BANGALORE: South Korean phonemaker Samsung, which has been losing market share to
rivals in India, is gearing up to launch two premium devices — the GalaxyAlpha and Galaxy
Note 4 — to take on the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The company has started talking to
distributors and retailers to launch these devices in time for Diwali, ahead of the launch of the
Apple devices in October.
Unlike previous Samsung phones that were clad in a plastic body, these will be the first
Samsung phones with an external metal casing, something that iPhones have had for long.
Priced a little over Rs 40,000 a piece, the Galaxy Alpha is expected to be cheaper than the new
iPhone 6 but will have better features, an offline distributor briefed on Samsung's plans said.
The Galaxy Alpha, showcased by Samsung last month, has a partial metallic body, 4.7-inch
screen and a top-of-the-line processor. It's the company's bet against iPhone 6 in the premium
segment.
Samsung also announced the allnew Galaxy Note 4 with a 5.7-inch screen at IFA, the
consumer electronics show in Berlin earlier this month. While Samsung has had big screen
phones for a long time, the iPhone 6 Plus would be Apple's first such big device.
Apple's iPhones have traditionally been smaller in size. In 2010, when Apple was selling the
iPhone 4, its iconic founder Steve Jobs had mocked rivals making big phones by saying that
people won't buy phones if they couldn't even wrap their hands around them.Tim Cook, who
took over Apple after Jobs' untimely death three years ago, has positioned the new iPhone 6
devices as phones that are "bigger than bigger".
Samsung didn't pass over the opportunity to take a dig at Apple. The South Korean company
tweeted on Wednesday: "Big improvements and innovation come with change — even they
thought so."
Samsung also released a graphic which actually quoted Steve Jobs: "No one is going to buy a
big phone." It went on to add, "Guess who surprised themselves and changed their minds."
With nearly 28 per cent market share, Samsung is the largest selling smartphone brand in the
country followed by homegrown Micromax.
However, in the premium segment, it faces stiff competition from Apple's iPhone.
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