Diwali cheer: Samsung likely to launch Note 7 in India on October 28

NEW DELHI: Samsung is likely to begin selling the Galaxy Note 7 phablet from October 28 in India — nearly two months after the original date it planned — and will rush headlong into competition with Apple’s iPhone 7 as well as Google’s Pixel which will hit the stores around the same time.

The devices it will offer in India are made locally and will carry a green battery icon indicating 'safe-to-use' and markings on the box, people familiar with the matter said. This is part of the Korean company’s efforts to assuage any consumer concerns towards buying a model that was recalled by it in foreign markets after some handsets caught fire and exploded.

Samsung didn’t respond until press time Wednesday to an email seeking comment.


People visit the Samsung roadshow booth promoting their latest Galaxy Note 7 outside a shopping mall in Beijing. (Image: AP)

The company, the largest smartphone maker in the world, had initially planned to launch the Note 7 in India on September 2, the day it stopped selling the model in several countries following the fire incidents. Subsequently, it recalled all 2.5 million phones sold globally and offered replacements with new phones to customers who had already bought them, and delayed starting India sales.

The reason behind the fire was narrowed to faulty batteries from a particular vendor, which has now been barred, the company said after investigations were done.

It faced troubles in India as well with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on September 9 banning passengers from carrying Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in switch on mode on flights. The airline regulator has subsequently allowed Note 7 devices made after September 15 to be carried and charged on board, after Samsung gave written assurances about the product’s safety.

In India, about 20,000 bookings were made for the model, though some of which were cancelled after the blast incidents and the resultant delay. But customers who had retained their bookings will be serviced first, sources said.

The new timing to start the sale — just two days before Diwali — will be critical for Samsung, which would like to keep its lead with the 25% share it had in the Indian smartphone market at end-June. However, besides a tougher market than September with Google and Apple having already launched their devices in the market, it would need to convince potential customers of the safety of the devices.

"With Google coming in, competition will increase in the premium segment," said Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner. “For someone looking for a flagship, they have few choices, and iPhone customers won't go to Android. Samsung is going through a phase where people are really concerned,” he added.

The festive season marks the highest sales in the year, which makes the October-December quarter the most crucial for smartphone makers, as it rakes in more than a quarter of annual revenue.

The premium phone entries are timed with the festive season, which may also increase the share the Rs 30,000-plus segment, which typically makes up about 2-3 per cent of the market by volume.

Bookings for Google's Pixel begin on October 13 online and through offline retail stores, and sales will begin by month-end. Apple will benefit the most among the three brands, as the Cupertino-based company's phones will hit the Indian market the earliest, on Friday. Advance bookings for the phone have already begun.