According to reports, Samsung is planning to launch a new range of budget devices in India based on its home-grown Tizen operating system. The smartphone is expected to be launched within a month.
Samsung's Tizen OS based smartphone will feature a 4-inch display, dual SIM functionality and integrated FM Radio. It will have a 3.2 MP rear camera and 512 MB of RAM. It will have 4 GB internal memory expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card support. The device is expected to be affordably priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000. Samsung has declined to comment and says that the news is "market speculation."
Reports stated that Samsung has made India the launch pad for its Samsung Tizen OS as it has been under pressure in the domestic smartphone market because of increased competition from brands like Micromax.
According to a recent Gfk report, Samsung's smartphone market share in India fell to just over 32% in August from around 32.5% in July, but recovered approximately 33% in September, thanks to new devices in the budget segment. The report highlighted that although Samsung retained the top spot, Micromax, Nokia, Lava and Karbonn have also gained a lot of market share.
Emerging markets like India are becoming the focus of technology giants to market their offerings. Recently Internet giant Google unveiled its budget Android One devices in the country, while Intex launched Mozilla OS-based affordable smartphones. Other electronics giant like Xiaomi and Panasonic have also launched budget devices under Rs. 15,000 in India, in a bid to gain market share.
Source: ET