14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy S9 earlier this week, and in addition to several hardware upgrades, the company also introduced its very own animated emoticons called AR Emoji.
By the looks of things, AR Emoji is based on the same idea as Apple’s Animoji available exclusively on the iPhone X, so it was just a matter of time until Samsung was accused of copying its long-time rival.
But Samsung says that it doesn’t copy Apple in any way, not only because the two companies use different approaches, but also because AR Emoji itself is a feature that’s been in development for a long time.
Speaking with the WSJ, Samsung’s mobile chief D. J. Koh explained that AR Emoji was part of the company’s feature roadmap before Apple officially rolled out Animoji, claiming he was the first to come up with this idea in 2001. At that point, he was the chief of Samsung’s mobile research and development unit, but introducing animated emoji on a flip phone was impossible given the hardware limitations.
“Their approach and my approach is totally different,” Koh was quoted as saying. “I do work seriously based off my own roadmap.”
Samsung making fun of Apple
Recently, Apple has also denied claims that the company is copying Android, explaining that even though it’s not the first to bring certain features to the market, it takes its time to get everything right and deliver uncompromised experience to customers.
But while it denies that it’s copying Apple, Samsung can’t refrain from making fun of its rival with every single occasion. During the Galaxy S9 launch, for instance, Samsung poked fun at Apple for building a screen with a notch and removing the fingerprint reader, a feature that continues to be extremely popular.
Instead, Samsung said it’s listening to customers and decided to keep the fingerprint sensor on its phones despite the current smartphone trend of switching to facial recognition exclusively.