If you think that Samsung already has too many smartphones in the market, brace yourself for more. An industry source has said that the Korean OEM is planning to unleash several mid and low-end smartphones but with some of their features that are already in their newest high-end devices, like fingerprint scanners and the mobile payment gateway Samsung Pay. This is part of their strategy to strengthen its hold on emerging markets, most of which they are top right now.
At the moment, only their high-end models like the Galaxy S series, the new Note devices, and some of the Galaxy A models actually have the biometric scanners, which also means that only they can use Samsung Pay to make purchases. Obviously, cost is the number one factor as to why Samsung hasn’t yet introduced both in their mid-tier devices. But they would really need to have these “best-in-class” features as more and more of the newer brands from China are bringing in devices that are both affordable and high-end in terms of features.
An analyst from Samsung Securities, Hwang Min-Sung, said that we should expect Samsung to have their mobile payment gateway in more devices, including the less expensive ones, as it has greater potential than others of its kind since it is compatible with both the traditional magnetic stripes and the NFC terminals.
Samsung is currently number one in 14 out of 15 emerging smartphone markets but is of course looking to expand that reach by having more available devices in the market which will have a lower price point. It is also rumored that they will be introducing higher-end devices that will be running on Tizen, and some even with Samsung Pay. Let’s keep a close eye on Samsung (as we always do) in the next few months to see if these rumors are true.
SOURCE: Korea Herald
