THE CHALLENGE

Coral reefs sustain 25% of marine life and over a billion people, but they’re vanishing rapidly due to climate change. While 3D reef mapping exists, it depends on costly, bulky equipment, which limits who can use it. Local conservationists often lack access to the tools needed to monitor and restore the reefs their communities rely on. Samsung set out to change that by creating an accessible, scalable solution that enables a smartphone to do high-quality underwater imaging, empowering scientists and coastal communities worldwide to protect endangered marine ecosystems.

THE STRATEGY

In recent years, Samsung has diverted more than 150 tonnes of ocean-bound plastic by incorporating recycled fishing nets into Galaxy devices. Building on this platform, it deepened its commitment to ocean health by making cutting-edge reef monitoring technology more accessible. Collaborating with nonprofit Seatrees, Samsung set out to turn a Galaxy device into a handheld, field-ready research tool, removing technical barriers to reef science and empowering conservation efforts. Ocean Mode, a specialized camera feature created specifically for this partnership, was developed and validated in real-world conditions in Indonesia and Fiji, creating a credible foundation for broader scientific use. By enabling more scientists and conservationists to photograph, map, and monitor reefs, Ocean Mode can help restoration efforts scale, and make it possible to protect more reefs, in more places, with greater impact.

THE EXECUTION

Ocean Mode was co-developed with marine scientists and conservationists through field testing in Indonesia and Fiji. Samsung camera engineers added automated interval shooting, color correction, and motion blur reduction – upgrades that enable a Galaxy smartphone to collect thousands of research-grade, high-resolution underwater images on a single dive. Ocean Mode, and Samsung’s partnership with Seatrees, was announced globally across events and platforms, including Galaxy Unpacked 2025, Mobile World Congress, and YouTube. Supporting content, including the short film Coral in Focus, amplified the story across social media and press, highlighting how local communities, researchers, and technology came together to enable more effective, widespread reef conservation.

THE OUTCOME

Ocean Mode has expanded the impact of scientific reef monitoring and laid the foundation for future public participation in conservation, transforming the role mobile technology can play in environmental action. 

• 17 reef sites mapped in 3D using Galaxy devices
• 10,705 square meters of reef restored across Indonesia, Fiji, and the United States
• 11,046 coral fragments planted
• 100M live broadcast views
• 105 media stories secured and more than 60,000 impressions across social media