4GB Samsung ‘Galaxy On’ to cost nearly $237

In a bid to take on Chinese smartphone manufacturers in New Year, Samsung India is set to launch a new “Galaxy On” device in the third week of January. Industry sources said that the latest device will be priced at around $237 (Rs 15,000) — a key mid-price segment in the highly-competitive Indian market. “Galaxy On” will come in two variants — both with 4GB RAM, the sources added. The new device is expected to be an Amazon India exclusive, with a focus on design, performance and photography elements. In 2017, Samsung India launched “Galaxy On Max” for Rs 16,900. The device was equipped with a best-in-class camera tailor-made for low-light photography, enabled by its flagship f/1.7 aperture, the company said in a statement. With 5.7-inch full HD display, the device was powered by a 2.39GHZ, 1.69GHz Octa-Core processor, 4GB RAM and has 32GB internal memory expandable up to 256GB via micro-SD card. “Galaxy On Max” sports 13MP rear and front camera with LED flash. With the new “Galaxy On”, Samsung will look to strengthen its mid-range segment where it has witnessed strong competition from Chinese brands. After registering a 27 per cent growth in mobile business revenue for the financial year 2016-17 — touching a mammoth Rs 34,300 crore — Samsung has become the undisputed leader in the highly competitive and price-sensitive domestic smartphone market. With this kind of growth, Samsung has eclipsed the sales of key Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, Lenovo and even the Cupertino-based giant Apple. The South Korean giant had 60 per cent market share (by value) in the premium segment for the August-September-October period, according to German market research firm GfK. For the overall smartphone market, Samsung had over 45 per cent market share (by value) from October to December 2017.