Samsung Electronics unveiled its flagship Galaxy S22 smartphone lineup with an enhanced night-mode function as the South Korean tech giant gears up to stimulate demand in the premium handset segment.
Thailand's smartphone market is expected to see growth in 2022, albeit less than last year, weighed down by economic woes and a lack of demand, according to IT market pundits.
The Galaxy S22 series was launched on Wednesday. It consists of the S22 with a 6.1-inch display, S22+ with a 6.6-inch display, and S22 Ultra with a 6.8-inch display and a stylus.
A stylus, which is paired with Samsung's large display Galaxy Note series, is now brought to the S22 Ultra model -- the first time ever for the S model.
"At Samsung, we constantly push ourselves to raise the bar on our most premium devices," TM Roh, president and head of Samsung Electronics' MX (Mobile eXperience) Business, said at the launch of the new products.
The Galaxy S22 is priced from 29,900 baht, the S22+ from 34,900 baht and the S22 Ultra from 39,900 baht, all starting with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of ROM.
They will be available in the market from March 4 while pre-order is available now with discounts of up to 17,000 baht through promotion campaigns with mobile carriers and online channels.
Samsung indicated the S22 series has advanced Nightography features that allow users to snap clear videos on both the front and back cameras whether recording during the night or day.
The S22 Ultra is part of the first Galaxy S series to be equipped with the latest 4nm (nanometer) processor, which powers Samsung's most advanced artificial intelligence and machine-learning processing.
Glen Cardoza, senior analyst of Counterpoint Technology Market Research, said Samsung has brought out improvements on multiple fronts with this new launch.
"The S22 series is advertised to be big on mainly new tech, security and compatibility. The S22 series seems to have encapsulated the Note series by incorporating the S pen for the Ultra series which looks to pull all Note users towards upgradation," said Mr Cardoza.
"Camera features like Nightography, compatible Pro modes, seem to be added features and will pull a whole gamut of pro and upcoming photo enthusiasts."
Thailand is a big market for Samsung S series and urban and tech enthusiast consumers are likely to be willing to upgrade to the S22 series in coming months, he added.
Teerit Paowan, client devices market analyst at IT market research firm IDC Thailand, pointed out the new flagship lineup from Samsung will help it maintain demand in the premium segment.
It is likely that Samsung will scrap its Note series if its S22 Ultra sells well and foldable handsets show strong growth, though the sales of foldable devices are still at a small volume, he said.
With subsidies and mobile package bundle plans, this is likely to stimulate handset replacement, said Mr Teerit.
Through retail channels, Samsung may face challenges unless it offers discounts due to economic woes and the weaker baht, which makes local prices of new models a bit higher than previous generations, he said.
The overall smartphone market in Thailand is likely to see slower growth this year, Mr Teerit said. In 2021, the market surged 20% to 21 million units, 65% of which are handsets costing below 6,000 baht.
Some 17% of the market shares are premium smartphones.
