Battle for market share: Samsung plans its biggest blitzkrieg of launches in Indian in Q2

In order to compete head-to-head with Micromax, Lenovo-Motorola and Xiaomi in the mid-segment category, South Korean tech giant Samsung is planning its biggest ever rollout in India in the July-September quarter.
In the next quarter, the handset maker will launch 10 smartphones in the Rs 9,000 to Rs 18,000 segment to give a stiff competition to local and Chinese rivals. This information was revealed in an Economic Times report.

Some research companies told ET that this competition has led to a drop in Samsung's market share in the mid-segment in 2014. According to CMR India data, the South Korean tech firm’s share in the Indian smartphone market fell from 43.2% to 23.7% in 2014 as domestic handset manufacturers like Micromax, Karbonn and Intex benefited.

In response to an email sent by ET, a Samsung India spokesperson said, "Samsung is committed to the Indian market and will continue to cater to the needs of consumers with innovative products and technology."

If we believe this report by ET, most of the new models will be launched under a sub-brand called the J series and the 4G-compliant handsets will be made in India. Galaxy J7 and J5, are two models expected to be the first to hit store shelves early next month.

Requesting anonymity, a CEO of a leading electronics retail chain informed ET, "After beating Apple in the premium smartphone segment last quarter, Samsung is now looking at extending its lead in the overall market by filling the gap with a new line-up in the Rs 9,000-18,000 segment and would spend hugely on promotions."

In September, Samsung will also roll out its next flagship model, the Galaxy Note 5, in India to add more fervor to the festive season then.

Smartphones account for 70% of the company's revenue in India.