To: TM Roh, CEO of Samsung Electronics

Dear Mr. TM Roh,

As long-time consumers of Samsung products, we feel compelled to express our deep disappointment with the continuous deterioration of the camera experience in the Galaxy series. Samsung was once a leader in mobile imaging, but today, due to the severe mismanagement and strategic failures of the camera division leadership, Galaxy cameras lag behind competitors in hardware, software, algorithms, and overall user experience. If decisive action is not taken immediately, Samsung’s reputation in mobile imaging will suffer irreparable damage. We strongly urge you to replace the head of the camera division and implement a comprehensive reform.

 
Eight Compelling Reasons   

1. Hardware Stagnation, No Substantial Upgrades for Years

The Samsung camera division has relied on outdated sensors such as the ISOCELL HP2 and IMX754 for years, resulting in little to no meaningful improvement in the imaging capabilities of Galaxy S Ultra models.
Compared to competitors such as Huawei, OPPO, and vivo, Samsung lacks iterations of large, high-performance sensors, causing human portrait, night photography, telephoto, and even previously strong video performance to fall behind.
Over-reliance on old hardware has gradually eroded Samsung’s technical advantage and caused missed market opportunities.

2. Technological Lagging Behind Competitors

Persistent image quality issues include excessive shadow noise, HDR shadow detail loss, unnatural telephoto processing, poor night photography, subpar portrait quality, and inaccurate white balance.
Fundamental flaws: severe shutter lag in moderately low light and excessive sharpening in video HDR mode.
Samsung falls far behind iPhone, Huawei, OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi, failing to meet consumer expectations.

3. Ignoring User Feedback, Longstanding Issues Unresolved

Users have repeatedly reported poor shadow detail, excessive noise, unnatural skin tones, shutter lag, and inaccurate neon lighting colors, yet official responses have been slow.
Feedback on official forums, social media, and professional reviews highlights serious issues that the camera division continues to ignore, severely eroding consumer trust.

4. Blindly Copying Apple, Losing Samsung’s Identity

In hardware, Samsung has followed Apple’s footsteps without its own vision—from 5x telephoto to 50MP ultra-wide sensors—disregarding user needs and mimicking iPhone camera configurations.
In software algorithms, excessive imitation of Apple’s “natural tone” results in dull, lifeless images.
Samsung has even replicated Apple’s flaws, such as HDR black crush causing skies to appear dark blue, overly harsh shadow contrast, and overall dim images even under bright conditions, abandoning Samsung’s previously vibrant brand style.
We do not oppose natural color tones, but we reject Samsung’s blind copying of Apple.

5. Skin Tone Processing Bias

Rendering of Asian and Caucasian skin tones is poor, often appearing unnaturally “yellow-black.”
Users mock this as the “Samsung Yellow Face Filter.” Samsung fails to provide differentiated processing for different skin tones, falling far behind Chinese brands such as OPPO and vivo.

6. Slow and Discriminatory Software Updates

Camera algorithm updates are infrequent and slow to address issues.
Older models receive delayed or missing optimizations (e.g., Galaxy S23 and S24 still lack improvements introduced in the S25), creating a differentiated user experience.

7. Technologically Conservative, Resisting AI Innovation

Scene optimization is unstable; main and telephoto camera noise reduction is outdated. Advanced AI algorithms are not consistently applied to enhance telephoto performance, leading to poor night photography.
Samsung refuses to adopt AI computational photography technologies (e.g., Google HDR+, Huawei XMAGE engine), resulting in imaging performance that fails to meet modern user expectations.

8. Lack of Brand Vision and Collapsed Consumer Trust

Consumers care not only about hardware and features but also about brand innovation and value recognition.
The camera division’s conservatism and compromises have signaled a loss of innovation, weakening Samsung’s brand influence.
Rapid iteration and superficial fixes cannot build long-term technical accumulation or user trust, severely impacting Samsung’s overall image.
 
Our Demands

Immediate replacement of the camera division head, bringing in experts with proven experience in computational photography, algorithm optimization, and user experience management.

Comprehensive hardware upgrade: adopt cutting-edge sensors, larger apertures, 200MP telephoto lenses, and variable aperture technology.

Software and algorithm overhaul: accelerate update cycles, fix long-standing issues, and ensure older models receive the same optimizations.

Establish a dedicated task force: create a specialized team to analyze and track the latest imaging technologies and trends, ensuring timely feedback and implementation.

Implement an efficient user feedback system: respond quickly to consumer needs to prevent long-standing unresolved issues.

Promote innovation and cross-domain collaboration: introduce AI, computational photography, and other advanced technologies, collaborating with leading industry teams to rebuild technical leadership.

Establish direct communication channels with users: adopt a more humble and approachable attitude, actively listening to user feedback and ideas to continuously improve product experience.
 
Samsung was once the benchmark in mobile imaging. If decisive action is not taken now, consumers will continue to migrate to competitors such as iPhone, Huawei, and Xiaomi. Time is running out. We urge you, Mr. TM Roh, to confront these issues and take immediate measures to restore the Galaxy series as an industry-leading imaging brand.

Signatures:
Long-time consumers and supporters of Samsung products