Samsung ruled the smartphone market in India until Xiaomi took over in 2017. Since then the Korean firm has been working aggressively to regain the spot. This year it got the ammo it needed in the form of the Galaxy M Series to beat Xiaomi. Realizing the threat, Xiaomi has been taking jabs at the Samsung Galaxy M series, triggering a sort of Samsung vs. Xiaomi war of words.
Galaxy M Series triggers Samsung vs. Xiaomi
Since the launch of the Samsung M series – Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 earlier this year – the Chinese firm has been poking fun at the latest phones with words like “‘M’ean” to ‘M’ic drop moments. Additionally, Xiaomi is also promoting its upcoming Redmi Note 7, pitching it as a better option than the Galaxy M series phones.
While Xiaomi is aggressively campaigning against the Samsung phones, the Korean firm has been quiet so far. But, Samsung finally broke its silence after the constant poking from the Chinese firm.
Speaking to Gadgets Now, senior vice president & head, mobile marketing, Samsung India, Ranjivjit Singh said, “All I can say is thank you [to Xiaomi] for talking about us [Samsung]. We talk about consumers while you [Xiaomi] are talking about us.”
Talking of the response that the Galaxy M series phones are getting, the executive said that they are “overwhelmed” by the love shown by the Indian buyers, adding that it is one of their best launches ever. Further, Singh said that they are “confident” about the future launches of the M series.
“We have hit a sweet spot in the market and we are very happy,” the executive said.
With M Series phones Samsung is offering full value for the money, something that the Chinese phone makers are known for. The Korean firm so far has launched M10 and M20, and later this month, it will be launching a third phone in the ‘M’ Series as well, called M30. The M30 would come with a triple rear camera set up and a massive 5,000 mAH battery.
Readying other ammo to take on Xiaomi
To gain further advantage in the Samsung vs. Xiaomi battle, the Korean firm is reportedly readying other ammo. The Korean firm is working to bring a revamped Galaxy A Series.
“We will launch one smartphone every month in all price ranges starting from under Rs 10,000 (approx $140) in the new Galaxy A series,” Singh told Gadgets Now.
Samsung’s latest strategy is in line with the promise made by Samsung’s Mobile business global president DJ Koh during a trip to India last year. Singh said that Koh promised to bring flagship-level innovation to the mid-range segment.
“We are simply working on it this year,” he added.
Samsung has big expectations from the upcoming Galaxy A Series despite the presence of rivals like Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo, Vivo and more. The Korean firm expects to generate $4 billion in 2019 through the sales of the A Series in India. So, we can expect Samsung to be very aggressive with the pricing of the Galaxy A Series as the company promises to bring the attractive price to specs ratio to the buyers.
Samsung did not reveal much about the A Series phones. It is believed that one of the A Series phones would come with an Infinity-U notch display, a triple-lens camera and a 6-inch display. The first Galaxy A Series handset is expected to arrive next month.
Mi 9 to launch on same day as Galaxy S10
Xiaomi, meanwhile, to gain an edge in the Samsung vs. Xiaomi battle is readying its next flagship Mi 9. With this handset, the Chinese firm it seems is throwing an open challenge to Samsung. Xiaomi is launching the Mi 9 in China on the same day as Samsung will launch its highly-awaited Galaxy S10 Series.
Xiaomi’s upcoming Mi 9 will succeed Mi 8, which came in May of last year. As of now, it is not clear if the Chinese firm will launch the Mi 9 in India. Xiaomi’s last Mi Series phone that debuted in India was the Mi 6 in 2016. After that, the company shifted its focus onto affordable handsets.
After the launch of Mi 9 next week, the company will showcase the handset at the MWC 2019 as well. Xiaomi’s Mi 9 would run on MIUI 10, which is based on Android Pie, and is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. It would be available in three storage options – 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, 8GB RAM + 256GB storage and 6GB RAM.
Xiaomi’s Mi 9 could feature a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with a waterdrop notch on the top and an in-display fingerprint sensor as well. Other expected specs are a 3,500mAh battery and a triple rear camera.
