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February 16, 2023 Create the
Essentials Samsung Galaxy S23 Series Design Story

This is the key visual video of Create the Essentials.

This is the key visual image of Create the Essentials.

Galaxy S23 series envisions an eco-conscious, premium smartphone experience. By eliminating unnecessary elements and elevating overall quality, Galaxy S23 series embodies the essential values of resource circulation for a better future. We asked designers about the innovative process of creating Galaxy S23 series’ distinct and essential design identity.

The images shown are for illustrative purposes only and may differ from the actual product. Product specifications may vary by country, region, model, and carrier.

For
Eco-conscious
Premium

Focusing on the essentials to be mindful of our planet.

This is an image with the first section. This is an image with the first section.

For
Eco-conscious
Premium

Focusing on the essentials to be mindful of our planet.

Tell us about Galaxy S23 series’ design theme, ‘Create the Essentials’. Our focus was on creating a design that boils down to the essence of smartphone. Resources are wasted when we try to fit in unnecessary details in the product and during the process of disposing them after use. We made bold decisions to retain only the bare essentials based on the identity of the product, and that served as the basis of Galaxy S23 series’ design.

The theme seems to be aligned with the general direction of the Samsung Galaxy’s design. The Samsung Galaxy S series is a product line that showcases the essence of premium design. We contemplated on the elements that create a great design, and how our design can impact the world at large. We are living in an age where resource circulation and environmentally conscious activities to save the Earth have become a collective effort. As the world shifts its priorities toward eco-consciousness, designers should also reflect these values. There needs to be an attitude that actively embraces these changes by making bold decisions and upholding new visions for the future.

What are the goals of the Galaxy design team that serves people and the Earth? It is to ‘Create Essence’ in design for customer satisfaction and ‘Create Circularity’ that considers resource circulation for the entire product lifecycle from manufacturing, using, to disposal. We also aspire to ‘Create Standardization’ of design to reduce waste in resources, personnel, and costs by optimizing manufacturing processes, and to ‘Create Longevity’ in products by extending their life cycle and building easily fixable designs. The fifth and last principle is to ‘Create Transparency’ through clear communication on metrics that point to environmentally conscious activities. All Samsung Galaxy designers are guided by these goals when designing Samsung Galaxy products.

Tell us about how the design team commits to these goals. We work on our projects with long-term vision instead of trying to achieve short-term results. We closely collaborate with material sources to make sure we are utilizing recycled materials and share our design strategy and plans with various internal stakeholders to develop refreshing ideas for the product. We make sure to reflect on all the feedback we get and carefully tread forward to create eco-conscious designs.

It must be important to be authentic with a sense of mission. We live in a world where information is shared everywhere, which makes temporary measures meaningless. We need to think carefully about our values and the efforts required to accomplish our vision, and transparently communicate them. We need to have a sense of mission as designers and voice out. In time, we believe our customers will understand and appreciate our determination and conviction.

This is an video with the Galaxy S23 Plus cream color and the S23 Ultra lavender color in the second section.

This is an image with the Galaxy S23 Plus cream color and the S23 Ultra lavender color in the second section.

The
Samsung Galaxy
Identity

Expressing an unwavering design identity that captures the essence.

The
Samsung Galaxy
Identity

Expressing an unwavering design identity that captures the essence.

This is an video with the Galaxy S23 Plus cream color and the S23 Ultra lavender color in the second section.

This is an image with the Galaxy S23 Plus cream color and the S23 Ultra lavender color in the second section.

Galaxy S23 series seems to showcase two different designs based on target audience. Galaxy S23 and S23+ come with thin bezels that are slim and balanced on all sides for users to better focus on their screens. The curved metal frame embraces the screen and protects it while providing a comfortable grip for the user. But for Galaxy S23 Ultra, the side edges were reduced and the flat surface was extended to not only give a better grip, but also offer more room to utilize the S Pen and maximize the benefits of a large screen.

It is impressive to see a design that can maintain a singular series identity while having a multi-faceted appeal. Our focus was to convey a consistent impression through simple expressions of lines and planes that eliminates all unnecessary elements in the form. Subtle components like the side keys, antenna slit, speaker hole, and mic hole were meticulously adjusted in size and layout. The camera contour cut design from Galaxy S22 and S22+ has been removed, and all the Galaxy S23 models were now fitted with a single camera design to double down on consistency.

This is an image showing the Galaxy S23 Ultra green color camera layout .
This is an image showing the Galaxy S23 Ultra green color camera layout.
This is an image showing the Galaxy S23 Ultra green color camera layout.
This is an image showing the Galaxy S23 Ultra green color camera layout.

The camera’s distinct design is as notable as its performance. The external part of the camera is glossy metal, while the internal parts are processed with smooth hairlines to visualize the powerful performance of the camera. The inner elements of the camera, such as form, texture, and color, have been designed carefully, inspired by traditional camera lenses that minimize light reflection.

We noticed that the Samsung Galaxy S series has maintained its linear camera layout since Galaxy S21 series. Nowadays most smartphones have similar shapes, so the camera becomes a powerful visual element that can express brand identity. The Samsung Galaxy line-up’s camera layout maintains the same linear layout since Galaxy S21 series to establish a design identity unique to the Samsung Galaxy S series.

Natural
Shades of
the Future

Relish in everyday tranquility through pure and bright colors of nature.

