Samsung replaces its mobile design chief (updated)
It might have been defiantly plastic, but the Galaxy S5's lukewarm critical reception has apparently stimulated change at the higher levels of Samsung. Chang Dong-hoon, formerly Head of Mobile Design, tendered his resignation last week , has been shifted to Head Of Design Strategy at the company's corporate design center. He will be replaced by his VP, Lee Min-hyouk. According to Reuters, Lee was heavily involved in designing the Galaxy smartphone series, picking up the nickname 'Midas' in the process. It's mere speculation as to how this will affect Samsung's future smart devices: judging on past form, we are likely to see the Note 3's successor this summer. And what about those rumors of a premium-made Galaxy S5? And we don't simply mean a coating of Swarovski.
Updated: Samsung has told us that it's not a resignation, but a "realignment" for Chang's role at Samsung. In his new role, he'll still involve himself with Samsung's phone design. We've added the full statement after the break and have updated this story to reflect that.
"Vice President Min-hyouk Lee has recently been promoted to Head of Design Team within the Mobile Communications Business of Samsung Electronics. The realignment enables Executive Vice President Dong-hoon Chang to focus more on his role as Head of Design Strategy Team, the company's corporate design center which is responsible for long-term design strategy across all of Samsung Electronics' businesses, including Mobile Communications."
