Having unveiled the Samsung M51 as part of its popular mid-range premium devices in the Samsung M Series, the South Korean phone maker is carve a niche for itself in the mid-tier range further by launching the Galaxy F series by end-September.
The Galaxy F series of smartphones could be priced between Rs.15,000 to Rs.20,000 with a heavy focus on cameras. The first of this series could hit the markets as early as next month, albeit only through online stores. A report by 91mobiles says it may go to offline retailers as was the case with the Galaxy M series.
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A crowded price band
Of course, one may argue that the true mid-tier smartphones in India constitute the ones sold around the Rs.15,000 mark. The fact of the matter is that brands such as OnePlus are eyeing the price range of Rs.20,000 to Rs.25,000 with their offerings. So, Samsung can definitely aspire to be in a related segment and offer some of its premium features at that price range.
It is worth noting here that with the launch of the Galaxy M51 in India, Samsung has already advanced on the price ladder, by claiming a rung right above its own Galaxy M31s, which was launched recently.
Samsung has played it quite smart with the M Series thus far. The Galaxy M31s came with a great display and long battery life. Close on its heels, the company announced the Galaxy M51, which boasts the biggest ever battery pack on any mainstream smartphone. Which makes us wonder how they propose to differentiate the new Galaxy F series.
What would be the differentiators?
Which is possibly why the rumour mills are rife claiming that the first of the F series could pack in quite a punch with its shooters. Of course, we are still waiting for more details about the camera package, but suffice to state the company would be hoping to compete with similar offerings from Xiaomi, Realme and POCO to name a few.
The question that remains now is how much of an improved camera performance can we expect in the Galaxy F series, given that the Galaxy M series wasn't exactly a laggard when it comes to shooters in the said price bracket. We will just have to wait and watch.
Meanwhile, it is no surprise that the company plans to promote the F series online. Samsung is expecting its online business in India to grow 35% in 2020 over the last year. And driving this charge currently is the Galaxy M series introduced in February last year. They are hoping to rake in business worth $3.5 billion gross merchandise value (GMV) for the Galaxy 'M' series by the end of this year.
We wonder how the Galaxy F series, which was mistaken to be an affordable phone some time ago, would add to these numbers. All that Samsung needs to do is ensure that the new series doesn't cannibalize the star performer Galaxy M series. Which is the camera and battery specs of this upcoming series would matter the most.
