Remember when Samsung still did unique designs on their Galaxy Buds?
Yep, these are old, yes these are worn, but at least they're no AirPod wannabes. pic.twitter.com/NfIT1KM8Ao
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) August 3, 2024
Samsung faced criticism last month after unveiling its new Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Buds 3 series at the annual Galaxy Unpacked event. Many reviewers, tech commentators, and even Samsung fans noted the striking resemblance of the smartwatch and earbuds to Apple’s designs. According to a report from Korean news outlet Ajunews, Samsung’s executive chairman Lee Jae-yong expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s mobile division due to the negative reactions.
"The internal atmosphere is not very good at the moment."
Tension in Samsung is rising as the Mobile division clashes with the Chairman and other leaders
Mobile executives don't care about similar designs to Apple, while company executives demand changes. pic.twitter.com/mTcuYgZx63
— Anthony (@TheGalox_) August 4, 2024
An insider told the outlet, “The chairman (Lee) himself stepped in after the controversy over Apple’s design plagiarism and quality issues surrounding the Buds 3 series and Galaxy Watch 7 released last month. The internal atmosphere is currently very bad.”
The report mentioned unspecified actions taken against the head of Samsung’s mobile division and other employees.
My opinion of the current Samsung mobile vs executives situation
All they have to do is release a different band color and discontinue that shade of orange on the Galaxy Watch Ultra band and the accusations go away.
As for the Buds3, just go full with that design. Quality of… pic.twitter.com/NatfLGV7Ie
— Anthony (@TheGalox_) August 2, 2024
Reporters who attended a media briefing at Samsung’s flagship store in Seoul “constantly talked about Samsung’s new devices looking exactly the same as Apple’s,” according to the report.
Samsung criticism over Apple-inspired designs
Published reviews of the new products also highlight the Apple-like designs. The Verge’s headline for its Galaxy Watch Ultra review reads, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” while noting how “disappointing” it was to see Samsung copy Apple.
Quinn Nelson of popular tech review channel Snazzy Labs commented, “Today was a huge L for Samsung. Watch Ultra is the most shameless copy of an Apple product in ages — and it’s hideous.” Apple Insider’s Andrew O’Hara remarked, “To see Samsung just release a bunch of Apple clones is disheartening. It’s boring and a massive fail compared to where Samsung used to be.”
It’s likely that the next versions of Samsung’s Galaxy Ultra smartwatch and wireless earbuds will look very different from the current Apple-inspired models.
However, for now, Samsung must contend with accusations of copying one of its biggest competitors.
