Samsung Electronics to launch Galaxy S7, S7 Edge on March 8

NEW DELHI: Samsung Electronics will start selling its latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, on March 8 in India, just 15 days after their global launch on February 21. That’s among the shortest interval ever, reflecting how crucial India is to the South Korean company as it seeks to fend off competition from Apple in the premium segment (Rs 30,000 and upward).

The company declined to reveal pricing or other details about the devices, but experts peg the S7 to start at Rs 52,000 and the Edge at Rs 59,000. Some feel Samsung may keep prices even lower, given the intense competition.

Samsung is looking to wrest back its leadership of the premium smartphone segment from Apple, which took the No 1 spot in the October-December quarter, although the South Korean company led the segment for all of 2015. India’s premium segment is about 5% of the overall smartphone market by volume but accounts for about 25% by value.

The devices are being made in Samsung’s Indian plant and they may be bundled with virtual reality headsets, said people aware of the matter. This may be seen as another way of giving priority to India, which has become the second largest mobile phone market by unique users, surpassing the US and only trailing China.

Samsung wants to build on the success of the S6, which drew acclaim for design and innovative features. It’s also looking to make the most of a quarter that’s usually slow for rivals, especially Apple. Marketing will be aggressive, analysts said. ET recently reported that the company will spend Rs 100 crore on marketing in India.

But not only is Apple also said to be planning a new phone, Samsung has to contend with other brands as well.

"Samsung will have a lot more competition this time, with the rumoured iPhone 5Se coming in the time of the year when Apple is usually slow, and LG’s G5 and Xiaomi’s Mi 5, which are going to be aggressive in terms of pricing and positioning," said Tarun Pathak, senior analyst, Counterpoint Research.

The South Korean company will need to be cautious about pricing, he said.

"Samsung will also have to arrest its declining average sale prices, so they should not be pricing the flagship devices very high and then correcting them later on, and lose out on customers in the meantime," Pathak said.