New phones launched from Samsung and Xiaomi, growth in market shares expected

Samsung and Xiaomi, two of the biggest players in the globally popular Indian smartphone market, have launched two new phones in the market. Even though the phones stand priced at the opposite ends of the price spectrum, both launches have been done to expand the companies’ share in world's fastest growing market. The launches have come when the year ahead expects global sales to grow in single digit for the first time ever.

Xiaomi’s premium flagship Mi5, priced at Rs 24,999, has been launched just a few weeks after it launched the affordable Redmi Note 3. The move has come to regain the position that it had lost in India in 2015.

Samsung, on the other hand, has launched the Galaxy J3 with a special S Bike mode for Rs 8,990, so that its portfolio in this highest-selling segment is further strengthened. The S Bike Mode, when activated, informs the callers that the biker is on a move and is hence unable to take calls. However, if the calls are urgent, the caller can press 1 and the phone would ring.

As per a report by research firm Gartner, global smartphone sales are estimated to grow only 7% in 2016 y-o-y, and would reach 1.5 billion units. Overall, the phone market would reach 1.9 billion units. However, the report also says that India will continue to exhibit double-digit growth at least in the coming two years.