Samsung tackles sales slump with Galaxy M smartphones aimed at India

Samsung booth at Mobile World Congress 2019
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Samsung has revealed a new range of entry-level smartphones in India to try and recoup some of its market share loss in the region.

Although Samsung has historically been a market leader across Asia, it has lost a significant chunk of its sales to Chinese rival Xiaomi.

“The M series has been built around and incepted around Indian millennial consumers,” Asim Warsi said. He explained Samsung is hopeful online sales of its Galaxy M range will double digital sales of its smartphones. Online is Samsung’s largest sales channel in India.

The company expects to start selling its M-series range outside of India after its launch at the end of the month.

Although Samsung hasn’t provided detailed specs, they’re expected to be the previously rumoured M10, M20 and M30. The M30 will be the most premium of the trio, running on an Exynos 7885 chip with 4GB RAM.

Other rumours suggest there will be a "teardrop" camera design on the front of the devices, directly above the Infinity V display that Samsung launched at its developer conference. There's a slightly wider bezel at the bottom of the screen, known as a "chin", although the rest of the display stretches to the edges.

Around the back, there's expected to be a fingerprint reader for the security conscious, while a wide-angle camera (limited to two lenses rather than the three or four as seen on the Galaxy A7 and A9) will provide top-notch imaging, despite the M series being a lower-end collection.

Other hints are that the M series will offer high capacity batteries, complete with fast charging so the devices can be juiced up three times faster than a standard battery.

They’re expected to retail from 10,000 rupees (around £110), up to 20,000 rupees (roughly £220).

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.