As the premium smartphone market is reaching its saturation point, a series of global smartphone markers are shifting their eyes toward low-cost models.
Particularly in Korea where the Handset Retail Structure Improvement Act was introduced in October 2014 to fix the ceiling of the subsidies, major smartphone makers are shifting their focus toward strengthening their mid- and low-price lineups.
Samsung Electronics, for example, jumped into the global low-cost smartphone market in January by establishing three budget model lineups including the Galaxy A, E, and J. The Galaxy A series models, applied with metallic materials, command the highest prices among the three low-cost lineups.
Following the launching of the Galaxy A5 and A7 in the first half of this year, Samsung Electronics plans to release the Galaxy A8 on July 24. The Galaxy A8 has the thinnest thickness of 5.9 mm among Samsung smartphones.
In addition, Samsung will also market the J5 and Galaxy Folder, which already gained popularity in other countries, in the domestic market within this month.