Comments
Samsung’s recent launch of Galaxy Note 8 ‘super flagship’ smartphone in India, weeks after its global unveiling, came hours ahead of Apple taking the covers off its much-talked about iPhone 8, iPhone 8 plus and iPhone X at an event in California. The South Korean major, however, is pinning hopes on the festival season demand in India. BusinessLine caught up with Asim Warsi, Senior Vice-President, Mobile Business, Samsung India, to get some insights on the company’s strategy for the Indian market and the intense competition in the premium segment. Edited excerpts:
What do you expect Note 8 to do for Samsung in India? Do you think Apple’s new launch will impact demand Note 8?
No. Note 8 is coming after a gap. The kind of expectation around this among our consumers and channel partners alike is unprecedented...very high. Second, S8 has done very well in India and we got unprecedented sales for a flagship device. Because of the large measure of success of S8, our share in the premium segment has gone up to 68 per cent in India. We expect even better response for Note 8.
What about the overall market share in India?
A strong showing of S8 and success of certain launches in J and C series has helped us grow our overall market share in India. Right now we have 43 per cent overall value share in India.
What about the timing for Note 8 launch in India? Do you want to ride the festival demand?
We are doing this at a great time, given the festival period and the calendar that lies ahead. We are expecting a great Diwali for the industry at large and more so for Samsung.
Where do you want to go from here?
I will put it this way. We have kept ourselves very busy and challenged by what is the next big and better thing we can do in each segment. We are a full range player and a mobility solutions company. However, first amongst all equals continues to be the flagship segment, which is the fountainhead of innovation, technology, new products and experiences.
How has Note 8 solved for the battery issues seen in Note 7?
We have implemented an eight-point battery checklist. This we did it even when we launched S8. This is not an industry procedure, but more a stringent self-imposed quality check. We continue that stringency of quality checks for S8 onto Note 8 as well.
Do you think you could have bumped up battery to, say, 4000 mAh to give more comfort to consumers?
For us at Samsung, Milli-amperage of battery is just a button number. We have ensured battery power management capability in Note 8 that will ensure long enduring battery usage and battery standby. Consumers will enjoy long enduring battery.
Going forward, where does one see Samsung’s energies being focussed on?
Over the years, we have been a full range player. We plan to continue to be a full range player. The thrust will be on getting newer technologies and more meaningful experiences for consumers in India. We capture this as “Make for India” and our recent efforts on Samsung Pay is an example. It was launched on March 22 and has seen 1.5 million registered users in India. This is an ode to consumers who are convinced that this (Samsung Pay) is valuable to me and made for me. Globally, Samsung Pay in India has been one of the fastest adopting markets.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.