Samsung Galaxy S8: How does Maple Gold REALLY look?

Annoyed by the lack of information and pictures online when I was trying to choose the right colour for me... and no other colour except black, on most in-store displays... here's this post:

What does the S8 Maple Gold look like in real life? 

Before you get excited (or disappointed), please remember that the availability of your colour choice also differs by country. I made a short list of those countries here.

Here's what Maple Gold looks like according to the Samsung company website.

I'll post some pictures and let you judge for yourself. Naturally, colours vary according to your computer resolution and my editing; this is just meant to give you a better idea. Please note I had to blur my serial code information, and I wasn't going to take the sticker off because I just unboxed it... I like to savour things behind the scenes!

Personal commentary after the pictures.

Next, I decided to do a comparison with the iPhone 6, to add context / frame of reference.

And with a cotton pad (white) international currency (U.S. quarter, Singapore $1 and $0.50, South Korea ₩1000)

As you can probably see for yourself, the Maple Gold looks much closer to a silver under different lighting. I would even say it's closer to a dark taupe, or light brown, and the metallic surface varies between the shades below, under normal conditions without direct light:

Personal commentary:

I'm pretty disappointed, actually. The iPhone gold definitely wins on this one, and has a more sophisticated sheen (definitely different materials). I was really hoping the gold would be brighter and warmer, like one of my favourite clutches from Japan:

I know Samsung branding is just different, but this colour is really understated. I'm very annoyed by the news reports I've been reading from (presumably) Western journalists, who described the gold as 'gaudy.' It's highly unlikely they even saw the phone in-person. Instead of typing every expletive originally in my thought process, I'm just gonna put this here:

If there are any non-Asian readers out there reading this, right now... in case you didn't know:
Gold is a popular colour in Asia because it represents wealth, prosperity, luxury, and prestige to many people in the Sino-sphere - it's practically a part of Chinese heritage. In recent times, silver has grown more popular. Especially with the younger set, and as globalization influences the East Asia region. They're both 'classy' colours today, and I just think that should be respected instead of mocked or jeered at.