Seamless and Satisfying: Galaxy S20 Gets Exciting New User Experience Upgrades

With a display that is easy on the eyes when watching your favorite shows, and sensory feedback designed to make your every swipe, tap and scroll an effortless delight, the Galaxy S20’s UI was designed with utmost care. Read how Samsung made this satisfying sensory experience a reality.

From innovative camera capabilities to new ways to chat, stream and game, the Galaxy S20 series is jam-packed with features designed to provide exciting mobile experiences. The nuances of sensory feedback can change the way we feel about using our devices, whether it’s the way our device transitions from screen to screen, the haptic sensation we get from typing a message, or the way customized music and sounds convey mood and emotion.

Samsung has taken every detail into consideration with the design of the UI that underlies the Galaxy S20 series. Read on to learn more about how Samsung made this satisfying sensory experience a reality.

Scroll, Zoom and Explore in Peace
A display’s ‘refresh rate’ refers to the number of times a monitor loads new information every second. The Galaxy S20 series features a display with a 120Hz refresh rate, ensuring the viewing experience is responsive and satisfying to engage with no matter the task.

Not only is the display easier on your eyes, the faster refresh rate means anything with motion or animation appears much smoother. Whether you are scrolling through your favorite website, flipping through apps on your Home screen, or playing a game, you will get a more polished experience.

Natural, Dynamic Interaction
One UI 2’s motion and interaction design are optimized for various Galaxy devices, from smartphones to foldables and tablets. Regardless of screen size, Samsung designed the UI to allow for effortless screen transitions, showcasing the swift and elegant design achievements made over the years. Those design achievements have culminated in a UI for the Galaxy S20 with intuitiveness, seamlessness, tangibility, and vibrancy at its core.

From picking up an incoming phone call to moving an app’s icon around the Home Screen, the Galaxy S20’s interaction responses fit intuitively with the way the device functions. 

Interface responses are also seamless, allowing for smooth and continuous feedback to your touch inputs. When launching an app from the Home Screen, for example, the icon expands, and the screen switches to a new page in one fluid motion that feels more natural.

In addition to its seamlessness, the Galaxy S20 responds in real-time to user control and understands delicate touches to provide tangible, satisfying feedback.

Further adding to that experience is the streamlined style of notifications and other alerts the Galaxy S20 provides. Vivid animations and concise layouts deliver information in a clear, vibrant manner. 

Tactile Satisfaction
A phone’s haptic feedback is that satisfying kinesthetic communication—or vibration—you get from your phone when interacting with it. In designing the Galaxy S20’s haptic feedback, Samsung prioritized two things: a satisfying sensation and applying haptic feedback to relevant features and actions. One of the areas you will feel the sensations is the camera.

Fine-tuned vibrations complement the S20’s powerful camera when pressing to take a picture, zooming in and out, and adjusting the Pro mode controls, such as the shutter speed and aperture. That same satisfying haptic sensation has been applied to many other features throughout the Galaxy S20.

When quickly flipping through the Contact list to search for “Mom,” for example, a vertical index appears on the right side. When scrolling through the index, you will get enhanced haptic feedback that signifies moving from one letter to the next in the index. Not only does it make it easier to find “M” in the index, it reduces the potential of skipping past your destination when scrolling. So, you get more precision when looking up friends, family, or business contacts. Toggle switches also have a gratifying new haptic design that mimics a light switch, so you will really feel like you are switching features on and off. The keyboard has also received significant improvements in haptic feedback.

When typing, more precise and refined feedback allows for a better overall experience. The haptic feedback also varies by input, providing distinct vibrations for regular keys, feature keys, and delete keys. There are also noticeable differences in feedback when holding down the backspace button to delete characters and when moving the cursor where you will find concise, tactile sensations.

Sound for a New Experience
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but songs and sounds can form lasting memories. Samsung took that lesson to heart by designing a satisfying auditory experience for the Galaxy S20. This year’s Over the Horizon song, for example, was built around the theme of ‘Digital Wellbeing’. The iconic ringtone features 26 monochords to deliver a soothing sonic experience powered by nature, reminding listeners to indulge in the delights of life offline.

There are four sound themes to choose from on the Galaxy S20, including Galaxy, Calm, Retro, and Fun. Each theme applies to the ringtones, notifications, and system sounds.

The Galaxy theme applies the classic Samsung sounds, including Over the Horizon. Tranquility and acceptance are at the heart of the Calm theme, which leaned on the atmosphere of a coffee house or beach for inspiration. Samsung styled the Retro theme after the iconic sounds of the ‘80s, including the video games and pop music of the era. Finally, the Fun theme embraces silliness and optimism, drawing inspiration from upbeat pop hits for a more light-hearted sonic experience.

* All examples of feature usability provided in this article are simulations. Actual user experience may vary.