Samsung's road to the top
4 July 2013, 18:10 PM
UPDATED
5 July 2013, 23:47 PM
Photo: internet
Samsung have skyrocketed in recent years to the top of the mobile phone food chain.
Not too long ago the South Koreans decided to take the cellphone market seriously as the touchscreen smartphone became a tech staple and they finally hit gold with the Samung Galaxy S.
Looking closely, it was not by chance that Samsung managed to enjoy success in the smartphone market. They have been, in fact, one of the biggest spenders in research and development (R&D) and over the years, aided with the help of their wide electronic device and appliance portfolio, they were able to produce some market changing hardware for their phones.
Two of the biggest improvements came in their chipsets and displays. The Exynos processors and the SuperAMOLED displays are (considered) the best in the business. The other chipsets or displays are not far behind (if behind at all), but in the crowded, uber-competitive cellphone industry, the slightest of changes make a big difference.
The Exynos processor, when it was first introduced with the Galaxy SII was the benchmark king, and along with fluid overall user experience, made it the top dog during its time. While the SuperAMOLED display, first seen on the Samsung Galaxy S gave it unrivalled sunlight legibility and contrast and that propelled the phone to becoming the Android flag bearer.
However, spending in R&D is one thing and spending wisely is another. During 2010, Samsung was the second largest phone manufacturer, behind Nokia and coincidentally, it was also the second biggest spender in R&D, behind the Finns. The difference was, while the Finns were trying to make their Symbian platform (originally not meant to be used for touchscreen phones) as good as Android and iOS, the South Koreans had Android at their disposal, and thus were able to focus more on hardware.
This is where it all happened. The in house hardware gave Samsung a competitive edge over its competition and its flagship Galaxy S devices got rave reviews. People took notice and started buying Samsung smartphones, moving away from Nokia and co. Once word of mouth got out, more people started to buy and a brand image was created.
But that was not all Samsung had up its sleeve. It went into diversifying and giving users the option to pick from a cornucopia of devices. It let users choose between all sizes, form factors and price points. Samsung even started up its own smartphone OS, Bada with emerging markets in mind.
Some may say that Samsung went overboard with the number of smartphone models they were releasing every year, averaging in about 40 devices a year for the last two years, and confusing the users. But through this, they created new niches and trends into the market. None more so than with the Samsung Galaxy Note line of devices, with 5+ inch screens merging into a category between cellphones and tablets (phablets), and adding a stylus that works on capacitive touchscreens.
To put the cherry on the top, Samsung made sure their devices maintained a competitive price, either being priced in the same range as, or lower than, other company flagships.
Perhaps, not everyone agreed with their design philosophy, but no one could argue with their, 'function over sophistication' method. They went with making their flagships light and portable while keeping the battery user replaceable and always keeping expandable storage among the options. Android without expandable storage almost seems to defeat the purpose.
Add to that, Samsung is a company that is flexible and looks to adapt in accordance with the market. Nokia created its own niche with its PureView technology containing smartphones recently and Sony also found its footing with water and dustproof flagships. Samsung took note, and created the Samsung Galaxy Zoom (a camera centric smartphone with the ability to optically zoom its camera) and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (a dust and waterproof variant of the S4).
People may call that copying, and Samsung won't deny it. But they have been and are more than willing to innovate and strive to create compelling products. They now have a smartphone brand which is profitable and they have improved with their marketing techniques. Whatever the case may be, Samsung have worked their way to the top of the ladder and there is no one big or good enough to topple them over.
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