The new Galaxy S23 series from Samsung Electronics offers its consumers a high-end, eco-conscious smartphone experience. The Galaxy S23 series symbolizes the ideals that Samsung itself holds dear, such as resource circulation for a better future for everybody, by removing extraneous components and placing a priority on quality.
To discover more about how the distinctive design of the new flagship range came to be, Samsung Newsroom met with a few of the Galaxy S23 series’ designers.
Eco-Conscious Focus on Quality Design
Q. Please introduce the Galaxy S23 series’ design theme, “Create the Essentials”.
Our primary goal was to produce a design that captures the spirit of the smartphone. We decided to keep only the basic fundamental design aspects, based on the actual identity of the device, for the foundation of the Galaxy S23 series’ design in order to avoid wasting resources throughout the production process.
Q: How is this theme in alignment with the general direction of the Samsung Galaxy design approach?
The Samsung Galaxy S series is a line of products that embodies the best of what premium design has to offer. We thought carefully about what would not only make for a wonderful design but also how they would affect the world as a whole while designing the Galaxy S23 series. We believe that designers should include these ideals in their designs since resource circulation and eco-conscious activities are more important in daily life and society at large is shifting its priorities in this direction. By making daring design choices and adding futuristic concepts, our design methodology actively embraces these ideas.
Q: What are the Galaxy design team’s goals towards creating designs that honour both people as well as the planet?
Five goals can be used to define our strategy. First and foremost, we strive to “create essence” in all of our designs so as to maximize customer happiness. To boost resource circulation efforts across the whole product lifespan, from manufacture to use and disposal, we also wish to “produce circularity,” as described in the second goal.
Fourthly, we want to “create longevity” for our goods by extending their life cycles and developing designs that are simple to fix. Thirdly, we aim to “create standardization” in order to simplify our designs and therefore minimize resource waste and production costs. Finally, we want to “promote transparency” by being transparent about the metrics of our design processes and emphasizing eco-friendly practices. These five objectives serve as a roadmap for all Samsung Galaxy designers.
Q: Can you share more about how the design team is following through on these goals?
Every project we work on is done with the long-term goal in mind rather than the immediate outcomes, and we work closely with the sourcing teams to make sure our designs include recycled materials. In order to further invigorate each project with unique ideas and views, we also discuss our design approach and plans with a variety of internal stakeholders. In order to maintain eco-consciousness at the forefront of our designs, we take care to consider all of the input we get.
Q: How important is working with such an authentic mission in mind to the team?
Our environment is one in which knowledge is freely shared, rendering ephemeral or short-term endeavours useless. We welcome the chance to carefully consider the principles and actions required to realize our vision, as well as how to most effectively and clearly convey our strategy. We are driven by this feeling of purpose as designers, and we hope that eventually, our clients will share this understanding and respect.
The Identity of the Samsung Galaxy
Q: Can you share more about the two different designs, based on the target audience, you developed for the Galaxy S23 series?
In order to let customers better focus on their screens, the Galaxy S23 and S23+ have narrow bezels that are balanced on all sides. A curved metal frame also protects the screen while giving the user a secure hold. In order to improve grip on the Galaxy S23 Ultra and give the S Pen more room to work, we shrunk the sides of the device and made the flat surface even longer. This will allow users to take full use of the huge screen’s advantages.
By basic line design and planes that are devoid of all superfluous components, our goal while creating was to communicate a unified design identity across all three devices. The size and arrangement of even the subtler components, such as the side keys, antenna slit, speaker hole, and mic hole, were painstakingly calibrated to fit this. To further improve uniformity throughout the range, the camera contour cut design seen on the Galaxy S22 and S22+ was eliminated, and all Galaxy S23 models are now equipped with a single camera design.
Q: Would you agree that the Galaxy S23 series’ camera’s distinct design is as notable as its performance?
As many smartphones now on the market have a similar form, a device’s camera design has emerged as a potent method of differentiating a product and expressing brand identity. In order to maintain a distinctive design identity, the camera configuration of the Samsung Galaxy S series hasn’t changed since the Galaxy S21 series.
In order to portray the camera’s potent performance, the interior sections have been treated with smooth hairlines while the external portion is made of shiny metal. Traditional camera lenses that reduce light reflection served as inspiration for the form, texture, and color of the camera’s interior components.
Future-Looking Color Palettes, Inspired by Nature
Q: Can you please introduce the main colors of the Galaxy S23 series?
The Galaxy S23 series comes in four hues that are based on a concept we call “Shades of Nature” in order to better express this notion of environmental conservation. Some of the components of the Galaxy S23 series were constructed utilizing recycled materials to contribute to resource rotation. The Green color is suggestive of a peaceful forest, Phantom Black represents the quiet power of nature, the beautiful Cream color is comforting to look at, and Lavender depicts the vivaciousness of daily life.
Lime, Skyblue, Red, and Graphite are the other four hues we created under the “Shades in Dream” theme, and they will only be accessible for devices purchased online. We wanted to provide online shoppers with some optimistic and cutting-edge colors that exude their brightness even when only seen on a screen. In order to be a vibrant and alluring color swatch, the Lime shade, a brand-new addition to the Samsung Galaxy color lineup, has been created. We hope that our users will love this new addition to the Samsung Galaxy color lineup.
Q: Can you speak more about the recycled materials used in part of the Galaxy S23 series’ back panel glass?
We were first concerned that the colour would turn out to be excessively dark because recycled materials made from plastic bottles sometimes have a yellowish hue to them. But, once the materials had been processed, we discovered to our astonishment that the recycled material had actually contributed to giving the Cream hue a more organic and natural appearance.
Developed with the Environment in Mind
Q: Can you share more about the expansion of recycled materials involved in the Galaxy S23 series’ development?
The film that goes into the rear glass panel of the Galaxy S23 series smartphones contains 80% recycled polymers generated from used plastic bottles, while the front and back glass panels of the devices include an average of 22% pre-consumer recycled material. Additionally, recycled ocean-bound plastic from discarded fishnets and plastic bottles was used to construct the internal parts of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, including the S Pen cover and the lower speaker modules, while aluminium byproducts from the manufacturing process were utilized for the side and volume keys.
In addition, the packing box is constructed entirely of recycled paper, and the cover accessory includes some recycled or biodegradable components, so every element of the Galaxy S23 series’ design reflects our dedication to resource conservation.
Q: What efforts have been made to create more eco-conscious packaging designs over the years?
In 2018, we began reducing the amount of plastic we used to create our packaging. With the Galaxy S23 series, we have gone a long way to guarantee that just six packaging parts are included. When we originally started, we had fourteen distinct packaging pieces within a single container. Although paper products made from 100% recycled pulp can be dusty and weaker than regular paper, we undertook extensive research, adjusted the manufacturing process, and underwent countless quality verification tests to find the ideal composition to use in our product packaging. We also made sure to use recycled paper materials when building the packaging box itself.
Q: What areas will you be focusing on for future package designs?
We’ll keep putting our efforts into producing premium packaging using recycled paper components. Our objective is to produce our own paper products using pulp that we have produced ourselves and to get a reputation for our environmentally friendly designs.
In order to provide people with genuine, meaningful value, Samsung is dedicated to exploring innovation that does not take the world’s resources for granted but instead repurposes waste materials in order to give them a second life. By forward-thinking design decisions, the Samsung Galaxy S series will keep bridging the usability and eco-consciousness gaps.
