Galaxy A52S Launch Becoming Visible... Will Samsung Capture the Mid-to-Low-End Market in the Second Half?

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] As Samsung Electronics prepares to unveil flagship products including the next-generation foldable smartphone at the Galaxy Unpacked event in the second half of the year to expand its market share, it is also expected to accelerate its mid-range market strategy by hastening the release of mid-range products such as the ‘Galaxy A52S 5G’.

On the 14th, foreign media including GSM Arena reported additional specifications of Samsung Electronics’ A52S 5G, expected to be released soon, citing well-known IT tipster Roland Quandt.

The A52S 5G is an upgraded model of the ‘Galaxy A52.’ According to Quandt, the key change is the application processor (AP) switching from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 750G to the faster Snapdragon 778G.

The A52S 5G is expected to feature a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display supporting a 120Hz refresh rate, paired with a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Additionally, the rear will have a quad-camera setup including a 64-megapixel main camera, and a 4500mAh battery will be installed. Internally, it will offer 6GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage, with IP67-rated water and dust resistance, Bluetooth 5.0, and dual nano-SIM card slots supported.

According to Quandt, Samsung Electronics plans to start selling the A52S 5G in Europe at 449 euros (approximately 610,000 KRW) from the end of this month, making it one of the most affordable 5G smartphones.

It will be worth watching closely whether Samsung Electronics can solidify its position as the global smartphone market leader, which is currently under threat, through new flagship products and mid-range models in the second half of the year. According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung Electronics maintained the top spot in the global smartphone market in Q2 this year with an 18% market share, but the gap with Xiaomi, which ranked second with 16%, has narrowed to 2 percentage points. On a monthly basis, Samsung lost the top spot to Xiaomi. In June, Xiaomi ranked first in smartphone sales with a 17.1% market share, while Samsung fell to second place with 15.7%.

With the A52 not having been released domestically due to semiconductor supply issues, there is also interest in whether the A52S will be launched in South Korea. The A52 was the first product in the Galaxy A series to be unveiled at a global Unpacked event by Samsung Electronics last March. After its release, it began selling in Europe and India but was not launched domestically due to semiconductor supply shortages. According to industry sources, Samsung Electronics and the three mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus are reportedly coordinating sales schedules aiming for a launch next month for the A52S.