Samsung's Galaxy S9 Phone Bets on Animated Human Emojis

By Timothy W. Martin 

BARCELONA -- Samsung Electronics Co.'s newest flagship phone is betting on animated emojis. But of humans, not animals.

Samsung's Galaxy S9 device, launched Sunday at a Barcelona mobile trade show, looks almost identical to last year's handset: a slim design with an edge-to-edge display and an earphone jack.

But the world's largest smartphone maker saved the big changes for what's loaded onto the device. New video software stores tenths of a second of images that automatically can be turned into GIFs ready-made for social media and messaging apps. Users can create 3-D emojis of themselves by taking a photo of their face, then as their fake cartoonish self, strike real-life poses captured by augmented-reality software.

The Galaxy S9's camera tricks and emoji push are likely to remind some consumers of last year's Apple Inc.'s iPhone X handset. The iPhone X let users make animated emojis of rabbits, unicorns and monkeys that mimicked a person's facial expression and head movement.

Samsung mobile chief D.J. Koh, in an interview, said he had personally explored early 3-D animations since 2001 on flip phones, while leading the firm's mobile research and development team in the U.K. He bristled at any notion Samsung was playing catch up with Apple, as the human emojis took years of development, he added.

"Their approach and my approach is totally different," said Mr. Koh, cautious to mention Apple, a rival and components customer, by name. "I do work seriously based off my own road map."

The more critical question for Samsung is whether consumers will notice the camera overhaul -- or even care.

The smartphone era of annual double-digit global growth has faded. People are holding on to their devices longer. New innovations, like iris scanning or wireless charging, haven't wowed the masses. And a decade into the smartphone wars, most people end up sticking with the brand they've already got.

The ambivalence shows with falling smartphone sales. In the final three months of 2017, typically a busy sales season, smartphone shipments posted the largest decline in industry history, sinking 9% versus the same period a year earlier, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics.

"Lots of stagnation of smartphones is expected. It's already happening," Mr. Koh said, believing the industry will grow some this year. The Galaxy S9's focus on the camera strikes at how Samsung is focused on how consumers actually use their phones, rather than rolling out novel, though untested, features.

"Innovation is not everything," said Mr. Koh, 56 years old, who next month is expected to be promoted to chief executive of Samsung's mobile and network division.

Smartphone experts question whether flashy new features even matter now for device makers with loyal fanbases like Samsung and Apple. Some well-reviewed phones didn't generate big sales, said Tom Kang, an analyst at Counterpoint Technology Market Research.

"So in this era of low innovation, a less sexy Galaxy S9 can sell well," Mr. Kang said. "The critical downside isn't really a downside for ordinary consumers."

The Galaxy S9, as in prior years, comes in two different sizes. Both versions feature the same-sized displays as last year, at 5.8 inches and 6.2 inches, with similar batteries. The larger version, the Galaxy S9+, sports a dual camera that makes it easier to snap professional-quality photographs.

Samsung is still negotiating Galaxy S9 pricing with global carriers, Mr. Koh said. The phone will hit shelves March 16, with preorders available Monday in Europe and March 2 in the U.S. The Galaxy S9 models, with 64 megabytes of memory, will be priced similarly to last year's predecessors: $720 for the base model and the larger version going for $840.

The Galaxy S9's lack of showstopping new features has some doubters. James White, a 27-year-old electrician from Atlanta, said the Galaxy S8's "Infinity" display, which extends to the top and bottom edges, as well as side to side, had his excitement "out of the roof," Mr. White said. This year is a different story.

"It's not improved enough to warrant me running to the store to order it, " Mr. White said.

The company's brand has largely recovered from the costly recall of overheating Galaxy Note 7 phones. Its brand ranking rose to No. 6 in 2017, according to Interbrand, rising one spot from the prior year. The firm is racking up record profits due to robust demand for its memory chips, surpassing Intel Corp. recently as the world's largest semiconductor maker.

Samsung's technology road map extends to 2025. On it is a voice-activated speaker, like Amazon.com Inc.'s Echo or Alphabet Inc.'s Google Home, powered by Samsung's digital assistant Bixby. Mr. Koh said the speaker would debut in the second half of this year.

Pricing for the Bixby tabletop device is still not determined, though could eventually be set at different tiers, Mr. Koh said.

"When I introduce the first model, I don't want to give the impression that Samsung delivered another affordable mass model," Mr. Koh said. "I want to focus on more premium."

Write to Timothy W. Martin at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 25, 2018 12:14 ET (17:14 GMT)

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