Samsung Chief Denies Copying Apple With New “AR Emoji” Feature

Earlier this month, it was reported that Samsung’s latest pair of Android flagships, the Galaxy S9 and S9+, will feature a 3D emoji feature similar to Apple’s Animoji on the iPhone X.

Now that Samsung has officially announced the feature calling it “AR Emoji”, many people believe the South Korean company is ripping off Apple once again, although Samsung’s head of mobile says otherwise (via Business Insider).

Emoji ar

According to Samsung’s mobile chief D.J. Koh, AR Emojis have nothing to do with Apple, as they are totally different and were invented by Samsung. For those who aren’t aware, the AR Emoji feature enables the phone to process the user’s photo into a 3D cartoon avatar that can be shared with friends and followers. In contrast, Apple’s Animoji allows users to inhabit existing characters like a lion or a unicorn.

Below is what Koh told The Wall Street Journal:

Samsung mobile chief D.J. Koh said in an interview that he had personally explored early 3-D animations since 2001 on flip phones, while leading the firm’s mobile research-and-development team in the U.K. He bristled at any notion Samsung was playing catch-up with Apple, as the human emojis took years of development, he added.

“Their approach and my approach is totally different,” said Mr. Koh, cautious not to mention Apple, a rival and components customer, by name. “I do work seriously based off my own roadmap.”

Check out the following video embeds to compare the two features for yourself, and let us know what you think.

YouTube video
YouTube video

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