Flexible Smartphones
Industry sources say that the premium smartphone market, which was depressed this year with some variables, such as high sales of low and middle priced smartphones and discontinuance of the Galaxy Note 7, will rebound next year.
According to market research firm IDC and eBEST Investment & Securities Co. on December 20, the shipments of high-end smartphones with a price tag of more than US$500 (598,000 won) will reach 370 million next year, which is a 9 percent increase from this year.
This year, the smartphone market saw budget phones put up a good show with the growth of emerging markets, including India. In fact, Counterpoint Research said Samsung Electronics’ ratio of budget smartphones priced at less than US$300 (358,000 won) to gross sales stood at mid-50 percent this year, up 10 percent point from two years earlier. Its figure of LG Electronics also amounted to 65 percent.
On the other hand, the premium smartphone market was relatively shrunk this year. The prevailing view was that premium products failed to provide differentiated technologies as a result of upward leveling of smartphone technological power. Moreover, sales of high-end smartphones decreased further as Samsung Electronics decided to discontinue the Galaxy Note 7 in the second half of the year. Since Apple’s iPhone 7 problems have continued to pop up, the company failed to see a significant increase in sales.
Experts predict that premium smartphones equipped with new technology, such as “flexible smartphone” will come into the market in earnest next year and it will grow the demand of premium phones. Samsung Electronics is highly likely to release flexible smartphones in the second half of next year, according to foreign news reports. Apple is also reported to be preparing for the launch of flexible smartphones.
In addition, new technologies, which appeared this year including dual camera and iris technology, are expected to be built in premium smartphones in earnest, so product performance and function will improve further. Samsung is highly likely to adopt dual camera in the Galaxy S8 in the first half of next year.