Samsung’s mid-range smartphones may be about to get a lot better, the CEO of the company’s mobile division has hinted.
DJ Koh says he’s planning to shake up the South Korean firm’s smartphone strategy, and that we can expect big new features to come to its Galaxy A range of smartphones in the near future.
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“In the past, I brought the new technology and differentiation to the flagship model and then moved to the mid-end,” he told CNBC. “But I have changed my strategy from this year to bring technology and differentiation points starting from the mid-end.”
He didn’t say what these features may be, but we’re thinking in-screen fingerprint scanners, edge-to-edge displays and improved camera technology.
So why the shift? It’s no secret that 2018 hasn’t been the best of years for Samsung.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 hasn’t sold as well as the company had hoped, and that led to Samsung downgrading its Q2 earnings expectations, bringing to an end a record run of profits.
It’s pretty easy to guess why the S9 isn’t selling as well as hoped − long story short, it’s very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8 − but the bigger problem for Samsung is the threat posed by firms like OnePlus, Huawei and Xiaomi, which are managing to deliver high-spec devices at much lower prices than Samsung’s flagships.
The £449 Samsung Galaxy A8, for instance, is a perfectly solid phone, but it’s undeniably inferior to the larger, more powerful OnePlus 6, which only costs £20 more.
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DJ Koh also believes the planned strategic shift will help Samsung reach more millennials.
“So we are very much focusing on millennials who cannot afford the flagship,” he added. “But how can I deliver meaningful innovation to our millennials? That’s the reason I’m trying to differentiate the mid-section.”
What would you like to see from Samsung’s next generation of mid-range handsets? Share your thoughts with us @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.