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132-page internal document shows how Samsung set out to copy the iPhone pixel by pixel

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:31PM EST
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An internal memo from February 2010 emerged in the Apple (AAPL) vs. Samsung (005930) trial on Monday that was fairly damaging to Samsung’s case. In the memo, mobile boss JK Shin expressed outrage at how far Samsung’s user experience had fallen behind even Apple’s first iPhone, which was already three years old at that time. The difference between the iPhone’s UX and Samsung’s devices was like “Heaven and Earth,” Shin wrote repeatedly.

One month after that memo was sent, Samsung assembled a massive 132-slide report comparing the iPhone’s user interface to Samsung Galaxy interface, and it detailed hundreds of ways that Samsung devices should be more like Apple’s. “In short, the evaluation report makes the case that the Galaxy (identified here as the “S1″) would be better if it behaved more like the iPhone and featured a similar user interface,” explained John Paczkowski and Ina Fried of AllThingsD.

The internal report was presented by Apple attorneys on Tuesday afternoon, and considering the basis of the company’s case is that Samsung pivoted in 2010 and shifted its product line to “blatantly copy” Apple’s iPhone and iPad, this is certainly one of the most damning pieces of evidence we’ve seen so far.

The document is embedded below in its entirety.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.