Competition in India
Samsung Electronics have launched the Galaxy S8 series with best specifications, while Xiaomi have released the Mi 6 with similar specifications at a lower price.
Samsung Electronics invited 350 local media reporters and launched the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus at a media event in New Delhi, India, on April 19 (local time). The base model S8 will cost 57,900 rupee (US$896 or 1.02 million won) in India. Pre-orders for the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus has begun on the 19th and the series wil be officially released in the market on May 5.
On the same day, Xiaomi also launched its Mi6 premium phone at an event in Beijing, China. Its flagship smartphone features similar specifications with the Galaxy S8, such as 6GB of RAM, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 SoC and dual rear cameras, but with a much lower price range of 2,499 to 2,999 yuan (US$363 to 436 or 413,260 to 495,945 won). The Mi6 will be officially released in China on the 28th and come into the Indian market shortly.
An official from the industry said, “Considering the time of launch and performance, the Galaxy S8 and Mi6 are highly likely to play against each other in the Indian market. Since Xiaomi has already become the most popular brand among consumers in India, Samsung Electronics has a big concern to secure the lead.”
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics and Xiaomi are currently competing for first and second market players in India as Xiaomi has been growing rapidly in the Indian market. According to market researcher Canalys, Xiaomi recorded an 11 percent share of the Indian smartphone market in the fourth quarter last year, up 8 percent point from the same period a year earlier. Samsung Electronics maintained the number one spot with a 25.1 percent market share but the figure declined 4 percent point from a year ago.