Full-scale Offensive
According to industry sources on Apr. 18, Samsung Electronics Co., which was once one of the biggest player in the Chinese smartphone market, is carrying out a full-scale offensive to win back its market share after it fell to 5th last year.
Since Samsung lost its share in the Chinese low-end smartphone market to local producers, the company is flooding the market with its various budget phone models this year.
In the low-end phone market, Samsung is focusing on the China customized product marketing strategy, which is revealed for the first time in the Chinese market, to satisfy the “first” preferences of Chinese.
The company unveiled its low-end and lower mid-range Galaxy J Series of smartphones in the Chinese market for the first time this year, and it will also release a new C series of smartphones in the Chinese market first next month. In order to target the Xiaomi Mi5 smartphone, the price range of the Galaxy C series will be 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan (US$154 to 308 or 176,900 won to 353,800 won), highly likely to become a new ambitious low-end smartphone model. Market experts expect that the company will adopt the metal design for the new model at relatively lower prices compared to the Galaxy A series with the price tag of some 500,000 won (US$435) and the Galaxy J series with the price tag of 200,000 won (US$174).
First of all, Samsung Electronics introduced the 2016 Galaxy A series in the market early this month. China was the first global market in which the company launched the Galaxy A series models. It is the first budget smartphone offering the Samsung Pay service. Its design is similar to the Galaxy S6 but its prices went down. The company also released the A9, which is not available in the domestic market yet, and the Galaxy A9 Pro featuring a 5,000 mAh battery in China, providing with a wider variety of choices of the Galaxy A series.
Samsung Electronics also unveiled the 2016 Galaxy J series last month. The models, which cannot find in the domestic market yet, were also launched in China for the first time. The latest Galaxy J5 and J7 sport a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, aiming for consumers who frequently take selfies. They are priced at lower ranges than the Galaxy A series.
Starting with the Chinese market last year, the company has released the Galaxy E series in some markets only, continuously receiving favorable reviews for its lower prices.