Samsung might ditch the ‘Galaxy’ branding for its flagship smartphones

Samsung’s smartphones are losing their identity — figuratively and literally. The brand, which was once a fan favorite owing to the South Korean tech giant’s innovation, really left a foul taste in fans’ mouths in July this year when it revealed a lineup of products that wasn’t much different from its predecessors. The uncanny resemblenance of its AirPodsGalaxy Buds 3, Buds 3 Pro, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra with their Apple counterparts seems to have been the tipping point for fans.

The tech giant has seemingly realized its mistake, and even issued an apology to its customers, employees, and shareholders earlier this month. “We will rebuild our traditional organizational culture of trust and communication. If we find a problem in the field, we will expose it and have a heated discussion to improve it. In particular, we will actively communicate with investors whenever we have the opportunity,” said Samsung’s VP of Device Solutions, Jeon Young-Hyun.

As part of the rebuilding effort, the South Korean tech giant is reportedly looking to ditch the long-standing Galaxy branding for its top-of-the-line devices, as shared by Korean publication etoday (via 9to5Google). This will likely include Samsung’s S-series devices, as well as its line of foldables.

The primary reason for the change has been attributed to creating a brand image that exudes its top-of-the-line devices’ premium nature, essentially to compete with the likes of Apple and Google, who focus mainly on quality over quantity.

For reference, Samsung currently sells devices under its Galaxy Z, S, A, M, and F-series. The former two are reserved for its premium devices, while the latter three encompass its mid and low range smartphones.

The change is highly probable

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Samsung reportedly feels that the Galaxy branding having an umbrella over such a vast range of devices is preventing its premium devices from standing out, with the younger audience associating the ‘Galaxy’ branding as subpar. Letting the A, M, and F-series devices retain the Galaxy branding, and donning the Z and S series devices with a new one fixes the issue in Samsung’s eyes.

The report highlights that Samsung has been debating the change since earlier this year at least, considering that Lee Young-hee, Samsung’s head of global marketing, said “Galaxy has so many lineups that I understand people are expecting a new name when there is an innovative turning point,” at CES 2024. The report compares Samsung creating a new branding or a sub-brand for its premium devices akin to Hyundai branding out its luxury vehicles with the Genesis sub-brand.

An industry insider commented on the development, saying that “There will be a lot to consider, such as the marketing costs associated with changing or adding a brand name.” Samsung, on the other hand, is reportedly steadfast. While the upcoming S25 series might not launch with the new branding, the report indicates it is highly probable that a future iteration will.