<div><em>The Korean electronics giant has some stunning new devices — against a backdrop of seven straight quarters of losses, reports <strong>Mala Bhargava</strong></em></div><div> </div><div>At the India launch of the 5.7-inch Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, Samsung’s execs were still talking about how the Korean electronics giant practically invented the large-screen phone format and how Indian users liked big screens. It was quite as if they hadn’t noticed there were hardly any small phones around anymore.</div><div> </div><div>The Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and the Galaxy Note 5 (which was launched globally in mid-August but is yet to come to India) have much more to boast of than their size — a beautiful design, an outstanding screen on which the difference is clearly visible no matter what is said about the human eye being unable to detect fine resolution beyond a point, and possibly the best camera on a smartphone at the moment. In fact, it’s good enough to have prompted a comparison with the new Sony RX100 IV, a recent version of a compact camera that has been very popular with amateur photographers and even professionals for occasions when they don’t want to carry their full paraphernalia.</div><div> </div><div>The side-by-side was with the Galaxy S6 which has essentially the same camera and actually a Sony lens. The S6 didn’t quite beat the RX100 IV with its larger lens and more components for photography, but it’s definitely getting there and is comparable enough to make you think twice before buying the expensive camera that after all, does just one thing. It’s close enough for camera experts to wonder whether this will be the last RX100.</div><div> </div><div>But ironically, there are also those who wonder whether the Note 5 will be the last Note. Globally, Samsung is in a pincer grip with Apple on top, and a number of companies with Android phones circling like piranhas eating into Samsung’s market share. The very timing of the launch of Samsung’s two flagship devices seems to be have been shifted forward to preempt Apple’s launch of its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus successors. But Samsung’s devices will be about as expensive as the iPhones, possibly prompting many to wonder whether to opt for Apple’s coveted device instead. Elsewhere, Samsung is actually offering iPhone users a 30-day try-out of the new phones and the Galaxy S6 — and the offer is being taken up.</div><div> </div><div>Samsung execs say in India, they’re on a safe wicket and that the Galaxy S6 has been selling better than many of the company’s other phones. They give no figures. Globally, the Korean company has had quarter after quarter of losses to the tune of $10 billion. In India Samsung had a market share of 27.8 per cent in the quarter ending March 2015, but by June, it dropped 3.3 per cent, according to Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research. Despite that, Samsung is in the number one position in India. It’s difficult to say whether the new devices will help it retain that spot, that too with the high price they ask for, a price increasingly being questioned considering other companies are offering advanced tech specs for less than half the price. Having seen most smartphones from these manufacturers I would say they are impressive, but don’t offer the experience of the S6 and Edge devices and certainly not of the iPhones which has an unbeatable ecosystem of its own. </div><div> </div><div>Today, Samsung’s four top-end devices have speed and power, design and ergonomic, innovation and capability with its curved screens and stylus, but the finish still needs to give out a message on what is the one strong distinctive reason to pay the asking price in a market now full of options.</div><div> </div><div>(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 21-09-2015) </div>
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