Samsung will soon stop selling budget phones in India

Samsung, the world’s smartphone maker and the top player in the Indian smartphone market, is planning to phase out the budget smartphone business in India. A new report from The Economic Times, citing people in the know, claims that in December 2022, Samsung’s partner, Dixon, is set to produce the last series of phones for India.

Samsung is one of the There are two large multinational companies participating in the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme of the Government of India. The plan allows manufacturers to petition the government for local production; But the condition is that the price of the phones should be more than 15,000 rupees factory price.

With global inflation and component shortages, smartphone prices have risen in recent months, and this could be the reason for Samsung’s focus on smartphones. The mid-range is a flagship or flagship killer that basically targets devices priced at 15,000 rupees (about $193) and up.

Indian smartphone sales in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. It has decreased by 39 percent, which can be attributed to supply chain issues and low demand due to high inflation.

Samsung was the leading brand in the smartphone segment in the Indian market; But now it has fallen to the third place with 12% market share. Currently, Itel and Lava are in the first and second positions with 21 and 20 percent market share, respectively.