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Samsung says it’s going to stop pumping out features and start making devices good instead

Published Feb 27th, 2018 10:02PM EST
Samsung Galaxy S9
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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The Galaxy S9 is undoubtedly one of the most exciting handsets that was unveiled at MWC 2018, right alongside the Xperia XZ2 and the Nokia 8 Sirocco. The Galaxy S9 is a huge winner when it comes to hype, being the phone thousands of people gathered to see on Sunday.

But forget all that Galaxy S9 excitement for a second, as Samsung  mobile chief DJ Koh admitted to the world that Samsung has been trolling customers for years. No worries though, it won’t happen again.

Samsung is now making products that people want to buy as opposed to looking to be first in everything. The company is no longer obsessed at being first to release new technologies, and that it wants to be more committed to developing products that can deliver meaningful value. Koh comments came at a press conference for Korean reporters after the Galaxy S9 unveiling, The Korea Herald says. The Galaxy S9 is supposedly one of the products that are worth buying.

“We developed mobile phones earlier than China, and we were obsessed with being the world’s first and industry’s first rather than thinking about how this innovation would be meaningful to consumers,” Koh said.

“Being the first turns out to be meaningless today, and our strategy is to launch something that consumers believe meaningful and valuable at a right time.”

A different report in The Investor offers the same gist. When asked about the launch of foldable phones, Samsung’s mobile chief said he can’t say yet.

“We just want to note that before, Samsung used to put more focus on becoming ‘the world’s first,’ or ‘the first in the market,’ rather than on creating meaningful products. Things do not work that way today. Our strategy is to roll out new products worth paying for,” Koh said.

What were those Samsung devices that were not meaningful or worth paying for? Any Galaxy-branded smartphones on that list?

On the other hand, I’m pretty sure Samsung has been second to Apple for years now. So does that mean Samsung is still trolling everyone right now, as it says it used to be the world’s first so many times?

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.