Released in China on the 10th , the price is slightly higher than in Japan
1 million people waiting to buy , the atmosphere is positive in the early stages
China prefers homegrown products , could boost Samsung Phone 's presence
We should watch the trend in the second half of this year rather than the early trend
[Reporter Lee Daily Kim Jung Yoo] Samsung Electronics (005930) has officially launched the 3rd generation foldable mobile phone 'Galaxy Z Fold 3 Flip 3' in the Chinese market and is on a new test bed. ing. In the Chinese market, where there is a high preference for home-made products, there is growing interest in whether Samsung Electronics, which has a market share of just 0%, can turn the tide with foldable smartphones.
'Gal Z Fold 3 · Flip 3 ' Official debut in the Chinese market High early stage popularity
According to related industries on the 10th, Samsung Electronics will officially launch the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 in the Chinese market on the same day. The launch price in China is 14,999 yuan (approximately 2.69 million won) for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and 7,599 yuan (approximately 1.36 million won) for the Galaxy Z Flip 3, which is slightly higher than in Japan.
Prior to this, Samsung Electronics began pre-sale reservations from the 1st of this month.
Considering that Samsung Electronics, which has only focused on the Chinese market so far, and that it is a new form factor product, the atmosphere is quite positive.
In fact, in the live sales broadcast of the "Galaxy Z Flip 3" held at China's Internet shopping mall "Taobao" on the 2nd of this month, 3000 units that had been prepared were sold out within 3 minutes from the start. The number of viewers on the same day reached 9.14 million. About 20 million people watched the unboxing video of 'Thom Browne Special Edition' held online by live commerce host 'Wayer' in China on the 1st.
The Chinese market is a 'pain finger' for Samsung Electronics. Despite being the world's largest smartphone market, the market share is only 0.5% (as of the first half of the year), being pushed by domestic products such as Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. This is a further decline from 1.2% in the first half of last year. For Samsung Electronics, the world's top smartphone maker, this is a considerable humiliation. For this reason, some people refer to China as the "Samsung Phone grave."
According to market research firm Sino Research, the Chinese smartphone market share leader in the first half of this year was local brand Oppo (22.7%). Vivo (19.7%) and Xiaomi (16.4%) ranked second and third, respectively.
In the Chinese market, Samsung Phone has fallen behind not only local brands, but even Apple, and is unable to even enter the top group. Under these circumstances, the Galaxy Z series received an unexpected response in China, and there are expectations that Samsung Phone's presence in the country will gradually increase.
Jindung.com Galaxy Z Flip 3 pre-order page. (Photo = Jindung.com)
Will Samsung's mobile image be taken advantage of?
Samsung Electronics is expected to explore new opportunities in China through the Galaxy Z series. Sales figures for the time being are important, but above all, it is expected to play a major role in raising the presence and image of Samsung Phone in the local market.
A mobile industry insider said, “Since the Galaxy Z series is a relatively expensive flagship phone and a foldable phone with a new form factor, it is difficult to expect a significant increase in market share in China soon.” However, it is encouraging in terms of improving the image of Samsung Phone locally and securing a gap among Chinese customers who prefer domestic products.”
However, in the Chinese smartphone market, which is about 300 million units a year, there is also a view that the figure of 1 million people waiting for pre-orders in the early stages is not very meaningful. Some say that we should pay more attention to the recent rapid growth of local brands such as Opo and Vivo, which are armed with mid-to-low price lines, rather than the popularity of the Galaxy Z series. It means that there are a lot of variables to expect Samsung Phone's reversal based only on the initial figures of the product launch.
An insider in the parts industry said, “In China, the reaction is certainly noticeable in the early stages, but the Chinese market itself is not so sweet, and domestic brands are also planning to launch new products in the second half, so we have to keep an eye on it. No,” he explained, “Since Apple is also about to release the iPhone 13 this month, the success or failure of the Samsung Phone will depend on whether the Galaxy Z will continue to be sold after September.”
On the other hand, Samsung Electronics is not currently planning any special promotions or marketing in the Chinese market. A source from Samsung Electronics said, “We have not heard of any mention (of special marketing or promotions) through local subsidiaries.”
Kim Jung Yoo ( thec98@edaily.co.kr )