Yesterday, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S 4. The Galaxy S 4 is Samsung's latest flagship model. By every Samsung model we hear blames about using plastic or about the same look of the previous products. Even this time directly after the Samsung Unpacked event people started to blame Samsung regarding the build of the Galaxy S 4.
Samsung used polycarbonate (plastic) with a polycarbonate corner around the smartphone, the phone itself looks a mix between the Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III. People were expecting that Samsung would change the form factor but Samsung didn't and here is why!
Last year, Samsung announced the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. From the beginning after the first UNPACKED event people started to blame Samsung about the ugly look. But after people held the Galaxy S III in their own hands their minds changed. They were like, WOW what a great device. Samsung told the same at their own unpacked event. The Galaxy S III is inspired by Nature which means for Samsung the Galaxy S III must feel good and natural in hand, not like a big square brick. In the meantime, Samsung started to build the Galaxy Note II. Even the Galaxy Note II is inspired by Nature and you will feel this directly by holding both devices. Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II sold very well. Just yesterday, Mr. J.K. Shin announced that Samsung has sold over 50 Million Galaxy S III Units Worldwide. Which for Samsung directly means the design line is perfect!
Samsung is currently dominating the Android market with its Nature line and that is why other companies like Sony, HTC and LG are announcing completely redesigned high-end smartphones because simply they couldn't impress the people last year. Sony, HTC and LG are trying to get some of Samsung's market share in the Android market. Specially HTC and Sony came hard this year. The XPERIA Z from Sony is waterproof and the HTC One is fully shaped out of aluminium.
Samsung introduced the Galaxy S 4, yesterday. The device has the same looks as the current Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. But is this a problem for Samsung? Totally NOT! Samsung found just like Apple the perfect design that sells well. Both companies only need to make some design switches to create a new product with the same feeling! Something that Sony and HTC still miss.
Of course, Samsung could go for aluminium as frame but don't forget Samsung shipped over hundreds million devices in 2012. Samsung couldn't do this if the production isn't easy to do. Samsung creates many devices with different shapes whereas a company as Apple has a couple of devices to do. Croyle, HTC's design guru, said it takes roughly 200 minutes to cut and process the front and rear parts of each phone. This is the reason HTC One is facing delays even though the demand isn't that high. This is purely the reason why Samsung doesn't use Aluminium as it takes a lot of time to manufacture and with the high-demand that Samsung devices have, it can be a trouble to fulfil the orders. Our insider confirmed that Samsung did try all-aluminium design for the Galaxy S 4 but the production was a big issue.
For example, take a look at car companies or the famous Nike Air shoes. Do you think Nike will completely redesign the Nike Air line and risk all those sales? We don't think so! Apple and Samsung both have find the unique form factor which sells well. We know for sure if Sony and HTC would be in the place of Apple and Samsung they wouldn't change the whole design either! We can take Windows 8 an example too, Microsoft completely redesigned the UI in Windows 8 and that redesign is causing them their sales.
Asking a company to change design which has sold more than 50 million is strange and unfair for the company itself. Companies can't take a risk that could cost them millions of money.
The only thing Apple and Samsung needs to do is making new small design changes which would not cost the user experience. Something that Apple is doing for years now and Samsung will/could do with their Galaxy line.
Samsung Galaxy S IV Press Shots
