What will Samsung do about Apple?

Tech giant may play its strong technology card ― LTE smartphones

By Kim Yoo-chul

What will be Samsung Electronics’ next move in its ever-fiercer competition for smartphone hegemony with Apple?

This question would be made more relevant in the context of whether Samsung will later this year come up with a new Galaxy smartphone that will be based on the similar but upgraded 3G technologies or jump to 4G or long-term evolution (LTE).

``But the one clear thing is that Samsung hopes to become a genuine rival for Apple and the anticipated smartphone is part of its strategy to do so,’’ said a senior analyst at a Europe-based investment bank in Seoul.

The iPhone 5 will be marketed later this year. It is said that Samsung plans to launch a smartphone that will have the data processing capacities of a regular PC.

A more plausible scenario is the early adoption of LTE because Samsung has proven its track record of injecting more resources for a ``first-mover’’ advantage.

Both SK Telecom and KT have confirmed their plans to release smartphones that support the next-generation LTE mobile technology this year.

``We will do it,’’ said a KT spokeswoman Kim Yoon-jeong. Kim Ji-won, a spokeswoman for SK made a similar comment.

The Samsung Droid Charge has a good super AM-OLED Plus touch-based screen. Verizon’s 4G LTE data speeds are fast and it offers a longer battery life. The Charge has been seen as a litmus test for Samsung before its advance toward the 4G mobile phone market.

``Tensions are high between Samsung and Apple for the release timing of the iPhone 5 and the could-be Galaxy S3 or LTE smartphones,’’ said a top-ranking SK Telecom executive, adding carriers and phone makers are being pressurized to spend more on marketing.

Apple and Samsung are involved in a court battle over patents in what analysts and Samsung officials said are partly due to Samsung's sudden rise in the world of smartphones.

Meanwhile, Samsung is heavily investing in its smartphone business as top decision makers aim to become a ``genuine rival’’ for Apple, Samsung executives said Tuesday.

``We are working on a smartphone thought to be the next Galaxy variant with a launch date set for 2011. We are more than aggressive in smartphones and we have been yielding good returns so far,’’ said a Samsung official, asking not to be identified because he isn’t authorized to speak to the media.

The leaking of the project has caught people’s attention as the issue is a sensitive one, according to officials, because Samsung has been selling the Galaxy S2 since last month.

``If Samsung introduces another Galaxy this year, that’s catastrophic for Galaxy S2 buyers because the later model would be better,’’ said Yoon Hye-jeong, a 32-year-old office worker, adding she will wait and see whether to buy the Galaxy S2 or not.

So far, over 500,000 Galaxy S2s were sold, which Samsung officials say is ``quite impressive.’’ Supply for the S2 was tight, according to Samsung officials.

As expected, Samsung is taking action to block further proliferation over the latest project as the company was worried that the news is likely to negatively affect Galaxy S2 sales.

``We can say it’s a rumor and groundless,’’ Samsung said on on its official Twitter account after being asked about this.

Samsung has a so-called ``one-year release span’’ for the Galaxies. In June 2010, it introduced the first Galaxy.

Samsung continues to be the second largest phone maker in the world. It increased sales from 64.9 million to 68.8 million, but still saw its market share slip by almost 2 percentage points to 16.1 percent.

Nokia is still leading the overall global handset market, however, its global share dropped from 30.6 percent to 25.1 percent, which is its lowest point since 1997.

With the help of value-added smartphones including the Galaxy S2 and an expansion into ``next markets’’ with touch and dual-SIM devices, which are becoming more popular, Samsung’s forward momentum looks good.

``Google’s Android mobile OS is leaving others in the dust, rapidly. Samsung’s current strategies are to see a further external growth by promoting a Google-powered OS embedded with its distinctive hardware-centric technology,’’ said Seo Won-seok, an analyst at NH Securities.

Samsung’s telecommunications division, which handles the phone business, posted the highest profit margin of 13.5 percent in the first quarter of this year since the first quarter of 2008.

And that was mainly because of good sales of the Galaxy S, which has higher margins than feature phones.

