Samsung doesn’t see India with one lens or one portfolio: Asim Warsi

By Nishant Arora

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) Unlike most Chinese smartphone manufacturers who are "one portfolio" players, South Korean giant Samsung does not see India with one lens and one portfolio and believes in serving all consumers across price points, stresses Asim Warsi, Global Vice President, Samsung India.

Gearing up to launch two smartphones -- M10 for around Rs 9,500 and M20 for nearly Rs 15,000 -- with industry-first features this month, Warsi said the company is deeply committed to the whole smartphone ecosystem and not just one price segment.

"We are here to serve all consumers -- from flagship premium and luxury to mid-range, affordable and popular smartphone segments. Being a full-range player, we have a full deployment and infrastructure in place in the country," Warsi told IANS in an interview.

"We have been developing products for India via our robust R&D and product design teams based here. We have made deep investments into the country. We do not see India from one lens or one portfolio, unlike others."

The first-ever 'M' series smartphones with features like Infinity V display and massive battery power are being manufactured for the millennials at Samsung's facility in Noida -- the world's largest mobile phone factory.

"India is the first market for the global launch of 'M' series. It will go to other markets later. The 'M' portfolio which will be made available through online channel is singlemindedly designed and intended for millennials," informed Warsi.

Industry experts believe that Samsung, which is still the most vertical integrated player in the Indian market, has set its eyes firmly on dethroning Xiaomi's highly successful 'Redmi' series in the affordable and mid-price range segment.

"Samsung has access to latest display, camera, memory and connectivity technologies from hardware perspective. Further, it can enjoy global scale for the same 'M' models more than Xiaomi," Neil Shah, Partner and Research Director at Counterpoint Research told IANS.

According to Warsi, collective knowledge, understanding on tech and R&D and consumer behaviour -- the company has put all these together in conceiving the 'M' series.

"Nearly third of India's population are millennials. Studies show that more than half the shoppers online are millennials. The 'M' series through the online channel is designed for them."

The young consumers are on top of the chain when it comes to using the hardware and software and over-the-top (OTT) applications on their devices.

"They are very evolved, intelligent consumers and research drives them to best value devices and the 'M' series is just that -- in terms of battery, speed, display and visual richness. We have changed the bar with 'M' series in the popular price segments in the country," noted Warsi.

Galaxy M20 will house a massive 5,000mAh battery -- the first-ever on any Samsung smartphone -- a big plus for phone users in the country who treat battery life as one of their key requirements. The M10 will house a 3,500mAh battery.

"You will see evocative display, massive battery with power management solutions, memory management solutions, fast charging technology -- all in 'M' devices.

"In one word, these are powerful devices, made for India keeping the local requirements in mind," Warsi added.

According to him, the Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 price segment is very large and high-growing segment.

"In fact, all price segments are growing but most important is what millennials are buying into. The 'M' series is going to give them what they are currently doing with their devices, including shopping.

"Our pursuit of the consumer is clear: wherever is the demand, we will be there," said Warsi.

(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)