When people think of Samsung, the company’s environmental efforts may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, Samsung has a long-standing commitment to restoring damaged marine ecosystems, and this dedication is being furthered through a new initiative involving the 2024 Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The company has announced the development of a new Ocean Mode for the phone, designed to assist coral reef restoration activists and researchers in coastal communities with more effective mapping of affected areas. This mapping is crucial for organizations such as UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which uses photogrammetry to gather data for analyzing the health and growth of coral reefs.
Several challenges can arise when capturing images of underwater reefs. One common issue is motion blur, which occurs when divers swim above the reefs to take photos. Additionally, water absorbs warm colors, such as reds and oranges (long-wavelength light), which can distort images, making them appear darker and bluer than they do to the naked eye. These challenges can lead to less accurate data collection.
Samsung has addressed these issues with advanced technology built into the new mode. This new tool optimizes the native Galaxy camera on the Galaxy S24 Ultra to ensure efficient, high-quality underwater image capture of coral reefs. It reduces motion blur and optimizes the camera’s white balance, enhancing underwater content capture and ensuring accurate photos are sent to researchers. This, in turn, improves coral restoration efforts through better analysis of restoration success.
According to ZDNet Korea, the new Ocean mode feature automatically takes photos every two seconds. Images captured in this mode have reduced blue tones and minimized motion blur, achieved through multi-frame processing and adjustments in shutter speed.
A growing partnership
Since last year, Samsung has supplied various parties with smartphones for underwater use, eliminating the need for costly underwater cameras. This is part of Samsung’s “Coral in Focus” initiative, which partners with various non-profits, including the U.S.-based Seatrees, Scripps, and local communities. Although the Galaxy S24 Ultra is still available on the consumer market, it has recently been succeeded by the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung’s latest flagship model. Providing the older phone to researchers, along with a critical new app, is an excellent way to utilize the phone.
Even before the announcement of Ocean Mode for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the “Coral in Focus” initiative helped restore over 11,000 coral reefs in 4,500 square miles. This isn’t the first time Samsung has taken a step to improve the world’s ocean reefs. Beginning with the Galaxy S22 series three years ago, Galaxy devices have incorporated recycled discarded fishing nets in their designs. These nets have caused significant damage to fragile marine ecosystems.
Coral reefs, often called the “rainforests of the sea,” play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 25% of all marine life relies on these reefs for survival, even though they only cover 1% of the ocean floor. Samsung’s efforts should be acknowledged. While it is common for technology companies to use recycled materials in their products to reduce the need for raw materials and to pursue net-zero emissions, it is less common for these companies to repurpose older phones for environmentally beneficial purposes.
It will be interesting to see if Samsung’s Ocean mode will be available to researchers on other devices, or even become available as an update for consumer models.
