Samsung eyes $4-billion sales from Galaxy A series in India this year

Electronics giant Samsung said it aims to garner US dollar 4 billion (around Rs 28,000 crore) in revenue from its Galaxy A series of smartphones in India this year, as it expands the range aimed at millennials. The company, which is locked in a battle for leadership in the hyper-competitive Indian smartphone market with Chinese player Xiaomi, will line-up new devices between March-June, priced between Rs 10,000-50,000.

"Last year, our mobile chief DJ Koh had announced that we will bring innovation across our smartphone range to mass and mid-price phones and not limit them to premium flagships. This year, we will have a strong lineup under our Galaxy A series to offer the features that millennials are looking for," Samsung India Senior VP (Mobile Marketing) Ranjiv Singh told PTI.

He added that the company will launch a new device every month between March and June - priced between Rs 10,000-50,000.

"Previous Galaxy A devices have done extremely well in the Indian market and with the new line-up, we are confident of getting USD 4 billion in revenue from the series (Galaxy A) this year in India," Singh said.

According to reports, Samsung India saw its net revenues growing by 10 per cent to about Rs 60,000 crore in FY18. Of this, the mobile business accounted for over Rs 37,000 crore.

Last month, Samsung has launched its new online-only 'Galaxy M' series of smartphones in India and said the series would play a key role in helping the company clock double-digit growth in 2019.

Citing GfK data, Singh said Samsung had 42 per cent share in the Rs 20,000-30,000 category, and 76 per cent share in the Rs 30,000-40,000 segment in value terms in December.

However, reports from other research organisations like IDC and Counterpoint have positioned Xiaomi to be ahead of Samsung (in terms of units shipped) for many quarters now.

Xiaomi has a dominant position in online smartphone sales and has been aggressively expanding its offline presence over the last many months.