Samsung Note 7 steals the thunder from Apple

NEW DELHI: Korean smartphone-maker Samsung may well have stolen the march on US rival Apple with its new phablet, the Galaxy Note 7, just weeks ahead of the latter’s

NEW DELHI: Korean smartphone-maker Samsung may well have stolen the march on US rival Apple with its new phablet, the Galaxy Note 7, just weeks ahead of the latter’s annual early September annual event.

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“Samsung already has an advantage over Apple as consumers are no longer excited about Apple’s new iPhone 7 launch in September,” said Tarun Pathak, senior analyst, Counterpoint Research. “Only incremental changes are expected in Apple products this year rather than a complete overhaul.” Samsung took the lead in sales with changing design aesthetics, camera and the stylus, he felt.

Samsung on Thursday launched the new Note 7 priced at ₹59,990 along with two wearables — Gear Fit 2 for Rs 13,990 and Gear IconX for Rs 13,490 — and the new Oculus Gear VR which is 23 grams lighter than its predecessor. The Note 7 comes with an octa-core processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB memory expandable to 256 GB.

“The water and dust resistant design of Samsung along with its price of Rs 60,000 will help Samsung against Apple, which will be dependent on its huge installed base globally to reap profits,” Pathak said. History shows that Apple products are steeply priced than any other in the market which might work as a deterrent, he felt.

According to Strategy Analytics, Apple has lost market share in India to 2.4% in the June quarter from 4.5% a year ago, with Google having gained.