Dear Samsung,
Let me just say that your Galaxy Unpacked 2015 event on Thursday, August 13th in NYC was a huge hit. You took the stage to unveil the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5, two devices that we knew were on the way. While photos have leaked in recent weeks, few could ever have seen the software additions you’d add to the Galaxy Note 5 experience that keep it ahead of all other phablet-sized smartphones.
What has most troubled me after the event, something that I knew was coming, was the response to the Galaxy Note 5. It’s not as if we didn’t realize what you were doing: we knew that, what you do to one phone (Galaxy S), you’ve often done to the other (Galaxy Note), so eliminating the microSD card slot and removable battery were not novelties. However, you were blasted for what you failed to do or not do in the new phones. “Samsung has removed two features of power users,” they said. “How is the Note 5 an upgrade when it removes features?” some have said. “I’ll stick with my Note 4 until Samsung decides to add these features back in the Galaxy Note 6,” others responded. And some said they’d rather try LG, Motorola, or some other manufacturer, as if they really believe these manufacturers can outdo you by simply adding these features (microSD cards and removable batteries aren’t innovation).
But you, Samsung, are not to blame for these things. You introduced the Galaxy S5 in 2014, to the disgust of many who chided you because you didn’t give them a premium or metal body build and remove features in TouchWiz that led to a bloated experience with lag. You were told that your phones felt cheap, “plastic-y,” and “flimsy” in the hand – and these same critics were not going to pay $600 for a cheaply-designed phone.
These types of complaints prompted you to go back to the drawing board. I saw nothing wrong with your Galaxy S5, but I was one of only a few who appreciated the good in that 2014 smartphone. Due to the overwhelming complaints of critics large and small, you transformed your Galaxy S smartphone line from plastic builds and design to the eye-catching Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. You didn’t have to redesign your smartphones in my eyes, but you did. The new edge design completely took me by surprise, in a good way.
Not only did you redesign the device, but you even implemented your own, homegrown, octa-core Exynos 7420 processor and LPDDR4 RAM. You placed a 5MP front camera and 16MP back camera, both with f/1.9 apertures, on both the S6 and the S6 edge. The design was not only gorgeous, but also durable, with the use of Gorilla Glass 4 and airplane grade aluminum. And performance tests have confirmed how hard you worked to turn things around for your customer base: The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, and now the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5, are faster than any device on the market. None can compare to your devices.
And now, with the Galaxy Note 5, you have done the same thing: transformed the device from what was already a stellar Note 4 to the Note 5, which is the best Note phablet you’ve ever made. Unfortunately, what thanks have you received for this? None. Instead, you’ve been labeled uncaring, pathetic, dumb, and a whole host of other adjectives that aren’t even worth repeating. This is the thanks you get for giving us Samsung faithful the smartphone of our dreams.
Dear Samsung, your efforts are stellar, but you must know that you cannot please everyone. Picky consumers are like friends in life: they come and they go. Some consumers are fickle and will buy your products this year, Motorola’s next year, LG’s the year after that, and maybe eventually try Apple because they don’t know what customer loyalty is. That’s fine: friends that come and go in your life were never your friends to begin with.
The same goes for customers: those who leave you because of your vision to take consumers into the future without settling in the present (yes, the true meaning of the “Never Settle” slogan) were never faithful customers to begin with. Many so-called tech enthusiasts are, sadly, skeptics who claim to praise technology but chide its progress when it causes them to adjust to something new. Don’t worry, these types of customers will come and go, but don’t stop making the products you’re making.
Don’t let the haters trick you into thinking that your vision is off, that they know the way. After all, you’re a tech company. You brand your products with “S-A-M-S-U-N-G,” and you have a right to dictate their direction. Anyone who thinks they know better than you should get out there and see how hard it is to make a product that will be 100% popular. It’s funny how they all know better than you do, Samsung, but want to only stand on the sidelines and criticize. I’d like to see them make the gorgeous devices with the top-notch functionality that you’ve made. Talk is cheap; actions speak louder than words.
Don’t stop being you, Samsung. Don’t stop carrying out your tech vision and goal. And understand that you will never please everyone. Value the customers that stick with you, pity the customers that leave you, and understand that every company offends customers all the time. At the end of the day, the other Android OEMs should beware: customers who leave you will eventually leave them. While critics and haters sit on the sidelines of tech history, us faithful Samsung customers will continue to enjoy your devices. And some day, when the critics realize that their ranting achieves little in the grand scheme of things, they’ll come to their senses. Haters are gonna hate, fakers are gonna fake, but you just shake, shake, shake, shake it off.
Sincerely,
A faithful Samsung customer
