Smaller Galaxy
Samsung Electronics is releasing low-end smartphones to target emerging markets. The company has launched the Galaxy On series, low-end models priced at some 180,000 to 250,000 won (US$158 to $219), to win back the market share in China and India.
According to industry sources on Nov. 2, Samsung Electronics plans to release new low-end devices at the end of this year. The company unveiled the Galaxy On5 and Galaxy On7 in China last week, and teaser videos of the products in India.
With a catch phrase of “Get Ready to Enjoy Exciting Music Experience on Nov. 3,” Samsung Electronics announced the release plan of the Galaxy On series through the teaser in its official twitter profile. The new devices will feature Samsung’s music streaming service called “Milk Music.” The Galaxy On series are smartphones optimized to listen to music, including music streaming service.
Previously, Samsung Electronics launched the Galaxy J series, which come with a 13 megapixel rear autofocus camera and a 5 megapixel front camera, and a specialized “selfie function” called “wide selfie,” though they are low-end models.
It is Samsung’s effort to introduce specialized functions by lineup among many low-end smartphones.
Also, the price of the Galaxy On series is attracting attention, which is the lowest among Samsung Android smartphones, except for Tizen mobile phone. The prices of the Galaxy On5 and Galaxy On7 are 998 yuan (US$157 or 180,000 won) and 1398 yuan (US$220 or 250,000 won), respectively.
While the Galaxy On5 features a 5-inch (12.7cm) super AMOLED display and a 2600 mAh battery, the Galaxy On7 comes with 5.5-inch (13.97cm) super AMOLED display and a 3000 mAh removable battery.
The two phones are powered by Samsung’s Exynos 3475 quad-core processor, and come with 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, micro SD card slot and 5-megapixel front camera.
The Galaxy On5 ships with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, and the Galaxy On sports a 13-megapixel snapper on the back.
Samsung Electronics has decided to release the products priced at some 100,000 won for price competitiveness with Chinese and Indian smartphone makers. Local manufacturers, such as Xiaomi and Micromax, have already launched many models in the same price range. An official from the industry said, “Now, it is impossible to hold a dominant position in the competition just with a brand image of Samsung Electronics without releasing models in the same price range with local companies. When we have similar price competitiveness, we can defend our market share but profitability will get worse further.”