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Samsung launches `bulge-less' phones in bid for market share

Samsung Electronics Co, the world's third-biggest mobile phone vendor, yesterday launched its latest ultra-slim and TV-enabled mobile phones in Taipei as part of its efforts to gobble up more market share.

Samsung's latest move came after similar efforts by Motorola Inc, which has taken more market share from rivals since the release of the RAZR series.

Samsung claimed that the phone, code-named X828, is the world's slimmest "candy-bar" phone. It is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera, TV-out function and software for businesspeople enabling them to process documents on handsets as they do on computers.

"The phone, is only 6.9mm thick, like a bookmark. It will not bulge your pocket. But we are not sacrificing functions for the slimness," Y. S. Jeon, president of Samsung Electronics' local branch, said during the launch ceremony yesterday.

In order to expand its product portfolio and spur handset sales, Samsung plans to have another six models hit stores later this month, Jeon said.

"We hope to grab a 12 percent market share by the end of this year," Jeon said. That would allow Samsung's local branch to almost catch up with the brand's global market share of 12.6 percent.

To hit the target, Samsung said that it hopes to sell at least 900,000 mobile phones this year in Taiwan, up 67 percent compared to the 600,000 units the company sold last year. The Korean brand already sold 400,000 units during the first half of this year, according to Jeon.

During the first quarter, handset sales jumped about 6 percent to 1.82 million units, according to researcher International Data Corp's (IDC) statistics. For the full year, IDC forecast that handset sales would only rise slightly, exceeding 7 million units this year from 6.9 million units last year, because the market is near saturation.

Samsung has made some progress, strengthening its market share to 7 percent last quarter after introducing more affordable models, according to IDC.
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