Samsung design chief replaced following Galaxy S5 disappointment

Samsung has a new man in charge of its mobile design team, following criticism of its new Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone.

Chang Dong-hoon will be replaced by Lee Min-hyouk, who was the vice president for mobile design, Reuters reports. Samsung didn't have any comment to make about the move, though apparently Chang Dong-hoon offered to resign himself last week (likely under pressure by the sound of things).

The Galaxy S5 has copped some flak for once again going with a plastic chassis -- which has always been the case with the Galaxy S series, but this time around, there were rumors Samsung would finally go for a more premium finish. That didn't happen, of course, and there are still people who believe that the plastic body isn't becoming for a costly, high-end smartphone (we singled it out as one of two major downsides in our review).

Perhaps the design of the fingerprint sensor has contributed to this move, too, as some folks have also found this a little finicky compared to Apple's effort on its iPhone 5S flagship. None of this seems to have hurt sales, though, and on an overall level the S5 has been very well received by critics.

Whatever the case, the next Galaxy S flagship will have a new guy at the design helm, and it will be interesting to see what happens with the handset. Will we finally get a metal finish on the Galaxy S6?

Lee Min-hyouk, who became Samsung's youngest senior exec a few years back, is known as "Midas" because he has a golden touch with the Galaxy S series. As for Chang Dong-hoon, he will still work at the company, and will continue to lead Samsung's design centre which directs overall design strategy.

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