Samsung eyes 60% share of smartphone market in 2012

To launch 7-inch tablet early next month

Korean consumer electronics giant, Samsung, is eyeing to capture a 60 per cent share of the smartphone market in India in 2012, as against its current share of 44.7 per cent, according to Ranjit Yadav, country head (mobile and IT – India).

“Creating new categories and offering Android, Windows and our own Bada OS (operating system)-based devices for the consumers to choose from under different value propositions would be the game changers that would contribute to our market share in the smartphone segment,” he told mediapersons here on Tuesday.

According to a CyberMedia Research (CMR) report, around 10 million units of smartphones were shipped to India in the first 11 months of the 2011 calendar. CMR estimates put a possible 20 million smartphone shipments in 2012.

Stating that Samsung had created a new segment in the smartphone market with Galaxy Note, a hybrid between a smartphone and a tablet (phablet), Yadav said the company had sold 5 million Notes worldwide since its launch in November 2011.

“Targeted at the premium segment, we will be launching a 7-inch tablet in the domestic market early next month. Though very small now, the premium tablet market in India is still latent and growing, and is indicated to touch 400,000 units this year,” he said.

Launches two new smartphone models
Strengthening its smartphone product basket to 19 models, Samsung on Tuesday launched two new models – Samsung S Advance and Galaxy Pocket – in the Hyderabad market.

Based on the Android Gingerbread OS, the new smartphones are priced at Rs 26,900 and Rs 8,150 respectively.

The new devices give Indian consumers access to over 300,000 books from Landmark, 26 newspapers and 28 magazines through My Reader app, besides allowing to download more than 100,000 songs from Hollywood, Bollywood and popular regional titles.

The devices also provide free access to 600 movies through My Movies app and to 80 television channels through My TV app.

While maintaining that Samsung’s objective was to consolidate its smartphone leadership in India, Yadav said the company was growing strongly in the non-smartphone market as well.

“We rolled out 40 models across the board last year, taking our total mobile phone lineup to 50. We hope to launch models at least in similar numbers this year,” he added.