(UPDATE: China, too!) Korean Galaxy S7 to go without Samsung branding on front

Update (February 26th)

When we first published this story on the 22nd, it seemed a bit odd that Samsung Korea and Samsung China were depicting the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge on their regional sites sans “Samsung” slapped on the front. With Japan the issue was never a doubt, but for the other two markets something seemed a bit strange.

Today however, images from China’s TENAA have made their way out and do indeed showcase both the S7 and S7 Edge without their front facing OEM logo. Take a look see at what can’t be seen by looking:

This is an interesting trend, to say the least. Samsung has yet to make a formal statement clarifying why the logo has been removed in certain territories. As mentioned in the original piece, Japan’s removal seemingly had everything to do with the removing of the name “Samsung” itself from all products and replacing it with “Galaxy”, however with both Korea and Chinese S7 variants, the Samsung logo is still present on the back side.

It’s possible that this is a deliberate attempt to make the devices look more refined, or that marketing data has suggested customers in key Asian markets do not in fact, want the logo.

Original post from February 22nd follows:

Carrier branding is arguably the bread-and-butter of free promotion: crudely referred to by some as a so-called “tramp-stamp” these images tend to irritate customers who would prefer their devices to be free of all superfluous clutter. Even so, manufacturer branding tends to crop up most everywhere, be it the infamous HTC”black bezel bar” or the ever-visible under-the-earpiece location that companies like Samsung opt for.

Strange then, that Samsung’s South Korean website has pictures of its new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge…devoid of such a front-facing claim to fame. Take a look:

The front Samsung logo is clearly missing from the image. In fact, it’s missing from all the renders pictured, yet the rear logo is clearly present, as can be seen above. Here are some other offerings from the Korean website to refer to:

Initially this seemed to have been a possible oversight; Samsung Japan for example, has made a concerted effort to remove its logo from basically all products entirely, be it the Galaxy S6, or even the Gear S2 and Gear VR. Instead, the company has unofficially renamed itself “Galaxy” for all intents and purposes. Still, taking a look at the Japanese page for the product, clearly “Galaxy” is planning on putting its “revised” logo on the device:

The question then, is what’s going on. Whereas Japanese customers don’t appear to be interested in Galaxy phones, this is decidedly not the case in the Korean OEM’s home territory. So why remove the front logo? It could possibly be a mistake, or it could be something else entirely. Perhaps Korean customers liked the fact that the Japanese variant doesn’t say “Samsung” on the front. Perhaps Samsung itself has decided that without the logo the product looks more profound or professional.

For reference, the front-facing logo does appear in other country’s websites:

On a final note, there is a single curiosity to be had on the Korean site. In one last picture towards the bottom of the main portal page, the Galaxy S7 is visible with the logo, but not the S7 Edge:

Judging by all the other pictures however, on all of the various feature specific tabs, this one is the mistake.

No Galaxy Galaxy S7 (standard) for Japan…?

While on the subject of Asia, it is also worth mentioning that, apparently, Japan won’t be receiving the Galaxy S7 at all, at least given the clear lack of a product page for it. Galaxy has, however, made a specific product page for the Galaxy S7 Edge. Note, for example, the above image has clearly removed the standard S7 that appears on all other country’s site variants.

Truth be told this should not come as a big surprise, as last year’s Galaxy S6 was only released on a single carrier in Japan, and then in the lowest possible storage configuration and limited color options at that. While there is a chance the S7 could appear later, given the company’s unusually small market share in the country, it would seemingly make sense to avoid any possible risks.

And just in case anyone is interested in a pair of additional Galaxy Galaxy S7 Edge pictures:

Wrap Up

While the vast majority of consumers will inevitably not even care about the presence of the Samsung logo or lack thereof, it is a safe bet to assume at least some would welcome the chance to be face-free. The question of the moment however,  is just why Samsung Korea has apparently decided to remove its own logo from the front of what are arguably one of its most esteemed product lines. In the event Samsung clarifies this issue, the post will be updated accordingly.

With that said, what do you, the reader, think of this issue? Would you love the chance to get a Galaxy without the Samsung front branding? Be sure to take the quick survey below, and then let everyone know your thoughts in the comment section below!