Samsung Electronics, surprised by iPhone SE

Samsung Electronics is threatened with the No. 1 spot in the global smartphone market(84,000 +0.48%)With the’cost-performance (price-performance)’ phone that has lowered the price and raised the product specifications (specifications), the smart phone business will be a fortune. With the prolonged period of product replacement by consumers, the effects of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) spread, and they started to “subtract from the price” at all.

According to the industry on the 4th, it is known that Samsung Electronics will release the low-end smartphone’Galaxy A52′ during this month. It is a product of 500,000 won. According to foreign media such as Germany, this product is known to be equipped with the’Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)’ function, which has been applied only to premium lines so far. If OIS is actually installed, it has been five years since Samsung is putting this function into a low-end device. OIS is a technology in which a sensor mounted on a camera module detects shake and moves the lens in the opposite direction to compensate for hand shake, and has been applied only to high-end phones. In addition, it is known that a large number of premium features such as a’quad camera’ such as a 64 megapixel main camera and a 120Hz screen refresh rate will be installed.

Samsung Electronics recently launched the’Galaxy A32′, a representative popular device in Europe and Japan. The price is around 300,000 won, but features such as built-in fingerprint recognition, rear camera specifications, and 90Hz refresh rate are equipped with a semi-premium level. Samsung Electronics plans to diversify its lineup by releasing this product in India, the United States, and Korea. Including the’Galaxy A72′, which is expected to be released in the first half of this year, there is a plan to dominate the smartphone market between 300,000 and 700,000 won. In particular, this market is an area in which Apple, a smartphone rival, has increased its market share with an entry-level model called’iPhone SE’ (500,000 won).

The entry-level model, which accounts for the largest proportion of Samsung Electronics’ total smartphone sales, is also an entry-level (distribution type). According to counterpoint research, a market research firm, the smartphone that sold the most in Korea last year was Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy A31. The A31, which was released as an LTE-only phone last year, received favorable reviews as a low-end strategic phone focusing on high-end cost performance, such as a quad camera that supports close-ups, a 5000mAh large-capacity battery, and Samsung Pay support, despite the factory price of 300,000 won. Lee Yun-jung, a researcher at Counterpoint Research, analyzed that “The A-series role played a big role in Samsung Electronics’ solid performance last year despite various adverse conditions.”

On an annual basis, Samsung Electronics is still the No. 1 market share in the global smartphone market, but this position is also in jeopardy. According to market research firm Gartner, as of the fourth quarter of last year, Apple sold 79.42,700 smartphones, surpassing Samsung Electronics in five years. Samsung Electronics sold 62117,000 units during this period, pushing it to the second place. This is a good effect by seeing the sales effect of the’iPhone 12′ that Apple launched in the second half of last year and even the entry-level model. Samsung Electronics’ smartphone shipments are steadily decreasing, including 29.5.04 million units in 2018, 296.19 million units in 2019, and 253.05 million units in 2020. It is reported that Samsung Electronics has set its smartphone shipment target this year to more than 260 million units, a slight increase from last year.

Reporter No Jeong-dong Hankyung.com [email protected]

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