We’re growing at over 20% in India premium segment: Samsung

By Nishant Arora

Bengaluru, Aug 20 (IANS) Samsung which logged 63 per cent market share (by value) in the India premium smartphone segment in the first half this year, has registered over 2 times the pre-booking orders for its 'made in India' Note10 series smartphones compared to last year's Note9 pre-booking period, a top company executive told IANS on Tuesday.

The pre-booking for Galaxy Note10 opened for consumers in India on August 8 till August 22. Those who pre-booked will get their devices with special offers on August 23.

"We had 52 per cent value market share in the premium segment (over Rs 30,000) in full year 2018. In the first half of 2019 (January-June period), we have clocked 63 per cent value market share in the premium segment," Ranjivjit Singh, Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing, Mobile Business, Samsung India, told IANS on the sidelines of Note10 series launch in the country.

"Overall, the premium segment is estimated to be between Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000 crore in India. In this segment, the industry is growing at 9-10 per cent while we are growing in the excess of 20 per cent in the country. This shows the loyalty Indian users have towards our premium devices like S10 and Note series," Singh emphasised.

Samsung on Tuesday brought "made in India" Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy Note10+ with enhanced S Pen and pro-grade camera to the country that would take the productivity and creativity to a new level.

The 6.3-inch FHD+ Galaxy Note10 (8GB RAM+256GB memory and no microSD) is priced at Rs 69,999 while the bigger 6.8-inch Galaxy Note10+ (12GB RAM + 256GB memory) with Cinematic Infinity Display will start from Rs 79,999.

The top-end variant of Note 10+ with 12GB RAM with 512GB internal storage (expandable up to 1TB) will be available for Rs 89,999.

"Not just Galaxy series, our A80 device that comes for Rs 47,990 has also created disruption in the over Rs 30,000 premium segment in India. We have got tremendous response for the device that has world's first 48MP rotating triple camera," Singh informed.

According to the latest International Data Corporation's (IDC) "Asia/Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker", India smartphone market saw highest-ever second quarter shipment of 36.9 million in the second quarter (Q2) this year.

Samsung registered a strong 16.6 per cent (YoY) growth in the second quarter, fueled by the newly-launched Galaxy A series across low and mid-price segments. Galaxy A10 and A2 Core were among the top 5 models overall for the market.

According to Singh, with the smaller 6.3-inch Note10, Samsung will have first-time Note users in the country who wanted a smaller form factor with the same power.

"The smaller Note10 is a great device to own -- especially the stunning Aura Red colour -- for those who want productivity and creativity on the go while holding a smaller device. With Note10, productivity comes to your palm," Singh noted.

For those who enjoy smartphone gaming, Note10+ is an ideal choice.

"As mobile games get more processing-heavy and graphics-rich, the best gaming experiences require top specifications. The Galaxy Note10 features the world's slimmest vapor chamber cooling system, which delivers optimal performance during gameplay while keeping the device slim and sleek," informed Singh.

With the AI-based "Game Booster", the Galaxy Note10 optimizes performance and power consumption depending on the game.

"With the 'PlayGalaxy Link P2P' streaming service, users can pick up where users left off on any PC game and enable them to continue playing on the move with no need for local storage," said the Samsung executive.

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