BTS and Samsung Launch Partnership With 'Connect, BTS' Augmented Reality Experience

BTS and Samsung have launched a new partnership that will see them collaborate on various projects including an augmented reality (AR) experience for the band's global art project Connect, BTS and a possible BTS special edition Galaxy phone.

Samsung will provide an AR service that Galaxy phone users can download to access a virtual reality experience of Connect, BTS, which features a series of art exhibitions in five cities around the world including New York City.

A member of BTS (RM, Jin or Jungkook) will appear virtually on screen to talk about specific artwork from the series, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reports.

Large media screens for the new AR service have already been installed at the Connect, BTS exhibitions in New York City and Seoul.

BTS will be the face of several promotional projects for Samsung's new smartphones and the company is reportedly discussing a possible BTS special edition Galaxy phone, according to Allkpop.

Samsung has yet to confirm any details on the potential BTS edition phone but confirmed to Yonhap: "We [Samsung] are planning various activities other than 'CONNECT BTS.'"

Samsung is hoping to leverage the young and global fan base and youthful image of BTS to market its products for millennials.

"We hope we can deliver a good experience to fans of BTS and Galaxy devices around the globe through collaboration with BTS," a spokesperson for Samsung told Yonhap.

Newsweek has contacted Samsung for further details on its collaboration with BTS.

Earlier this month, Samsung hinted at its future partnership with the K-pop group during its Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event in San Francisco, where the Galaxy S20 series and Galaxy Z Flip smartphones were unveiled. An image of BTS member V appeared on screen during the presentation.

The recent move isn't the group's first partnership with a mobile phone company. Back in 2018, South Korean electronics giant LG featured BTS in a series of television and social media campaigns to promote its mobile devices and products.

Last month, BTS partnered with Starbucks, another major company, to unveil a limited edition collection of food, drinks and merchandise, available at Starbucks shops in South Korea as part of the "Be the Brighest Stars" campaign.

The latest announcement comes ahead of the release of the new BTS album Map of the Soul: 7, which is out on February 21. The band will unveil an exclusive preview of the album's title track "ON" at 6 a.m. Korean time this Friday, 12 hours ahead of the release of the full album at 6 p.m. KST that day.

Later this month, BTS will appear on a special episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which will see the band go on a tour of New York City's most iconic spots and perform on the historic grounds of Grand Central Terminal.