Accusations of being Apple copycats have always dogged Android phone manufacturers like Samsung. Sometimes, these accusations are valid, but often, they’re not. After all, Apple is a huge and influential company in the market with a distinctive design language, so some amount of inspiration is to be expected.
But with the recent launch of devices like the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Buds 3, it seems like Samsung has been taking a little too much inspiration from Apple — and that’s according to Samsung Electronics’ own Chairman Lee Jae-yong.
According to AjuNews, Lee, usually known for his gentle demeanor, got unusually angry in a statement to employees, criticizing them for their design of the Buds 3 and Galaxy Watch Ultra. “When the controversy over Apple’s design plagiarism and quality spilled out over the Buds 3 series and Galaxy Watch 7, which were released last month, Chairman Lee personally stepped in,” said an unnamed Samsung Electronics official. “The atmosphere inside is very bad at the moment.”
Apparently, when Lee saw the new devices, including the Buds 3, his first impression was to describe it as “Apple-like” and being too similar to the AirPods, especially in terms of the case and the fit. It’s also undeniable that the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Galaxy Watch Ultra bear more than a passing resemblance to the AirPods Pro and Apple Watch Ultra, respectively.
In the case of the Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro, both have stems, just like the AirPods and AirPods Pro. On top of that. Samsung also saw fit to adopt the pinch and swipe gestures for media controls. The Galaxy Watch Ultra has a circular display with a rectangular frame with an orange crown button, similar to the Apple Watch Ultra. The similarities earned Samsung mockery among both Apple and Samsung fans alike and across social media platforms. This also follows an apology Samsung was forced to give over quality control issues related to the Buds 3 Pro.
According to reporting from SamMobile, actions have been taken against the smartphone division, including Samsung MX leader TM Roh. The nature of the actions is not clear, but it seems likely the intent is to send a strong message to Samsung’s smartphone division to lay off the copying and return to Samsung’s own design language.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.