Samsung Begins India Assembly of Pricey Flagship Smartphones

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Samsung Electronics Co. has begun making its fold and flip smartphones as well as its latest Galaxy S23 flagship in India, renewing its focus on a key growth market where Chinese devices have eaten into its sales.

The South Korean giant's Indian unit previously imported some of its premium flip and fold devices into the world's second-biggest smartphone market, but is now assembling its entire phone portfolio locally, Raju Pullan, the head of Samsung's mobile business in the country, said in an interview on Monday.

“That also builds on our strong commitment to growing the India market,” Pullan said, declining to comment on whether the locally assembled flagship devices will be priced lower than the imported ones.

Global smartphone leader Samsung has faced stiff competition from Chinese rivals in an Indian market characterized by cost-conscious shoppers. China's Xiaomi Corp. was India's biggest smartphone vendor in 2022 with a market share of 20%, while Samsung was a close second at 19%, according to research firm Canalys.

For years, lower prices, bigger batteries and a marketing blitz resting on cricket and Bollywood have helped Chinese device makers outsell Samsung.

Samsung has been slow to learn but is gradually catching up by launching more affordable devices, tying up with banks for credit card offers and rolling out a consumer credit program that helped it sell devices worth $1 billion in 2022, Pullan said.

Like rival Apple Inc., Samsung is also participating in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's manufacturing drive that aims to turn India into an export hub. Still, Samsung has struggled to collect some of the financial incentives it has sought from the Modi administration, even as manufacturers including Apple