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Samsung Electronics today unveiled its latest flagship offering, the Galaxy S4, in India. The Galaxy S4 would cost Rs 41,500 and would be available across India from tomorrow. In the quarter ended March, Samsung accounted for 32.7 per cent of all global smartphone sales (according to International Data Corporation figures released today). Samsung, which globally launched the handset in March, has reportedly faced supply shortage, especially in the US market.
The company said initially, supply of the Galaxy S4 could be limited, owing to the overwhelming global demand. It added it would address the issue in a few weeks. “We are geared to meet the demand in India; supply would not be an issue,” said Vineet Taneja, country head (mobile business), Samsung Electronics.
The company would continue the equated monthly instalments (EMI) scheme it has been offering on select Galaxy handset models. However, the 15 per cent cash-back offer wouldn’t be applicable on the Galaxy S4. The company’s EMI and cash-back offers were aimed at countering Apple’s strategy to push iPhone sales. Apple has not just cut the prices of previous iPhone models; it has also offered to pay at least Rs 7,000 if a customer exchanged an old smartphone for an iPhone 4. The Galaxy S4 is also available at HomeShop18.com for Rs 41, 499; the first 20 customers to buy the model from the site would get free digital cameras. (A CHOICE OF FLAGSHIPS)
To draw pre-paid and post-paid customers with lucrative rates, Samsung has also tied up with Vodafone. The five-inch display Galaxy S4, which has a 13-megapixel back-camera and a two-megapixel front camera, would take on Apple’s iPhone 5 (priced at Rs 45,500), the BlackBerry Z10 (Rs 43,490), the HTC One (Rs 42,990), the Nokia Lumia 920 (Rs 38,262), Sony XPeria Z (Rs 38,990) and the HTC Butterfly (Rs 45,990).
