A year after Note 7 fiasco, Samsung launches Note 8

Market leader Samsung India is ready to cash in on the growing demand for premium handsets in the country this festive season, after a lost opportunity last season. The consumer electronics giant unveiled its much-anticipated Galaxy Note 8 in New Delhi on Tuesday at Rs 67,900.

Repeated incidents of battery explosions in the Galaxy Note 7 had cost the company hundreds of crores in sales and dented its image in the country last year. 

While the rivalry between Apple and Samsung attracts attention of tech enthusiasts and smartphone lovers across the globe, the 2017 edition is expected to be intense given that Samsung’s comeback will be crucial for its hold over the premium segment (above Rs 30,000 a unit). 

The firm is eyeing record sales with the new handset which is placed right against Apple’s new iPhones launched globally on Tuesday. Asim Warsi, senior vice-president at Samsung India Electronics, said the firm had managed 250,000 pre-registrations through a e-commerce channel in the past two weeks. To ensure wide availability, it has planned to offer the Note 8 in more than 6,000 offline stores across top 35 cities initially. 

“We remain steadfast on ensuring the best quality. We have implemented eight-point battery checklist, which is more stringent than industry standards, as quality assurance is our top priority,” Warsi told Business Standard.

PLANNING AHEAD

• Pre-orders, over five days, reached about 650,000 from about 40 countries
• The Note 8’s US price of $930-$960, including dialling and data plans, begins an era of premium-priced handsets
• The Note 8 is tasked with reviving fortunes in China, where Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi have reduced Samsung’s market share to 3% in April-June
• It hopes to showcase a foldable handset next year

Source: Reuters