Samsung Electronics Co. is making the biggest change to its smartphone strategy in years by reorganizing its top-selling Galaxy S and foldable Galaxy Z line-ups. The company plans to discontinue its Note line and instead spread this capability across its entire portfolio.
“In the near future, our company will focus on a two-pronged strategy: the flagship S series in the first half of the year and the innovative foldable series in the second half,” said TM Roh, who took charge of Samsung’s mobile division two years ago. in a rare interview. “We will maintain this strategy until there is another major breakthrough and we are working hard to achieve it.”
The world’s largest smartphone maker unveiled its latest Galaxy S22 range on Wednesday, adding a stylus to the family’s Ultra model. This revives the classic Galaxy Note formula of a phone with a large screen and stylus, after Samsung failed to launch a new Note in August.
Samsung is changing course: how to proceed without a note
Samsung will focus on the premium segment as a growth driver and plans to extend the Note experience across its entire Galaxy hardware ecosystem, which includes tablets and laptops as well as smartphones, Roh says.
“Under the Covid situation, the smartphone industry has undergone changes that might have taken a decade earlier,” said Roh. “We are now entering the second phase of market growth. There is growing demand for high-end premium models as consumers use smartphones longer and in more ways than before.”
“The Note series was showing its age, and it was a clear decision to bring the S Pen into the mainstream S series, especially when the company could count on its successful foldable lineup in the second half of the year “said IDC analyst Bryan Ma. “Foldables are much better suited for Samsung to differentiate itself from the rest of the industry, including Apple, which also tends to unveil its new phones towards the end of the year.”
This post first appeared on schmidtisblog.de.