Samsung has set a target of $4 billion to make in the sales of ‘A series’ smartphones by year-end in India after making sales of $1 billion (nearly Rs 7,000 crore) within 70 days in the smartphones sales.
In February, the South Korean tech giant had said it aimed to garner $4 billion (around Rs 28,000 crore) in revenue this year in India from its Galaxy A smartphones range that is aimed at the millennials.
“We now have six models in the A series and are receiving great response from across the country. The A2 Core, which was our entry-level offering, is driving huge volume. In 70 days, we have already sold 5 million units under the A series and are well on track with our $4 billion target,” Samsung India Senior Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer Ranjivjit Singh told PTI.
He added that the company has clocked sales of $1 billion from the A series in the said time period.
Samsung, which is locked in an intense battle with Chinese player Xiaomi for leadership in the hyper-competitive Indian smartphone market, has stated that it will launch a new model every month under the A series.
The company will launch its Galaxy A80 in the Indian market in the coming weeks and the device will compete in the premium category.
While Samsung usually cites GfK data, reports from other research organisations such as IDC and Counterpoint have positioned Xiaomi to be ahead of Samsung (in terms of units shipped) for many quarters now.
“We are seeing strong traction with our M series (available on Amazon and Samsung’s online platform). Our premium lineup (S10, S10+ and S10e) has also done extremely well and we had a market share of 77 percent by value of the premium smartphone category (Rs 30,000 and above) in India,” Singh said.
OnePlus, which is a key competitor to Samsung in the premium category, is unveiling its latest device later on May 14.
Asked if the new launch could impact Samsung’s performance in the premium category, Singh answered in the negative.
“We have a strong set of Galaxy S devices and the A80 will soon be available. We see absolutely no relenting on our momentum and are looking at further strengthening. We will continue to be the leaders in the premium category,” he emphasised.
READ ALSO: Samsung to Cancel Unconfirmed Galaxy Fold Orders if it doesn’t Ship this month
According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung had 44 percent share in the premium smartphone (Rs 30,000 and above) market in India in the January-March 2019 quarter.
OnePlus had 26 percent share, while Apple had 19 percent share in the said quarter. Other players accounted for the remaining 11 percent share of the premium segment.
Samson Oyedeyi
