Samsung gearing up to counter Xiaomi, launching four smartphones

Samsung, the South Korean consumer electronics giant that till recently dominated India’s mobile handset space, is trying to regain the ground it has lost in the past few quarters. To counter the heightened competition from Chinese rivals like Xiaomi, which dislodged it from the top spot nearly after five years in mid-2017, Samsung is lining up new products, increasing focus on e-commerce channels and tightening its grip over retail outlets.

Samsung is coming up with four new models to counter the flurry of successful launches in the affordable segment (Rs 10,000-20,000). The devices, priced at Rs 13,990 and above, offer attractive cash back schemes. In fact, its biggest challenge is with its affordable range of smartphones, where the three Chinese ninjas — Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo — have bagged a large slice of the market.

According to Tarun Pathak, associate director, Counterpoint Research, the firm needed to refresh its portfolio. “Samsung is on the back foot with heightened competition. Their biggest challenge is their speed of time-to-market. Samsung has been slow when it comes to reacting to the competition, while most others were coming up with new products in three months. Their objective should be coming up with India specific models and a faster time-to-market,” he said.

According to Mohandeep Singh, senior vice-president, Samsung India, the new products would be crucial for the firm. “With these launches we aim to consolidate our market share by five percent this year”. Singh said premium features like infinity display was being launched for the first time in the affordable segment. He said competition might remain tough.