It's no secret that growth in the flagship smartphone market has stalled. Even before the pandemic hit last year, it was projected that high-end smartphone demand would likely remain stagnant due to rising prices and the general trend of users holding on to their phones for longer.
Then the pandemic happened and the market contracted even further as people became more mindful of what they spent their money on. As people across the globe dealt with the pandemic's economic fallout, $1000+ smartphones were not really a priority.
Samsung has been trying to shake things up in the high-end smartphone segment since 2019 when it launched the first Galaxy Fold. It followed up with the Galaxy Z Flip several months later and also released the exceptional Galaxy Z Fold 2 last year. However, those devices are still far too expensive for even those that would spend $1,200 on a Galaxy S21 Ultra.
These changing dynamics have made smartphone manufacturers focus more on mid-range devices. Margins might be slim on those devices but that's where the volume exists now. The technology and capability of sub-$500 devices have considerably improved over the past couple of years. Companies like Samsung are pushing the envelope as much as possible in this segment to attract buyers, many of whom are often buying their first smartphone.
This has led to intense competition in the mid-range smartphone market. Competition is always good for the consumer. It provides more options and a greater value for money. Samsung was quick to realize this and pounced on the opportunity with the Galaxy A50. We called it “Samsung’s most value-for-money mid-ranger yet” in our Galaxy A50 review and with good reason.
The Galaxy A50 was one of Samsung's best-selling smartphones in 2019. It leveraged that solid foundation for the Galaxy A51 which turned out to be an even bigger hit. The Galaxy A51 was Samsung's best-selling smartphone in the entire first half of 2020. No other Samsung device, not even the flagships, came close to the sheer number of units that Samsung sold in this segment.
The Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 duo ticked all of the right boxes. They had a great design, amazing build quality, good cameras and a lot of new features. Samsung later launched the Galaxy A51 5G and Galaxy A71 5G, cementing their position as the premier mid-range devices.
Samsung's decision to push new technologies through its mid-range series helped it against the relentless onslaught of affordable devices from Chinese manufacturers. The revamped Galaxy A series allowed Samsung to not only retain but regain its share in key markets across South Asia. The company went one step further and promised three years of Android OS upgrades and four years of security updates for the leading Galaxy A series devices. This pushes the series into a league of its own.
One can't help but be excited about what the future holds. How will Samsung further improve the Galaxy A series, particularly the leading Galaxy A5x and A7x devices, to decimate the competition? We won't have to wait for much longer to find out. The company confirmed today that it will conduct a Galaxy Awesome Unpacked event on March 17. The countless leaks we've seen over the past couple of weeks are enough to assume that it will unveil the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 at the event.
It's uncommon for Samsung to conduct a dedicated launch event for mid-range devices. It used to launch new Galaxy A devices through mere press releases such a few years ago. Not only will these devices get their own event, but Samsung is also referring to it as “Unpacked,” a branding it only uses for flagship launch events.
This will be the first Unpacked event for mid-range devices. It underscores the importance that Samsung gives to the Galaxy A series. The Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 will undoubtedly be the crown jewel of Samsung's mid-range lineup and the company wants to give them the media spotlight befitting that status.
There's reason to believe that these might be some of the best mid-rangers from Samsung yet. We exclusively revealed last month that the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 will get high refresh rate displays. Other leaks have revealed improved cameras, stereo speakers and water resistance. 5G variants will be on offer as well and don't forget, these new devices will definitely be supported for three Android OS upgrades.
Customers who want a device in this price range would likely not find a better option. This is how high Samsung will be raising the bar with its latest mid-rangers. Its decision to unveil the phones under the Unpacked umbrella only goes to show how serious Samsung is about the lineup and that it remains committed to ensuring continued dominance in the mid-range segment.
The ultimate beneficiaries are those that spend their hard-earned money on their devices. Samsung is going to provide them with a top-notch product at a competitive price with software support that goes above and beyond what any other OEM can promise. Its rivals can only fear just how much further Samsung is willing to push the envelope on this.
