Korean giants Samsung actually went through various materials in the early stages of development for its flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone, before eventually settling on a new, textured polycarbonate plastic for its latest iteration of the super popular Galaxy S series. An in-depth interview with the design team behind the Galaxy S5, it appears that despite looking almost similar to its predecessors, a lot of thought and conscious design decisions were made to make the new flagship “a fashion product”.
In an exclusive interview with the design team of the Galaxy S5, Engadget were treated to an extensive behind-the-scenes look at the major decisions taken for the Galaxy S5, both in the outer and software design. According to Samsung, they eventually went back to polycarbonate as the GS5’s chassis due to its “humanistic” nature:
“Our major aims were usability, friendliness and a more humanistic design. We wanted something with a pleasing feel … and better grip. If we used metal, [we felt] the designs felt heavy and cold. But with plastic, the texture is warmer. We believe users will find [the device] both warmer and friendlier. This material was also the best at visually expressing volume, better at symbolizing our design concepts.”
As for the software, Samsung had one clear aim: to return to the basics. With the company facing increasing criticism over heavy bloatware that greatly impact on the smartphone’s overall performance, the software design team faced a strong challenge to appeal to both the advanced and casual users – the latter of which was a market that mainly came from the success of the made-for-enthusiasts Galaxy S2 and Galaxy S.
“In the past, we’ve tended to put a lot of emphasis on fancy, showy features … things that you might only use once or twice a year, but here (in the GS5), there’s a new focus on core features [like the camera, the internet browser, sharing]. We made sure these worked better, worked well. That’s the spirit of going back to basics.”
The result? Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is undoubtedly the best Galaxy smartphone ever made, and designed to appeal to both technical and casual users. Head on to the source link for the full interview.
(Source: Engadget)
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