Samsung! A brand that single-handedly changes the landscape of the global smartphone market. Ask any mobile phone expert on the market without Samsung and you’ll get a goofy look. Frankly, the South Korean manufacturer has had a far-reaching impact not only on the fringe players but also on the big brands by forcing them to think and rethink their product and positioning strategies.
Samsung’s Krieg marketing blitz and product launches took everyone by surprise a few years ago. Before many knew it, Samsung had firmly placed its grip on the smartphone market. If most industry reports are to be believed and followed, Apple faces a tough fight because of Samsung, while HTC, Sony, Nokia and even the big Blackberry are trying to catch up with some of the key ground that they have lost. Samsung.
Samsung’s latest release, the Samsung Galaxy S4, is an intriguing offering. Although many would find it hard to tell the difference between the Galaxy S3 and the S4, the S4 is certainly an advanced version of the S3 and has a lot to offer its ever-expanding consumer base. The only change that most people expected and were disappointed in was in the body of the Galaxy S4. The plastic appearance of the Galaxy S3 is renamed to the Galaxy S4.
The Full HD AMOLED display is quickly becoming a hallmark for the Galaxy S4. The Galaxy S4 works to the benefit of the consumer with improved appearance and screen resolution. The body is smaller and slimmer compared to the Galaxy S3. At 5 inches, the phone certainly has a larger display surface compared to its competitors such as the HTC One and Sony Xperia Z. However; the resolution is barely distorted thanks to the wide viewing angle of the device.
The 1.6 GHz processor with 2 GB of RAM is a decent combination. Although, HTC One and Sony Xperia Z have better processors, the Galaxy S4’s processor does the job for the Android Jelly bean operating system. Samsung is good at packaging small innovations with high impact on users. With the Galaxy S4, the new Smart Stay technology aims to bring an intuitive feel to the user experience. It tracks the movement of the user’s eyeball and stops videos on gaze.
The internet browsing experience is taken to a whole new level. A 2600 MaH battery that powers the Galaxy S4 supports the device in a positive way. An odd 13MP camera works well in its favor, but the front-facing camera is frankly a disappointment. Internal and external memory is not a concern in any of the high-end smartphones, and the Galaxy S4 is no exception.
Samsung has invested heavily in marketing campaigns and heavily favored a guerrilla marketing strategy for most of its launches. Having set a fairly high benchmark with the Galaxy S3, the pre-launch hype for the Galaxy S4 certainly created a lot of anticipation around the seemingly feature-rich handset. But, what ultimately resulted was a (comparatively) bleak spectacle of a phone that was destined to revolutionize the smartphone market and push the fringe elements of Sony, LG and HTC out of the competition. Instead, the Galaxy S4 has given them a chance to come back and hit Samsung hard by chipping away at their market share.
Samsung quickly learns from its mistakes. I would have definitely felt the mood after the launch of the Galaxy S4. With the HTC One and Sony Xperia Z knocking loudly on their doors, Blackberry gearing up with the Z10 and Q10, Samsung’s investments in R&D will have to be increased and complemented by smart product features. A long-standing complaint about the “plastic feel” in the Samsung Galaxy series needs to be addressed in its next version. Especially with competitors outperforming them.