New Samsung Galaxy A series comprised 56% of its sales in Q2

New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) Samsung’s new Galaxy A series accounted for 56 per cent of its smartphone sales in the second quarter (Q2) of 2019 and starting with the Galaxy A10 in March 2019, the handset maker has released a new model under the A series every month, says a new report.

Till 2019, Samsung had too many smartphone models in the mid-to-low tier price bands and the complicated list of models often left consumers confused.

However, it fixed it in Q1 after it simplified and consolidated its line up under the new Galaxy A series, said a report by Counterpoint Research.

“This new line of models incorporated the previous A series, the J series, On series and the C series. To further distinguish it from the previous A series, the new line up used a two-digit number in the nomenclature, for example, the A30 and the A50,” Sujeong Lim, Researcher, Counterpoint Research, said in a statement.

“But was this lineup rejig successful? The answer is an overwhelming yes given the response that the new A series has received from the market since its launch,” added Lim.

The global smartphone market price trends over the past year show that the premium tier, above $400 (wholesale price), is stagnating while the low-end, below $150, is decreasing.

Growth can be seen in the mid-to-low tier price bands, $150-$300. This can be attributed to the trend of new users coming from feature phones to smartphones preferring to trade-up, wherein consumers first use an entry-level smartphone for one-two years and quickly replace it with a smartphone priced between $100-$120.

Xiaomi’s rebound and success (in 2017 and 2018) was due to this trend.

Samsung took share from Huawei’s sub brand Honor in the wake of the US trade ban on Huawei, which affected its global smartphone sales.

Regions like Europe were severely affected. Honor products, mainly in the $180-$249 price band, accounted for a large portion of sales outside of China, dropped significantly and Samsung’s new A series took advantage and boosted sales volumes.

“It was possible because Samsung had a product portfolio that closely matched the target price range of Honor’s mid-to-low price line up. In some cases, the value for money proposition was so high that making the switch was quite logical for the practical user,” Lim noted.