Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S5 during the Mobile World Congress event on Monday. People had been waiting anxiously to see the new updated design, however they were shocked to see that it looked very similar to the previous models: the Galaxy S3 and S4.

Samsung’s vice president for brand Stephen Taylor explained why the cell phone models were so similar. “I don’t think that people need radical re-designs every year,” Taylor said. “You have to create a design theme that people identify with. If you came out with a radical design right now, would that have fitted with the Galaxy story that we have created over the last 3 or 4 years? It’s about making evolutions that matter, so I think the improvements to the covers, finishes and colours are a step forward for people.”

Taylor said that people were more interested in having a phone that is more durable, rather than the design. By making the Galaxy S5 both waterproof and dustproof, Samsung was giving the customers exactly what they wanted. “If you look at the feedback, it felt like making [the phone] more durable and keeping the sleek design was what people were after,” Taylor explained. “Waterproof and dustproof elements are more important.”

Taylor said the company chose to reveal the new model during the Mobile World Congress event, after an unsuccessful unveiling of the S4 last year in New York. “Mobile World Congress is a good event to launch a product,” Taylor said. “It was focussed on the theme of going back to what consumers want and need. It wasn’t about the glitz, it was about: ‘this is the product, this is what we’ve improved’. I think that straightforward message has been quite well received by people. We’re going back to what the consumer needs.”

Image via optus.com