Samsung, Korean smartphone maker, is making an aggressive push into the low-cost smartphone segment of Nigeria’s phone market with the introduction of two new reasonably-priced devices, which pack a punch in terms of functionality, but targeted at the new generation of users.
The technology company on Tuesday rolled out its Galaxy Trend Lite and Galaxy Ace 4 Lite smartphones, and both devices are already available at Samsung stores and accredited dealers nationwide.
Market watchers are of the view that Tecno, Chinese phone maker, already has a strong foothold on this segment of the country’s phone market, further adding that Samsung’s decision to go down this route may be hinged on recent market forecast that cheap smartphones sales will overtake high-end sales.
According to research firm, Juniper, ultra-low cost smartphone sales will grow to 200 million, compared to just 10 million in 2014. With that low-end growth, Juniper predicted that the high-end smartphone market will ‘diminish proportionally.’
Emmanouil Revmatas, director of information technology and mobile at Samsung Electronics West Africa, said at a media briefing in Lagos, on Tuesday, that the new devices will ensure that Samsung maintains its dominance in the smartphone market by putting the firm in pole position to meet the demands of consumers desirous of optimising value derivable from their devices.
According to him, most of the company’s competition in this market segment possesses a vast portfolio of low-cost smartphones, but many of them are forced to compromise on the operating systems (OS). Revmatas pointed out that Samsung is offering Nigerians devices with very high functionality but competitive in the area of pricing (N14, 000).
“At Samsung, we understand that consumer habits and consumption patterns are changing, a compelling reason for providing our consumers with the opportunity to own a device with features of a high-end smartphone at an affordable cost. The Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 Lite is a device that provides superior value to consumers based on its features, intuitive performance and design, while the Galaxy Trend Lite will especially delight consumers looking for a device with great, smart dual-SIM capabilities”, he said.
The smartphones, according to Revmatas, are revolutionary not only in terms of the great mobile experience that they provide but also in terms of their value proposition.
“We believe that the Galaxy Ace 4 Lite and the Galaxy Trend Lite will further fuel the growth of Nigeria’s smartphone market,” he said. The dual-SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) Galaxy Trend Lite boasts the Android Jelly Bean operating system which facilitates faster internet connectivity and smoother apps transition. Its vivid 4-inch multi-touch display lets users take photographs, surf the internet, watch movies and view other multimedia content with great convenience and clarity.
