Samsung is organising a special exhibition in Seoul, South Korea, to celebrate 80 years of JBL and 60 years of Bowers & Wilkins. The exhibition, “Sound Legends,” will be held at Project Space Line in Gangnam-gu from the 24th to the 31st.

The event showcases the history of both brands and their contribution to the audio industry. Visitors can see old and new products and learn how sound technology has changed over the years.

JBL was founded in 1946 by American sound engineer James B. Lansing. The brand is popular for its speakers, headphones and portable audio products. Some of its famous products on display include the Paragon speaker, launched in 1957, and the L100 Century speaker, introduced in 1970. The exhibition also features the latest JBL speakers, headphones and microphones.

Bowers & Wilkins was founded in England in 1966. It is known for its premium audio products and clear sound quality. Visitors can explore famous products such as the Nautilus speaker, the 800 Series Diamond D5 speakers and the Px8 S2 wireless headphones.

The exhibition includes videos, photographs, product demonstrations and guided tours. Visitors can book their visits through Naver Maps. Samsung is also offering discounts of up to 48% on selected JBL products.

Samsung acquired Harman in 2017, strengthening its position in the audio industry. Harman’s revenue increased from KRW 7.1 trillion in 2017 to KRW 15.8 trillion in 2025.

Samsung plans to combine the audio technologies of JBL, Bowers & Wilkins and Harman to improve sound quality in its products, including smartphones, televisions and soundbars.

Galaxy S27 series development phase appears to have changed direction once again, and the inclusion of the new “Orion” codename signals that the top Samsung brass is finally convinced to go ahead with product readiness.

Samsung internally called the flagship Galaxy S26 series “Miracle,” and probably the first codename for the Galaxy S27 series was decided as NM, referring to “New or Next Miracle.” Well, the company has dropped the NM codename in favor of Trinity, which too hasn’t lasted long, as there’s a brand-new entrant, “Orion.”

Samsung’s latest Galaxy S27 codename swap, from Trinity to Orion, points to a four-phone lineup and tight costs. Everything below rests on leaked trade data and certification listings, and Samsung has confirmed none of it.

Why Samsung keeps changing the Galaxy S27 codename

The codenames changed because the product grew from three phones to four, and the names needed two tries to catch up.

The Galaxy S26 family ran under the codename Miracle, with the tags M1, M2 and M3 for its three phones. The Galaxy S27 family first showed up in July as NM1 to NM4, read as New or Next Miracle. That is a direct carry-over of the old scheme.

Trinity is where the naming starts to strain. The word suggests a set of three, yet trade data listed Trinity1 through Trinity4. A family called Trinity with a fourth phone in it reads awkwardly.

Orion fits the real count. A constellation has no fixed number of stars, so Orion1 through Orion4 can stretch to a fifth tag without another rename. Only Orion3 (spotted by SammyGuru) has been seen directly, in a trade listing for the S27 Pro battery.

Is Orion teasing a wider spec gap?

The codename says little about specs, but the leaks around it describe a widening gap between the top two phones (Pro and Ultra) and the bottom two (Base and Plus).

Here is how the four phones are reported to differ:

Well, I cannot point to a documented rule that codename changes follow a bill-of-materials overhaul. What the timeline shows is a codename swap landing in the same weeks as Samsung’s cost decisions.

Memory is the main pressure; chipsets add to it.

• 3 ways Samsung can protect Galaxy S27 buyers from a big price hike

Prep for an earlier launch than the S26

Samsung unveiled the premium Galaxy S26 on Feb 25, 2026, after the S24 on Jan 17, 2024 and the S25 on Jan 22, 2025. Pay attention: the Galaxy S26 lineup slipped partly because the S26 Plus was nearly dropped for an Edge model.

The filings say Samsung is back on a January-style schedule, with a Korean source claiming the Galaxy S27 launch is scheduled for January 2027, with early February as the fallback.

Conclusion

Rather than pointing to internal confusion, the codename changes most likely reflect portfolio restructuring and cost management. Codenames come from leaked trade data, and Samsung can change them again.

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Samsung has added 19 new artworks to Samsung Art Store through its partnership with Art Basel. The collection features works from galleries taking part in Art Basel Paris 2026, giving people more ways to enjoy art at home.

The new artworks are available from October 20, 2026, on Samsung Art TVs in markets where Samsung Art Store is available. The launch comes ahead of Art Basel Paris 2026, which will take place at the Grand Palais in Paris.

The collection includes two special artworks: Poppies #4 by Elene Shatberashvili and The Lounge (black and white) by Hans Op de Beeck. Shatberashvili’s painting uses bright colours to show flowers and everyday subjects. Op de Beeck’s artwork features a detailed black-and-white interior that looks like a carefully designed sculpture.

Image via Samsung

Together, these works show two different styles of art, from colourful paintings to detailed scenes using shapes, textures and light. Daria Greene, Global Head of Content & Curation for Samsung Art Store, said the collection brings different artistic styles together and helps people discover art at home.

Karim Crippa, Director of Art Basel Paris, said the partnership allows more people to explore artists and their work beyond the art fair.

With this launch, Samsung aims to make art more accessible. Users can display the new works on Samsung Art TVs, including The Frame, and enjoy art in their everyday living spaces.

Increasing memory costs have made it impossible for Samsung to avoid a price hike on the Galaxy S27 series, but the company is already considering various options to dodge the worst, and it is beneficial for consumers as well.

