Samsung releases the all-time best 'Gal S22', solidifying 1st place ahead of Apple

3.1% Market Share Gap with Apple
Absorbing Note Fanbase... Enhanced Camera Performance
Emphasizing Premium with Eco-Friendly Materials

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Samsung Electronics held the ‘Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2022’ event online at midnight on the 10th (Korean time) and unveiled the ‘Galaxy S22 series 3 models.’ It is no exaggeration to say that Samsung’s ability to secure the top spot against Apple, which ranks second in the global smartphone market, depends on the S22 series.

On the day of the Unpacked (new product launch) event, Samsung Electronics MX Division Head No Tae-moon described the S22 Ultra as the ‘most powerful Galaxy S series ever’ along with the expression ‘the ultimate smartphone.’

The S22 Ultra model is the first in the S series to feature the S Pen, inheriting it from the ‘Galaxy Note.’ It is observed that Samsung concentrated the firepower of the Galaxy Note series into the Galaxy S series to compete with Apple, which bets on a single premium device, the iPhone. The IT industry estimates that the potential Note fan base in Korea alone is close to 10 million. Especially overseas, last year, rumors of the Note’s discontinuation sparked petitions opposing its abolition.

During the Unpacked event, the most time was devoted to explaining the ‘Nightography’ feature combined with AI performance, emphasizing the camera functions. The battery capacity remains at 5000mAh but with extended usage time, and a clever solution was introduced to improve heat dissipation issues. Another feature is that the device is ‘eco-friendly,’ made by recycling discarded fishing nets.

This strategy is interpreted as reflecting Samsung’s sense of crisis to solidify its premium image. Although Samsung recorded the world’s number one smartphone sales last year, the gap with Apple is only 3 percentage points. According to market research firm Strategy Analytics (SA), Samsung’s smartphone sales were 272 million units (20% market share), only 3.1 percentage points ahead of Apple (16.9%).

The importance of the Galaxy S series, which dominates the premium market, has also increased. However, according to Counterpoint Research, the S21 series sold only 13.5 million units in the first six months after its release last year, which is 20% less than the previous Galaxy S20 series. The sense of crisis has grown. This is also the background for Samsung freezing the retail price this year despite the burden of semiconductor component costs. The global smartphone market this year is expected to grow by around 3% amid variables such as COVID-19, smartphone component shortages, and price increases, which is lower than last year’s 4.5% growth.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.