``Samsung was surprised about Apple’s operating profit of 31.9 percent during the first quarter, pushing it to release more smartphone variants. That’s another key point why Samsung continues its aggressiveness for more upgraded smartphones,’’ said another Samsung executive, asking not to be identified.

삼성, 연내 갤럭시S2 후속모델 출시

삼성전자가 연내 갤럭시 S2 후속모델을 출시한다.

불과 한달 전 갤럭시S가 출시됐으나 애플의 아이폰 후속모델이 올 가을께 출시될 것으로 알려지면서 `스펙을 높인’ 스마트폰 출시로 빠르게 대응하겠다는 속셈으로 풀이된다.

이에 따라 하반기 국내 스마트폰시장은 다시한번 `쩐의 전쟁’을 피할 수 없게 됐다. 대결구도가 아이폰5(가칭)과 갤럭시S2 후속모델로 좁혀질 것으로 예상되면서 마케팅 관련 비용이 급증할 것이 불을 보듯 뻔하기 때문.

24일 익명을 요구한 한 삼성전자 고위관계자는 ``갤럭시S2의 후속모델 출시가 연내 가능할 것으로 보인다’’며 ``한가지 분명한 사실은 삼성전자가 애플의 진정한 대항마 (genuine rival)이 되고 싶어한다는 것’’이라고 말했다.

최신기종이 나온지 얼마 되지 않은 시점에서 후속모델 출시 가능성이 제기되자 삼성전자측은 크게 당황스러워 하는 모습이다. 갤럭시S2의 판매에 자칫 악영향을 줄 수 있기 때문.

삼성전자는 공식 트위터를 통해 ``갤럭시S3는 없다’’고 일단 발뺌했다. 그러나 업계에서는 이름은 다를지 몰라도 갤럭시S2의 후속모델이 조만간 출시될 것이라는 것에 대해 기정사실화하고 있는 모습이다.

삼성전자가 연말 경 신제품 스마트폰을 출시할 가능성은 매우 높다. SK텔레콤과 KT가 3분기 경 국내에 LTE스마트폰을 선보일 예정이기 때문.

김윤정 KT홍보실 대리는 ``LTE 스마트폰을 연내 출시할 계획’’이라고 밝혔다. 김지원 SK텔레콤 홍보실 매니저 역시 이 같은 가능성에 대해 부인하지 않았다.

업계에서는 삼성전자가 LTE 스마트폰으로 애플의 차세대 아이폰에 대항할 계획을 짜고 있는 것으로 보고 있다.

삼성전자는 이미 미국 이통사인 버라이즌을 통해 LTE 스마트폰인 ‘드로이드 차지 (Droid Charge)’ 판매를 시작했다. 일종의 `리트머스 테스트’ 인 셈.

익명을 요구한 다른 삼성전자 관계자는 ``1분기 31.9%라는 기록적인 애플의 영업이익률에 삼성이 많이 놀랬다’’며 ``스마트폰의 마진이 매우 높은 만큼 빠른 교체타이밍을 통해 시장에 대응한다는 계획’’이라고 말했다.

서원석 NH투자증권 연구원은 ``삼성전자는 스마트폰 분야에서 양적 성장을 꾀하고 있다’’며 ``자사의 강점인 기술 기반 스마트폰을 지속적으로 출시해 현재의 모멘텀을 이어간다는 내부 계획’’이라고 말했다.

삼성전자는 자사의 모바일 운영체제인 `바다’에 집중하는 대신 구글의 안드로이드 운영체제에 기댄 스마트폰을 집중 출시해 애플과의 스마트폰 점유율 격차를 더욱 좁혀나갈 계획인 것으로 알려졌다.

한편 삼성전자는 이날 보도자료를 내고 갤럭시S2가 해외 첫 출시 국가인 영국에서 호평을 받고 있다고 밝혔다.

언론의 관심과 호평 속에 일부 매장에서는 매진되는 등 인기몰이를 지속하고 있다는 것이 삼성측의 설명이다.