Samsung can no longer absorb the cost burden driven by memory semiconductors. Galaxy S26 series was launched with a $100 price hike across all variants. What’s more, Samsung raised the prices by another $100 in the US.

The Korean tech giant raised US prices on the Galaxy S26 range by $100 on October 1, taking the 256GB S26 to $999.99 and the 1TB S26 Ultra to $1,999.99.

3 ways the Galaxy S27 can avoid a big price hike

Reports say the S27 series will cost another $100 more, with storage upgrades set to cost extra on top. Samsung has confirmed none of it, and the reports do not say whether the S27 increase would stack on top of the revised S26 prices.

Analyst estimates put the mobile division’s third-quarter operating loss at 1 trillion to 3 trillion won (roughly $0.75 billion to $2.2 billion), even as group profit guidance hit a record 107.4 trillion won on chip sales.

Here are three ways Samsung can blunt that. None is free, and none works alone.

1. Adopt Exynos 2700 to shield BoM

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is reported at $240 to $280 per unit, and a tipster claims the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 will top $300, with TSMC’s 2nm wafers rumored at about $30,000 each.

• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: $240 to $280 per unit
• Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6: As much as $300

Korean reports last November said its mobile division was asking the chip unit to supply the Exynos 2600 for the S26 at $20 to $30 below the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

For the S27, The Elec reports that the Exynos 2700 has entered volume production on Samsung Foundry’s 2nd-gen 2nm node, with a first run roughly 10% larger than the Exynos 2600’s.

The S27, S27+ and the new S27 Pro are expected to use it in Korea and Europe, while US and China units stay on Snapdragon. Galaxy S27 Ultra may solely rely on Snapdragon chips worldwide, as part of Samsung’s multi-year deal.

The saving is real but small next to the memory bill. A 12GB LPDDR5X package has gone from about $70 in late 2025 to roughly $145 now, a gap near $75 per phone before storage.

• 12GB LPDDR5X price:
  • $70 in late 2025
  • $145 in Q2/Q3 2026

If an Exynos 2700 unit saves the $20 to $30 Exynos 2600 reportedly did, that covers roughly a quarter to less than half of the DRAM increase on those units, and nothing on Snapdragon units.

2. Altering standard memory baselines

The most direct way to protect the headline price is to hold memory baselines. Korean tipster Lanzuk reported that the S27 and S27+ are listed at 12GB with 256GB or 512GB, the S27 Pro at 12GB with up to 1TB, and 16GB only on the 1TB Ultra.

LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.1 storage would go to the Pro and Ultra only, and the tipster says Samsung is holding RAM and storage options flat because of cost.

Small spec choices add up because memory is priced per gigabyte. At the roughly $145 now quoted for a 12GB LPDDR5X package, each gigabyte costs about $12. A 16GB phone would carry close to $50 more DRAM than a 12GB one.

• 12GB LPDDR5X: $145
• 16GB LPDDR5X: ~ $195

In the meantime, a recent rumor claimed that the 8GB RAM might return to the Galaxy S27 series, specifically on the base and Plus versions. However, the base storage capacity could remain unchanged at 256GB, avoiding a decline.

3. Expanding trade-in valuations

Assurant’s data shows US consumers received $1.63 billion from trade-in programs in the first quarter of 2026, up 31% from a year earlier and a record for a first quarter.

Notably, Assurant links DRAM and NAND costs to device price rises of 7% to 10%, with some flagships $100 to $200 higher, and says rising demand for refurbished phones is boosting trade-in values.

The S26 launch shows both the tool and its limits

Samsung offered up to $900 in US trade-in credit on preorders. The logic for S27 is simple. A trade-in is a targeted subsidy; only buyers who hand in a phone get it, so Samsung spends money only where it closes a sale, and the list price stays put.

Samsung could lift values for S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra owners, narrow the penalty for worn devices, and keep the boosted offer running past the preorder window.

Each method solves a different problem

Exynos 2700 trims chip cost on part of the volume, tighter memory baselines protect the sticker price, and bigger trade-in credits soften the effective price for upgraders.

If all three levers land, an increase at the low end of that range looks achievable for the S27 and S27+, with the bigger jumps falling on the 512GB and 1TB tiers.

Samsung is expanding its SSD brand campaign, “Choose the Sure Thing,” across famous locations in New York, London and Hong Kong. The campaign aims to reach more people and build trust in Samsung SSD products.

The campaign is being displayed at three popular locations: Times Square in New York, Piccadilly Circus in London and the Entertainment Building in Central, Hong Kong. These busy places help Samsung share its message with people from around the world.

The main message of the campaign is, “When you’ve got everything to lose, choose the sure thing.” It highlights the importance of protecting valuable data, including photos, videos, documents and other important files. Samsung wants to show that its SSDs are a reliable choice for storing and protecting digital content.

Image via Samsung

Through this campaign, Samsung aims to strengthen its image as a trusted storage brand known for performance and reliability. The company also wants to connect with more consumers and increase awareness of its SSD products.

Tommy (Hyoungsuk) Kwon, Vice President of the Memory Brand Product Business Team at Samsung Electronics, said that data is more important than ever. He added that the campaign reflects Samsung’s focus on providing reliable storage solutions that consumers can trust.

Samsung will continue the campaign through outdoor advertising, Samsung.com, digital platforms and social media. These efforts will help the company reach more people and strengthen its SSD brand worldwide.