Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro at its Unpacked event last month, and in the meantime they’ve become the most controversial Samsung products in years. And it all comes down to their design, and how similar they are to Apple’s Watch Ultra, AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2.
According to a new report from Korea, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y Lee is not happy about this at all, has expressed concern about copycat behavior in the mobile division, and has even taken some (as yet unnamed) action against mobile division head TM Roh.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (left) vs Apple Watch Ultra (right)
An alleged insider claims that the chairman himself intervened following the controversy over Apple’s design theft and quality issues with the Buds 3 series and Galaxy Watch Ultra released last month and that the internal atmosphere at the company is now very bad.
Lee has apparently called for a change in plans going forward for the mobile division, presumably to prevent something like this from happening again in the future.
All of this is especially notable considering the fact that Korean media describes Samsung’s chairman as being “mild-natured” and not easily angered. However, this time it was different, we assume due to all the media reports about the similarities between the new watch and Buds and Apple’s products.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch line had a round design that was unique to the Korean company until last month, but the Watch Ultra’s round shape is definitely moving into Apple territory (though, to be fair, Apple’s Watch Ultra is a rectangle, not a square).
Samsung Galaxy Buds3 (left) vs Apple AirPods Pro 2 (right)
Speaking of the Buds3, these are Samsung’s first earbuds with a stem, a design that Apple pioneered several years ago with the original AirPods. Several other companies have since adopted that design, but perhaps the biggest shock to people about the Buds3 is how different they are from every previous Galaxy Buds design.
To add insult to injury, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro also appear to have quality control issues, with widespread reports of the silicone ear tips bursting upon removal.
