Handset maker Samsung Electronics today announced launch of three new devices, priced below Rs 10,000, to expand its presence in the affordable smartphone market in India.
Samsung Galaxy Star 2 is priced at Rs 5,100, while both Galaxy Star Advance and Galaxy Ace NXT are priced at Rs 7,400.
With the launch of these new devices, Samsung has expanded its sub-Rs 10,000 category to seven devices, Samsung said in a statement.
"Samsung is committed to offer the best in technology and innovative products at an affordable price to the consumers. We believe in cutting across language and data cost barriers to ensure every consumer has access to the world of smartphones," Samsung India, Vice President (Marketing) Mobile and IT, Asim Warsi said.
Especially created for the Indian market Galaxy Star 2, Galaxy Star Advance and Galaxy Ace NXT have been launched to provide a larger set of consumers with the experience of superior mobile technologies and richer internet experience at an affordable price, he added.
The handsets support 12 Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Tamil among others.
The Galaxy Star 2 features a 3.5-inch display and 2MP camera, while the Galaxy Star Advance sports a 3MP camera with 4.3-inch screen.
The Galaxy Ace NXT is Samsung's entry-level 3G phone with a 4-inch display and a 3MP camera with flash.
According to IDC, smartphone sales in India grew almost three-fold to over 44 million in 2013, buoyed by affordable devices made by local firms such as Micromax and Karbonn.
In the first quarter of 2014, 17.59 million smartphones were shipped into India as compared to 6.14 million in the same period of 2013.
Samsung was the market leader (35 per cent market share in Q1), followed by Micromax (15 per cent), Karbonn (10 per cent), LAVA (6 per cent) and Nokia (4 per cent).
Affordable smartphones, especially those priced in the sub-USD 200 category (Rs 12,000) are doing well in the Indian market.
