Targeting Low-end Market
According to information technology (IT) news outlets Phone Arena and SamMobile on May 9, Samsung Electronics is preparing to launch the Galaxy C10 and C10 Plus featuring a dual-lens rear camera setup.
The Galaxy C10 will boast a model number SM-C9100, while the Galaxy C10 Plus is expected to launch as the SM-C9150/9158. These products will feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 processor and a dedicated Bixby button on the side. They will also come with functions applied to Samsung’s premium smartphones including fingerprint scanner.
The Galaxy C series are Samsung’s lineups targeting the Chinese and Indian markets. They are low-end smartphones with relatively high specifications like 6GB of RAM.
Since a dual camera shoots images with two camera modules at the same time, it can improve the clarity and definition of pictures as well as shoot 3D videos. After the LG V10 had a front dual camera, the dual camera has been used on LG Electronics’ V20, G5 and G6, Huawei’s P9 series and Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus.
In addition, smartphones with a dual camera setup are popular especially in the Chinese market. According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, almost all the products, such as the iPhone 7 Plus, the Huawei Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro and the Vivo XPlay 6, in the upper ranks in terms of market share in the Chinese market in the first quarter were equipped with a dual-lens camera. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 6S were the only smartphones without a dual camera setup on the list. Considering the fact that Apple has started using a dual camera from the iPhone 7 Plus last year, the Galaxy is practically the only brand with a single camera. The Galaxy S8 released last month had a single camera setup as well.
An official from the industry said, “Samsung Electronics will seek to get back its falling share in the Chinese market through the Galaxy C series equipped with main functions despite its low prices. The company has stuck to a single camera on the ground of the thickness and design of products, but it has no choice but to use a dual-lens camera in the upcoming products in order to survive in the emerging market in where it is losing ground.”
Meanwhile, shipments of Samsung Electronics smartphones fell as much as 60 percent year-on-year to 3.5 million units in the first quarter in China. Its market share also dropped by 5.3 percent to 3.3 percent compared to a year ago, taking sixth place. During the same period, Huawei held the top spot by increasing its market share from 16.4 percent to 19.7 percent, followed by Oppo with a 17.5 percent share increase from 10.1 percent and Vivo with a 17.1 percent share increase from 11.2 percent, strengthening the big three systems.