Samsung Takes On Xiaomi In India

Samsung will take on rival Xiaomi in India with the launch of an affordable smartphone series in the country before it is released globally later on in the year.

Data shows that Samsung’s market share in India has fallen behind China’s Xiaomi in two of the three 2018 quarters where data is available. But the launch of the three new M-series phones, which will be sold only via Samsung’s website and Amazon’s Indian operation, should help Samsung double its online sales in the world’s second-biggest smartphone market.

“The M series has been built around and incepted around Indian millennial consumers,” Asim Warsi, head of Samsung’s Indian mobile business, told Reuters. He revealed that the phones will be available around the world after the launch in India at the end of January. The India-made phones will be priced from less than 10,000 rupees ($141.80) up to 20,000 rupees, and feature chunkier batteries and a quick charging feature.

Samsung’s mobile phone sales in India reached 373.5 billion rupees ($5.3 billion) in the 12 months to end-March 2018. Warsi would not give specifics, but added that online sales comprise a double-digit percentage of the company’s total mobile phone revenue.

The launch of the smartphone series is Samsung’s latest way to get ahead in India and take on rivals such as Xiaomi and Apple. Last year Samsung opened the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturing plant outside of New Delhi. It also launched its largest mobile store in the world, located in the southern tech hub of Bengaluru. The 33,000-square-foot store features Samsung mobile devices, consumer electronics products and the latest innovations from the company. It also has a service center for its mobile phones.

“A lot of our insights, R&D and developments for consumers in India … they have great connections with many other consumers in many other parts of the world,” Warsi said.