short feature film “Julian and His Magical Skates” From left: 1. Chan Woei Hern, Executive Creative Director, Ensemble Worldwide Malaysia 2. Dato Roh Jae Yeol, Corporate Affairs Director, Samsung Malaysia Electronics 3. Julian Yee, Malaysian Olympic Figure Skater 4. Irene Cheow, Julian Yee’s mother 5. Elaine Soh, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung Malaysia Electronics 6. Michael Hopfes, Julian Yee’s coach

(From right) Elaine Soh, Julian Yee, Chan Woei Hern, and Jin Lim from JinnyBoyTV discussing the significance of “Julian and his Magical Skates” and what it means to Do What You Can’t

Julian Yee proves that the impossible is possible with innovative technologies such as the Samsung Galaxy Note8

In celebration of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment and Computing Equipment category, today announced that the Official App of PyeongChang 2018 is available for download.

Samsung is once again powering the custom mobile application, as an effort to further enhance the Olympic Winter Games experience for all, ensuring smarter communications and smoother wireless operations during the Olympic Games. The Official App of PyeongChang 2018 was created in partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG). The all-in-one app will help fans better enjoy the Olympic Winter Games experience by offering real-time updates, athlete information, medal standings and Olympic and Paralympic records.

Evolving from the Wireless Olympic Works service which began in 2004, the Official App of PyeongChang 2018 offers differentiated content based on location, news updates, ticket and venue information as well as online cheering service to support athletes.

“As part of our commitment to creating an enjoyable Olympic Winter Games experience for athletes, fans, and consumers, we’re proud to create connections, and to help share the Olympic Spirit around the world,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics. “Through our innovative technology advancements, our goal is to contribute to a meaningful and unforgettable experience for all.”

In addition to providing the latest updates that users need to know about the Olympic Winter Games, the Official App of PyeongChang 2018 is also customizable, allowing users to stay up-to-date on specific events and results they care about the most, and to receive push-notification alerts based on their favorite countries, sports or athletes.

The Official App of PyeongChang 2018 is available in English, Korean, French, Japanese and Chinese, and can be downloaded for free on Google Apps, Google Play Store, and iOS App Store.

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, and Samsung Pay. 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 PyeongChang