Samsung Galaxy range proves market popularity

Stellar 2012 to be basis of continued growth

Samsung Electronics expects its Galaxy range of smartphones and tablets to use the successes of previous years as the foundation for even more significant growth in the coming 12 months.

Says Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile Communications at Samsung South Africa: “The Samsung Galaxy family of devices set several significant milestones last year and showed the extent to which consumers were looking for smart devices that fit their unique requirements.”

The company received numerous industry awards including the Device Manufacturer of the Year and the Best Smartphone of the Year (for the Galaxy S II) at the prestigious Mobile World Congress which took place in Spain early last year. “With the continued enhancement of the broader mobile ecosystem, media consumption is growing exponentially, and we’re building on a trend that sees customers demanding larger screen formats with full touch integration. This trend has even migrated to our mid-range or feature phone products, “says Fleischer.

Furthermore, when the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone was introduced in May, it went on to pass several significant sales milestones including selling more than 30 million units worldwide within five months of launch.

“Sales figures like this are significant as it is testament to how popular the Galaxy brand has become. In fact, the entire Galaxy range, (including the S II and S III smartphones, the Galaxy Tab and Tab 2 tablets, and Galaxy Note 10.1 and Note II smartphone and tablet hybrids) sold in excess of 100 million devices to date making it one of the strongest consumer electronics brand names,” adds Fleischer.

During the third quarter of last year Samsung’s Galaxy S III became the world’s best-selling smartphone*. In December, international market research firm IHS iSuppli also announced that Samsung was the top cellphone brand in 2012 – in overall worldwide shipments. Furthermore, according to forecasts by analysts in a recent Reuters poll, Samsung is leading the global smartphone market.

“We are very proud of the successes we achieved in 2012 and are looking forward to another stellar year. With the digital lifestyle starting to become pervasive in South Africa as bandwidth continues to increase and data prices becoming more competitive, consumers and business users alike require smart devices that are intuitive to use, feature powerful specifications, and are aesthetically pleasing. And this is exactly the space that our Galaxy brand plays in,” he concludes.

*According to report released by market research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics.