{"id":85627,"date":"2026-04-25T19:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T23:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/?p=85627"},"modified":"2026-04-24T16:05:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T20:05:54","slug":"samsung-galaxys-ocean-mode-and-coral-reef-initiative-awarded-and-receive-international-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/samsung-galaxys-ocean-mode-coral-reef-initiative-awarded-receive-international-recognition\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung Galaxy’s Ocean Mode and Coral Reef Initiative Awarded and Receive International Recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Samsung Electronics America today announced that its \u201cCoral in Focus\u201d initiative, powered by Ocean Mode<\/a>,1<\/sup><\/a> an advanced camera feature on select Galaxy mobile phones, has received multiple awards for its contributions to coral reef conservation, including Gold in the \u201cBest Sustainability or Conservation Initiative\u201d category at Engage for Good\u2019s 2026 Halo Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Additionally, \u201cCoral in Focus,\u201d a documentary tied to the initiative, received the Coastal and Island Culture Award at the 23rd International Ocean Film Festival<\/a>. Samsung was separately named to Fast Company\u2019s 2026 Most Innovative Companies list<\/a>\u00a0for its work advancing mobile innovation in environmental research.<\/p>\n

These recognitions reflect the impact of Samsung\u2019s efforts to reverse the decline of coral reefs in partnership with Seatrees, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. By bringing together Galaxy\u2019s advanced image capturing capabilities, Seatrees\u2019 community-driven restoration model, and Scripps\u2019 knowledge on marine science, Samsung is transforming Galaxy mobile phones into powerful tools for ocean conservation.<\/p>\n

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\u25b2 Photo captured with a Galaxy S26 Ultra equipped with Ocean Mode<\/p><\/div>\n

Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor yet support approximately 25% of all marine life and sustain the livelihoods of millions worldwide.2<\/sup><\/a> Without intervention, many reefs are at risk of disappearing by 2025 due to climate change, pollution, and overfishing.<\/p>\n

To help address this challenge, Samsung collaborated with Seatrees and Scripps to advance coral reef restoration across a growing network of sites in Costa Rica, Fiji, the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands, Indonesia, and the United States.<\/p>\n

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Through the \u201cSamsung x Seatrees: Bring Coral into Focus\u201d initiative<\/a>, partners and local communities are given Ocean Mode-equipped Galaxy devices and underwater housings to capture high-quality underwater imagery, which is then used to generate detailed 3D photogrammetric models. This process improves how coral reefs are monitored and evaluated, resulting in critical insight into reef health and recovery.<\/p>\n

Together, Samsung, Seatrees, and Scripps have driven meaningful impact across restoration sites. To date, more than 20,000 coral fragments have been planted, and over 80 3D reef models have been built to<\/a> support monitoring and research efforts.<\/p>\n

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\u25b2 Side-by-side comparison of coral imagery captured on a Galaxy mobile phone with standard camera settings (left) and Ocean Mode (right), highlighting improved color correction and reduced motion blur underwater.<\/p><\/div>\n

Now available through Expert RAW<\/a>,3<\/sup><\/a> Ocean Mode extends these capabilities to select Galaxy devices, making advanced underwater imaging available to more people while reducing reliance on expensive, heavy DSLR equipment.4<\/sup><\/a> This increased accessibility is critical to scaling coral reef monitoring efforts, particularly in regions where resources and technical infrastructure may be limited.<\/p>\n

These accolades build on Samsung\u2019s broader commitment to sustainability under its Galaxy for the Planet<\/a> initiative, which focuses on reducing environmental impact across product lifecycles and advancing solutions that support healthier ecosystems. From incorporating recycled ocean-bound materials into Galaxy devices to developing technologies like Ocean Mode with like-minded partners, Samsung continues to explore how innovation can help protect the planet.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Sustainability<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Earth Month: Samsung’s Simple Steps Toward Sustainability<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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1<\/a> As of April 2026, Ocean Mode is supported on Galaxy S26 Series, and is expanding to the S25 Series, S24 Series, Fold 7, Flip 7, Z Tri-Fold, Fold 6 and Flip 6 throughout the first half of 2026.<\/h6>\n
2<\/a> Smithsonian Museum of Natural History<\/em><\/a><\/h6>\n
3<\/a> Expert RAW must be downloaded separately from the Galaxy Store, for free, before use. Expert RAW app is available on Galaxy S26 series (S26 Ultra, S26+, S26), Galaxy S25 series (S25 Ultra, S25+, S25), Galaxy S24 series (S24 Ultra, S24+, S24), Galaxy S23 series (S23 Ultra, S23+, S23), Z Fold4, Galaxy S22 Series (S22 Ultra\/S22+\/S22), Z Fold3, S21 Ultra, S20 Ultra, Z Fold2, and Note 20 Ultra.<\/h6>\n
4<\/a> Samsung phones are IP-rated for fresh water based on lab test conditions for submersion in up to 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust-tight). Water and dust resistance of device is not permanent and may diminish over time because of normal wear and tear. Salt water and chlorine water can deteriorate the watertight seals and lower a device’s water resistance without the use of a water resistant phone case (sold separately).<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ocean Mode enables researchers and communities to capture high-quality underwater data for reef monitoring and coral reef restoration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29720,29718],"tags":[25940,29750,40,50],"blue-badge":[],"class_list":["post-85627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-product-mobile","category-product","tag-galaxy","tag-galaxy-for-the-planet","tag-mobile","tag-sustainability"],"acf":{"turn_off_retargeting":false},"fimg_mobile_url":"https:\/\/img.us.news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/24152625\/Image-1-600x600.jpg","fimg_url":"https:\/\/img.us.news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/24152625\/Image-1-424x283.jpg","primary_category":{"term_id":29720,"name":"Mobile","slug":"product-mobile","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":29720,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":29718,"count":989,"filter":"raw","term_link":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/category\/product\/product-mobile\/","term_path":"product\/product-mobile"},"badge":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85627"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85627\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85633,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85627\/revisions\/85633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85627"},{"taxonomy":"blue-badge","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.samsung.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blue-badge?post=85627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}