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Samsung India says it will continue its phablet push in the country as more and more smartphone buyers in India and around the world are opting for large-screen devices. The tech giant is looking to concentrate on smartphones with 5.5-inch display panels and larger as it’s looking to seize a bigger portion of the third largest smartphone market in the world. Speaking to reporters at the Galaxy C9 Pro launch event in Kolkata, the Vice President of Mobile Business at Samsung India, Manu Sharma, said that the company is now offering two devices boasting six-inch screens in the country, including the mid-ranger that was launched at the event. Samsung is currently the market leader in India, but the lead over its nearest rivals has significantly reduced in recent months. Furthermore, Samsung is facing stiff competition from numerous Chinese and Taiwanese firms like Xiaomi, Lenovo, OPPO, Vivo, LeEco, and ASUS.
With media consumption on mobile devices on the rise, consumers around the world have shown a marked preference for large-screen smartphones in recent times. While the Galaxy C9 Pro features a 6-inch display, most of Samsung’s other mid-rangers offer much smaller screens compared to devices from other manufacturers that are available at identical price points. While global tier-1 companies like Samsung, LG, Sony, and HTC continue to charge a premium for large-screen phones, many Chinese brands are successfully doing business by offering devices with bigger screens, faster processors, more storage, and better cameras for lower prices. The success of Chinese companies in India has slowly but surely reduced Samsung’s grip on the country’s smartphone market over the past couple of years.
It will be interesting to see how Samsung’s new strategy will play out in the coming months because most of its upcoming mid-range devices are rumored to feature display panels that are smaller than the 5.5-inch mark, which recently became a sweet spot for mid-range devices. As for the Galaxy C9 Pro, it was launched earlier this week with a 6-inch Super AMOLED display boasting a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. Samsung’s other smartphone with a comparable display size in India is the Galaxy A9 Pro which was launched by the South Korean tech giant in 2016.