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Samsung’s Galaxy S series is ever-evolving. The new Galaxy S20 Over The Horizon theme is also evolving from last year’s take.
Galaxy S20 Over The Horizon theme arrives closer to nature
Samsung’s Over The Horizon theme has been on all Galaxy S and Galaxy Note phones since the Galaxy S2 back in 2011. Each year, Samsung provides a new perspective on the theme. This year’s theme arrives closer to nature. It replaces the symphonic orchestral sound for a more natural one.
To pull it off, Samsung uses a rotor and pulley-based device (in the shape of a flame). The device plays Samsung’s chord theme at various places throughout the video. The plucking strings give a more natural sound than violin strings. You can see a clear case on the back of the rotor-and-pulley that with a string inside that slides down when a note plays.
To add to the soothing instrument, Samsung provides a video of outdoor sights such as calm water, churning water, trees in the forest. Smoke blows in the wind, plants toss and turn, birds chirp. The fields are ripe with stalks. And in the midst of the field stand the four rotor-pulley devices. The birds fly east, in harmony, in the same direction. The day begins and the clouds hang over the mountain peaks. And then, the sun emerges from the clouds, making everything brighter and better.
Samsung has not only provided a symphonic orchestral perspective, but has even given its trademark theme a few pop, rock, and jazz rhythms here and there. Samsung updates its theme to show that it, like the Galaxy phone series, is changing. Nothing stays the same in life, and companies that don’t evolve in the market become extinct.
Digital unplugging: Samsung’s new Horizon theme echoes new tech trend
Samsung’s decision to do this concerns relaxation and the need to unwind. A number of tech journalists, websites, and everyday phone users say that there’s a greater need to unwind from mobile devices. It’s all too easy today to consume oneself with the touchscreen, to the exclusion of the world around it. Then, there’s virtual reality, blurring the lines between virtual and real. Technology is advancing at an alarming rate. One can find it nearly impossible to appreciate the world outside the phone screen.
This desire to unplug and unwind from the digital world finds its chant even among the tech world nowadays. Android owner Google offers its Digital WellBeing apps to help users unplug even more. The search engine giant introduced the new digital unplugging program back in 2018 but has improved it with the recent Android 10 release. Family Link allows parents to set time boundaries for their children to prevent them from digital addiction.
Samsung wants to find its way to encourage its users’ digital wellbeing with a song that has stood the test of time over the years. There’s not a Galaxy phone user that isn’t familiar with Samsung’s theme, whether they love it or hate it.
Universal Language: Samsung harnesses its marketing prowess
The emphasis on digital wellbeing (in general, not just Google’s platform) merges with Samsung’s own marketing prowess. The Android giant knows the power of marketing. With all Samsung’s commercials over the years, it’s easy to see how Samsung uses music to sell its devices. Samsung understands that music is a universal language, a way to communicate with everyone. If it taps into this universal language, it can sell any product with virtually little to no effort.
What better way then, to promote digital wellbeing than to revise its recognizable theme song that remains after 9 years?
Samsung’s marketing approach is no different than many successful TV commercials. Remember McDonald’s “Have you had your break today” jingle? Daytime soaps such as Young And The Restless have their music theme that makes Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama” an instant hit. There are many others, but these show that successful brands with successful products have a successful phrase or song.
Music is in Samsung’s DNA, and they bring it to their products to connect with TV watchers and mobile users. Hopefully, along with Samsung’s natural Over the Horizon theme, Galaxy S20 owners will see the water ripple effect return to on-screen swipes and gestures as part of the return to nature.