This is the global color product image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is the global color product image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is the global color product image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is the global color product image of the Galaxy S23 series.

Tell us about the main colors. Components of Galaxy S23 series are built with recycled materials* to create a design that contributes to resource circulation and preserving the environment. To stay faithful to the overarching direction of the design, Galaxy S23 series features four colors based on a color concept known as ‘Shades of Nature’. Green expresses a deep forest gently covered in morning mist, and Phantom Black reminds us of the silent strength of nature. On the brighter side of the spectrum, Cream embodies a warming sense of innocence, while Lavender captures the sentiments of lively and energetic moments in our lives.

The front and back glass panels contain an average of 22% of pre-consumer recycled content, and the film that goes inside the back glass panel incorporates 80% of recycled plastics sourced from discarded PET bottles.

What is your favorite color out of the selection? All four colors are dear to us, but we have a soft spot for Cream. There are countless variations of white out there, and so far we have been creating a clear, bright, and pristine cool-tone type of white that is familiar to us. This time, for Galaxy S23 series, we wanted to create a new kind of white. Cream depicts a natural shade of white that doesn't look like it's been chemically bleached or artificially dyed. It is designed to remind us of the pure softness in natural linen or cotton.

I’ve heard that recycled PET was used in the CMF for the back panel glass.* Recycled PET usually has a yellowish shade compared to ordinary PET, so we were worried the resulting color might be too dark. But when we actually processed the materials, we were surprised to find that the recycled PET actually helped create a more natural white look for the Cream color. The warm, cream-like hue naturally seeped into the recycled materials to create a pure, organic look.

The film that goes inside the back glass panel incorporates 80% of recycled plastics sourced from discarded PET bottles.

This is the online color product image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is the online color product image of the Galaxy S23 series.

Will there be additional selection of colors available for online-only purchases? Four additional colors, Lime, Skyblue, Red, and Graphite, which are under the concept of ‘Shades in Dream’, will be exclusively available for products purchased online. Since online purchases are made without seeing the actual product, we wanted to feature futuristic colors instilled with a positive and hopeful message for what lies ahead that could draw attention even when seen on screen. Lime, a brand new addition to the Samsung Galaxy product’s color line-up, is designed to inspire a lively appeal that can captivate our customers. We hope users will find this new color a welcomed addition to the Samsung Galaxy selection.

Lime, Skyblue, Red, Graphite can be purchased at samsung.com. Product specifications and release schedule may differ based on country, region, model, and carrier.

This is an environmentally friendly package image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is an environmentally friendly package image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is an environmentally friendly package image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is an environmentally friendly package image of the Galaxy S23 series.

Natural
Shades of
the Future

Relish in everyday tranquility through pure and bright colors of nature.

This is an environmentally friendly package image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is an environmentally friendly package image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is an environmentally friendly package image of the Galaxy S23 series.

Designed
with the Planet
in Mind

Enhancing product values through efforts to minimize our impact.

Designed
with the Planet
in Mind

Enhancing product values through efforts to minimize our impact.

This is an environmentally friendly package image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is an environmentally friendly package image of the Galaxy S23 series.
This is an environmentally friendly package image of the Galaxy S23 series.

I’ve heard that Galaxy S23 series expands on its usage of recycled materials. The front and back glass panels contain an average of 22% of pre-consumer recycled content, and the film that goes inside the back glass panel incorporates 80% of recycled plastics sourced from discarded PET bottles. Inner components of Galaxy S23 Ultra like the S Pen cover and lower speaker modules have been built using recycled ocean-bound plastic from discarded fishnets and plastic bottles, and recycled aluminum from discarded aluminum byproducts from manufacturing processes was used in outer components like Galaxy S23 Ultra side keys and volume keys. The packaging box is made from 100% recycled paper, and the cover accessory also partially contains recycled or bio-degradable materials so that the product is wholly dedicated to the circulation of resources.

This is an infographic image describing the recycled material used in the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
This is an infographic image describing the recycled material used in the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

I know there were efforts made to create eco-conscious package designs over the years. We started to reduce the use of plastic in package designs since 2018. When we first started, we had fourteen different packaging parts in a single package, and now for Galaxy S23 series, we made huge strides to keep packaging parts to just six.* On top of simplifying the package itself, we also made sure to fully leverage recycled paper materials when building the packaging box. Paper materials that are made from 100% recycled pulp tend to create more dust and be weaker than ordinary paper, so we needed to do a lot of research to find a better solution. We adjusted the manufacturing recipe and went through countless quality verification tests to find the perfect composition to use in product packaging.

Packaging box, Manual box, Pulp tray, Front protector, Back cover protector, Data link cable band

Where will you be focusing on for future package designs? We will continue to focus on creating high-quality packages using recycled paper materials. Our goal is to create our own paper materials, even starting from developing the pulp, and get official recognition and approval for being environmentally conscious.

This is an outro image with Galaxy S23 series products.
This is an outro image with Galaxy S23 series products.

We pursue innovation that doesn’t take our resources for granted, and instead cherishes them through repurposing and recreating for meaningful experiences. The Samsung Galaxy S series will continue to bridge the gap between usability and eco-consciousness, and become a beacon that upholds the essence of a future-minded design.

samsung.com

Designed by Design Team of Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

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