Ever wondered how much work goes into designing a smartphone color? I’m sure you didn’t, but Samsung will tell you anyway. And just like any Samsung design story, the tale of how the Galaxy S9’s Sunrise Gold color to came to be is incredibly annoying. Prepare for some serious eye rolling action, because Samsung has really outdone itself this time.
“Sunrise Gold’s subtle glossy surface radiates with a reddish glow to perfectly capture the warmth of the rising sun,” Samsung explains on its news portal right before diving into an interview. You see, Samsung sat down with Samsung so that Galaxy S9 fans can understand what it’s really like to “apply the Satin Gloss Finish on smartphones for the first time.”
Why Sunrise Gold? You silly you, it’s because of reasons:
The concept of Galaxy S9 and S9+ revolves around capturing everyday moments in special ways. Samsung has so far introduced four color editions for the devices. Each of the colors represent a different time of the day: Midnight Black is inspired by the night; Titanium Gray symbolizes the liminal time between night and day; Coral Blue mimics the dawn; and Lilac Purple reflects the sunset. We wanted to apply the same theme to the new color edition.
The impressive reddish hue of the latest gold edition resembles the light of a rising sun. That’s why we chose the name Sunrise Gold to represent the magical moment when light radiates across the sky when daylight breaks.
It’s also all about the gloss:
Sunrise Gold is inspired by satin-weave fabric, which reflects a unique, subtle aura of gloss. We spent several years developing the Satin Gloss Finish – a new type of glossy surface that also includes qualities of a matt finish – to capture the exact texture of the fabric.
I dare you to say gloss. One. More. Time.
To realize the subtleties of Satin Gloss Finish, we had to accurately adjust the glossiness of the surface. That’s why we added an extra layer of glass coating on the back of the phone, and made the surface rugged afterward, to change the way it reflects light. The reduced glossiness of the finish also reduces fingerprint marks on the phone. Samsung patented the Satin Gloss Finish, as it’s a first in the smartphone industry.
But the best part about it is that Samsung has been designing Satin Gloss Finish for four years:
We have been wanting to develop the Satin Gloss Finish for around four years. We were finally able to put the idea into practice after countless experiments. During the development process, we had difficulties producing the glossiness we had in mind while maintaining the coating’s durability, which is crucial for smartphones.
That means Samsung has been thinking about this color well before the Galaxy S6 launched, back when Samsung flagship phones only came in plastic. I wonder how many years the company spent deciding to put fingerprint sensors next to cameras.
In all seriousness, it’s great to see the Galaxy S9 in so many colors. It certainly beats having just black and white options, if smartphone color really matters to you. And there’s plenty of science in making sure the color sticks and the gold handset does look good. But the last thing we need are Samsung design stories about colors. The same goes for Adam Sandler movies, but at least some people out there want to watch those, no matter how bad they are. The same can’t be said for Samsung’s design stories.
