By Anil Ganti, Published 01/24/2024
In a meeting with 40 department heads, Samsung chairman Lee Jae-Yong played a video with feedback from Samsung customers. The video clip apparently featured some users expressing dissatisfaction with the current state of Galaxy smartphones. Chairman Lee Jae-Yong then implored the executives to think from a customer’s perspective.
Update 2024/01/25 12:00 CET: Changed misattributed quote and revised the article.
Update 2024/01/25 12:00 CET: An earlier version of the article stated that Samsung chairman Lee Jae-Yong said, “Galaxy smartphones are more disappointing than iPhone in this regard”. However, the statement was not made by the chairman himself. Additionally, it was referring to “Galaxy smartphones” in general and not a device in particular. The article and headlines have been corrected in line with the original source article. We sincerely apologize for any misunderstanding caused by our initial interpretation.
Edited article:
Critics have long pilloried Samsung for its conservative approach to its high-end Galaxy S smartphones. Apart from an upgraded SoC (and a 1440p screen in one instance), the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ offer very few upgrades over their predecessors. Similarly, the Galaxy S24 Ultra ($1,299 on Amazon) has also been criticized as a Galaxy S23 Ultra with AI features sprinkled on top. Samsung has reportedly taken cognizance of the matter in a recent meeting.
Naver news reports that Samsung convened an all-hands meeting of its many departments. Department heads of Samsung Electromechanics, Samsung Display, Samsung Device Solutions (DS) and 40 other CEOs were in attendance. Lee Jae-Yong, executive chairman of Samsung Electronics, spearheaded the meeting and showed everyone a video about what Samsung customers thought about its products.
It contained some scathing criticism of existing Galaxy smartphones. Chairman Lee then asked the department heads for a more customer-centric approach and to work on features like generative AI, which has already made a debut alongside the Galaxy S24 series.
Only time will tell if this leads to any meaningful change in Samsung’s strategy. A previous leak hinted Samsung could switch things up with the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ by using a Sony camera sensor. The Galaxy S25 Ultra will come with variable zoom, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra could be the first of its kind to use a 1-inch sensor. The Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6 are also rumoured to shed some weight and come with larger displays.
