Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. recently announced that its “Coral in Focus” initiative, powered by Ocean Mode, an advanced camera feature on the newer Galaxy mobile phones, has received multiple awards for its contributions to coral reef conservation, including Gold in the “Best Sustainability or Conservation
Initiative” category at Engage for Good’s 2026 Halo Awards.
Additionally, “Coral in Focus,” a documentary tied to the initiative, received the Coastal and Island Culture
Award at the 23rd International Ocean Film Festival. Samsung was separately named to Fast Company’s 2026 Most Innovative Companies list for its work advancing mobile innovation in environmental research.
These recognitions reflect the impact of Samsung’s efforts to reverse the decline of coral reefs in partnership with U.S.-based nonprofit organization Seatrees and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego.
By bringing together Galaxy’s advanced image capturing capabilities, Seatrees’ community-driven restoration model and Scripps’ knowledge on marine science, Samsung is transforming Galaxy mobile phones into powerful tools for ocean conservation.
To help address this challenge, Samsung collaborated with Seatrees and Scripps to advance coral reef restoration across a growing network of sites in Costa Rica, Fiji, the Galápagos Islands, Indonesia and the United States.
Through the “Samsung x Seatrees: Bring Coral in Focus” initiative, partners and local communities are given Ocean Mode-equipped Galaxy devices and underwater housings to capture high-quality underwater imagery with Ocean Mode, which is then used to generate detailed 3D photogrammetric models.
This process improves how coral reefs are monitored and evaluated, resulting in critical insight into reef health and recovery. Together, Samsung, Seatrees and Scripps have driven meaningful impact across restoration sites.
To date, more than 20,000 coral fragments have been planted, and over 80 3D reef models have been built to support monitoring and research efforts.
