Samsung launches 4 new smartphones

MANILA, Philippines - Samsung Philippines is fortifying its hold of the smartphone market with the introduction of four mid-range models under its Smart Choice Series.

Samsung Philippines business unit director for handheld phones Eric Sulit said the launch of the Galaxy S Duos, Galaxy Core, Galaxy Win and Galaxy Grand models is in line with the noticeable shift from feature phones to smartphones.

A smartphone is a mobile phone that is as ‘smart’ as a computer, meaning it has capabilities mimicking a computer including still and video cameras, numerous applications and productivity software such as word processors, spreadsheets, organizers, mailers, browsers, and games.

Sulit said the smartphone is widely considered as the future of mobile technology.

“When you practice electronic or e-banking, you would like to have a large screen for all your personal or business transactions,” he said, adding that Samsung Galaxy Grand would be a perfect fit with its five-inch screen.

Smartphones for the first-time outsold feature phones in the first quarter of 2013.

According to International Data Corp., 418.6 million mobile phones were shipped in the first three months of the year, including 216.2 million smartphones — more than half of the total market.

Smartphone growth rose more than 41 percent in the first quarter, but fell about five percent from the last three months of 2012. “Phone users want computers in their pockets,” the IDC added.

Thus Samsung is assisting the migration to smartphones by introducing mid-range phones or reasonably-priced units.

The Samsung Galaxy Grand sports a five-inch screen, an impressive eight-megapixel rear camera complete with LED flash, and a multi-window feature allowing users to multi-task with ease. Its suggested retail price (SRP) is P16,990.

The Galaxy Win has 1.2 gigahertz quad core processor, a 4.7-inch screen, motion UI (shake and turn to mute) and Smart alert, with a SRP of P14,990.

Galaxy Core is 4.3-inch screen handset with a five-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash, a VGA front camera, an eight GB internal storage and a microSD slot, and a slew of other features such as Motion UI (shake and top to bottom), Smart Stay, Smart Alert, Best Shot, and S Voice. Its has an SRP of P11,990.