Samsung to Release New Medium-Range Phone This Month
21 January, 2019
Domestic smartphone makers are releasing a series of mid-priced but still stylish smartphones with some high-end features, in order to counter Chinese rivals as competition intensifies.
Samsung will release a new medium-range phone this month. Samsung's Galaxy A9 Pro will be its first model to feature a "punch-hole" display, removing the notch in order to make way for a full-screen design. Despite its relatively affordable prices between W400,000 and W500,000, it comes with a 6.4-inch display and high-resolution triple cameras, which can be seen in flagship models likes its latest Galaxy Note 9 (US$1=W1,123).
Samsung's Galaxy A9 Pro (left) and LG's Q9
About a week earlier, LG released its medium-range phone called Q9, which is the thinnest in its Q series, and equipped with several premium features like artificial intelligence-assisted cameras and a speaker offering high-quality sound.
Last year, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi released its Redmi Note 5 and Poco F1 in Korea, priced at around W200,000 and W400,000, much cheaper than Korean counterpart models.
"Xiaomi released its latest Redmi series in China early this month which comes with an even cheaper price tag of around W100,000 but is equipped with high-spec features," said an industry watcher. "With this trend, Korean handset makers now have to come up with marketing strategies to woo frugal customers as technological differences between products no longer divide them."