Samsung (005930) unveiled its Galaxy S 4 smartphone during an outlandish press conference at Radio City Music Hall last week. The company announced its flagship smartphone in New York City alongside a laundry list of new features, however it was the handset’s design that caught people’s attention. It was argued that the Galaxy S 4, which looks relatively similar to its predecessor, felt too cheap to be a high-end smartphone despite being equipped with top-notch hardware. While speaking at Engadget’s Expand conference this weekend, Samsung’s design chief Dennis Miloseski defended the design of the smartphone and pointed out that the company is focused on the experiences it can create.
“Actually, the global design process has been raised,” Miloseski said, according to Apple Insider. “We’re making devices thinner and lighter, screens more beautiful. With Samsung, it’s less about that but more about building a meaningful relationship with technology.”
The Galaxy S 4 includes a number of high-end features such as controls based on facial recognition, floating touch technology and a number of new sensors that give users new and unique ways to interact with their device. The executive noted that it is features like these that will help Samsung continue to find success.
“As these devices become smarter, letting them sense where you are and adjusting to that, it’s known that design will improve over time,” he said. “But now, we’re thinking about: how do you create a soul for a device.”
Miloseski hinted that future devices may not always utilize plastic cases, however.
“The design process doesn’t start with a material,” he said. “It doesn’t start with us saying, ‘Okay, we’re going to make a device that uses metal.’ The design process starts with a story. For a device [like the GS4], which is global and sells around the world, it’s a matter of going into many different tastes.”
He went on to explain that Samsung will continue to adapt its designs for the ever-changing mobile market.
“As the technology moves forward, we may find we’re taking these devices out of our pockets less and less, so you may see different form factors arising from that,” he said
Miloseski concluded by saying, “I think over time, though, it’s all of our responsibilities not to put more layers of hardware and glass in front of our users. I think the evolution of mobile is moving closer to connecting people to people, and the technology moves out-of-the-way. There’s also room for mobile to change, to reconnect us with the world around us.”
