Samsung chief furious over mobile division allegedly copying Apple's design

Samsung recently unveiled its new foldable phones, smartwatches and wireless headphones, but has faced accusations of copying Apple's design language when creating the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Watch Ultra. This sparked a strong reaction from Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee, who intervened directly.

Lee ordered the mobile division, Samsung MX, to reassess its plans after people noted the similarities between Samsung's new products and Apple's AirPods, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch Ultra. Actions were taken against some employees, including Samsung MX leader TM Roh.

An insider described the internal atmosphere as very tense, with significant pressure following the controversy over design plagiarism and quality issues with the Buds 3 series and Galaxy Watch 7.

At a media briefing in South Korea, reporters highlighted the resemblance of Samsung's new devices to Apple's. The Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro feature stems and gestures similar to AirPods, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra's design mirrors the Apple Watch Ultra.

Long-time Samsung fans expressed disappointment at the shift from Samsung's unique design to one resembling Apple's.