New | Samsung bets on exclusive-edition Galaxy S8 to regain China market share

Samsung Electronics will offer a powerful variant of its latest Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone exclusively for China, as it hopes to recover the market share lost during the 2016 recall of its Galaxy Note 7 model, and soften the blow of the mainland’s boycott of South Korean brands.

The company is expected to host a press conference in mid-April to launch its latest smartphone model in China, with a 6 GB memory exclusively for the mainland, according to people familiar with the matter. The new model features a wraparound screen inspired by its Edge model, giving it the appearance of a larger display. Navigation will be entirely by touch, dispensing with the need of a home button.

Samsung China did not respond to query sent by the South China Morning Post regarding its sales plan in China.

Still, the snazzy model that was launched last week in New York, along with its larger sibling the Galaxy S8+, may face an uphill battle to regain its former glory in China, where it once dominate the sales of Android-powered smartphones, analysts and retailers said.

“After the Note 7 battery saga, demand for Samsung’s smartphones have decreased notably in our shop as safety is always the top concern,” said Fu Jiajia, who runs a shop at Huaqiangbei in Shenzhen selling different brands of smartphones. “Many consumers were excited when the Galaxy S7 was launched last year, but I don’t see it with the Galaxy S8 anymore.”

Samsung recalled 190,000 Galaxy Note 7 handsets in China last year, after a dozen reported cases of the phone’s battery overheating. The company, which initially refused to recall the handsets, gave in after fierce criticism and claims of discrimination by Chinese consumers.

The ensuing public relations fiasco saw Samsung being edged out by Chinese smartphone brands such as Oppo and Vivo.