Samsung is looking to regain the ground it has lost in India to Chinese device makers with a range of low-cost smartphones.
To demonstrate its commitment to the market, Samsung is launching three brand new M-Series devices in India at the end of January. While primarily targeted towards the Indian market, the range will later be launched internationally, said Samsung’s Indian mobile chief Asim Warsi.
Warsi told Reuters that the devices would be available via Samsung’s own website as well as Amazon’s Indian site – a key point as the vendor’s online channels are a major revenue stream in India. He added that the range would be manufactured in India, in line with government efforts to push local production of components and devices.
“The M-Series has been built around and incepted around Indian millennial consumers,” said Warsi, adding that the top end devices would cost around INR20,000 ($282) with the lower end models priced at under INR10,000.
Statistics from Canalys saw Samsung ceding ground to Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi in the first half of 2018, with the two tied in first place in Q2 with 9.9 million units sold apiece. In July, Samsung began manufacturing at a new facility near New Delhi, and also opened its largest international mobile phone store.
