{"id":319972,"date":"2026-03-09T02:37:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/319972\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T02:37:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:37:09","slug":"samsung-is-done-chasing-specs-says-tm-roh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/319972\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung is done chasing specs, says TM Roh"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than a decade, the smartphone industry has been defined by a familiar race. More megapixels. Faster processors. Bigger batteries. Thinner designs. Being first. Being the most. And being the fastest.<\/p>\n

The industry rewarded brands that appeared to be chasing specs. Bigger numbers meant progress. At least on paper.<\/p>\n

But if you ask Samsung, the days of chasing specs may no longer define the future of Galaxy smartphones.<\/p>\n

During a regional roundtable following the launch of the latest Galaxy devices, I asked TM Roh how the company decides when it\u2019s time for a major hardware upgrade if it isn\u2019t simply chasing specs.<\/p>\n

His answer revealed how Samsung now approaches the future of its flagship smartphones.<\/p>\n

According to Roh, hardware upgrades are increasingly tied to how well they support Galaxy AI.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo make Galaxy AI run smoothly, it must be backed by strong hardware,\u201d Roh said during the session, speaking through a translator. He added that Samsung develops its hardware, software, and AI capabilities together \u2014 and that major upgrades tend to arrive only when the company reaches what he described as the \u201cdesired level of excellence.\u201d
(Quotes are approximate translations.)<\/p>\n

\u201cTo make Galaxy AI run smoothly, it must be backed by strong hardware.\u201d
(Approximate translation from TM Roh during the roundtable)<\/p>\n

In short, Samsung says it\u2019s no longer chasing specs for the sake of winning spec-sheet battles. Not anymore.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Samsung CEO TM Roh answering questions at a media roundtable in San Francisco<\/p>\n

When hardware stops chasing numbers<\/p>\n

Hardware innovation still matters. But Samsung increasingly frames those improvements as tools that enable smarter software experiences.<\/p>\n

During the roundtable, Roh pointed to Samsung\u2019s custom application processors, which now include stronger neural processing capabilities designed to handle AI workloads more efficiently. Dedicated hardware is also being introduced to strengthen privacy and security \u2014 including technologies embedded directly into the display. (See: Privacy Display<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Even cameras, historically one of the biggest battlegrounds for smartphone innovation, are evolving in the same direction.<\/p>\n

Roh noted that while sensors and lenses remain important, modern smartphone photography now relies heavily on AI-powered image processing working alongside the hardware. This could also explain why, as of writing, Samsung has resisted the extra telephoto lens accessories that is prevalent with other brands.<\/p>\n

The shift is subtle but important. Instead of emphasizing bigger numbers on spec sheets, Samsung positions hardware upgrades as part of a broader system designed to support intelligent software.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Why Samsung gets dunked on online<\/p>\n

That philosophy, however, exists in tension with how smartphones are often discussed online.<\/p>\n

In a landscape driven by benchmark charts and viral comparisons, incremental refinement rarely generates the same excitement as dramatic hardware leaps. Over the past few years, the Galaxy S series has occasionally become an easy target for criticism \u2014 especially as rival Android manufacturers compete to deliver the biggest numbers, the fastest charging speeds, or the thinnest designs.<\/p>\n

The temptation in tech media, particularly on platforms like YouTube<\/a>, is often to dunk on Samsung rather than examine the nuance behind its approach. Spectacular upgrades and dramatic spec sheets make better thumbnails.<\/p>\n

Yet listening to Samsung executives across multiple briefings reveals something interesting: the messaging is remarkably consistent. Whether discussing cameras, processors, or ecosystem features, the company repeatedly returns to the same principle. Hardware innovation matters most when it unlocks a better overall experience.<\/p>\n

A company that knows its role<\/p>\n

That consistency suggests Samsung knows exactly who it is in the smartphone industry.<\/p>\n

As the largest Android smartphone manufacturer globally, Samsung occupies a position where competitors often measure themselves against it. Many brands differentiate by pushing aggressive specifications or experimenting with bold hardware changes.<\/p>\n

In many ways, everyone else is punching up.<\/p>\n

Scale changes priorities. When you\u2019re building devices for hundreds of millions of users, the focus shifts toward reliability, ecosystem integration, and increasingly, AI-powered experiences that work consistently across products.<\/p>\n

Why Southeast Asia matters in Samsung\u2019s AI strategy<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

During the roundtable, Roh also emphasized the importance of Southeast Asia and Oceania to Samsung\u2019s AI strategy.<\/p>\n

According to the company\u2019s internal research, the region ranks among the most receptive markets for AI-powered mobile features. Younger demographics and heavy social media usage are driving adoption.<\/p>\n

In markets where smartphones are central to communication, content creation, and digital services, AI-powered tools \u2014 from translation features to image editing \u2014 have found strong traction.<\/p>\n

That context helps explain why Samsung continues to position AI as the defining layer of its next-generation devices.<\/p>\n

Is the smartphone spec race ending?<\/p>\n

For years, smartphone makers built their identities around chasing specs.<\/p>\n

Bigger numbers meant better phones. Faster chips meant progress.<\/p>\n

Samsung, it seems, is chasing something else.<\/p>\n

Whether that bet ultimately reshapes the smartphone experience remains to be seen. But if Roh\u2019s comments are any indication, the next major leap in Galaxy hardware won\u2019t happen simply because the numbers can go higher.<\/p>\n

It will happen when Samsung believes the experience \u2014 not the spec sheet \u2014 is ready to move forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For more than a decade, the smartphone industry has been defined by a familiar race. More megapixels. Faster…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319973,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[65370,111,139,69,869,153865,68755,145,114763],"class_list":{"0":"post-319972","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-galaxy-s26","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nz","12":"tag-samsung","13":"tag-samsung-galaxy-s26-series","14":"tag-samsung-galaxy-s26-ultra","15":"tag-technology","16":"tag-tm-roh"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}