In January next year, Samsung Electronics' flagship smartphone Galaxy S25 is set to launch as Chinese manufacturers introduce new products in a counter-offensive strategy. This is interpreted as a tactic to capture consumer attention by unveiling new products around the same time as market leader Samsung Electronics.
◇ Xiaomi, OPPO, and Vivo to launch flagship phones simultaneously in the first quarter of next year.
According to industry sources on the 16th, Xiaomi plans to launch its flagship smartphone "Xiaomi 15 Ultra" in China next month. Recently, it has been revealed that Xiaomi completed radio certification for the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in China. Products that have completed radio certification typically launch within 1 to 2 months. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is expected to support calls via satellite connectivity and 90W fast charging. The device will also feature the next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) assistant "Super Xiao AI," which is anticipated to provide functions similar to Apple's "Apple Intelligence," including document summarization, automatic document generation, and chatbot features.
Vivo is also expected to launch its flagship model, the "X200" series, globally in January after unveiling it in China last October. The X200 is equipped with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display that has a refresh rate of 120Hz and a maximum brightness of 4500 nits. It incorporates MediaTek's Dimensity chip, facilitating various tasks including gaming. Through Bluetooth consolidation, users can send and receive one-to-one voice and text messages over distances of up to 2km without a network connection. Similar to Samsung Electronics' "Circle to Search" feature introduced in the Galaxy S24 series, it is also equipped with a function that allows users to search for objects in photos by drawing a circle.
OPPO also plans to launch its flagship model, Find X8, in the global market in the first quarter of next year. The device is notable for being equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, enabling high-performance tasks such as gaming, and features three circular cameras centered around a 50-megapixel main camera. Find X8 will utilize Google's AI assistant "Gemini," enabling users to sharpen blurry photos, facilitate real-time translation and interpretation, and convert audio to text. Additionally, it will include a "Touch to Share" feature that allows information sharing when two phones are brought close together and is reported to be compatible with iPhones.
◇ Galaxy S25 to be launched in January... "Samsung's market share stagnates, while China strikes hard."
Samsung Electronics is expected to unveil the Galaxy S25 series at the launch (unpacking) event scheduled for the 23rd of next month in the United States. It is anticipated that the 'Ultra' model within the series will be equipped with 16 gigabytes (GB) of RAM. This will mark the first time since the launch of the 'Galaxy S21' series in 2021 that Samsung Electronics has included 16GB of RAM in the 'Galaxy S' series.
Samsung Electronics appears to have enhanced the performance of the Galaxy S25 Ultra for seamless AI implementation. The Galaxy S25 series is expected to include new AI features such as an "audio eraser" that can selectively reduce specific noise, such as wind or the sound of a car driving, recorded in videos.
According to the market research firm Canalys, in the third quarter of this year, Samsung Electronics maintained a leading position with an 18% market share, but this is a 3 percentage point (P) decrease from the same period last year (21%). Apple also reported an 18% market share, same as Samsung Electronics. Following them are Xiaomi with 14%, OPPO with 9%, and Vivo also with 9%. Chinese manufacturers are flooding the market with new products equipped with various features, taking advantage of the stagnation in Samsung Electronics' market share.
Chinese manufacturers have adopted a strategy of launching and promoting products around the same time as leading companies to maximize promotional effects. Huawei drew attention by launching a three-fold foldable phone in September when Apple's iPhone 16 was released. The product received significant attention before its release, with pre-order numbers reaching 6.8 million.
Nam Sang-wook, a senior researcher at the Korea Industrial Institute, noted that "Chinese manufacturers launch smartphones around the same time to prevent attention from being drawn to market leaders Samsung Electronics and Apple," adding that "in a situation where Samsung Electronics' market share is gradually declining, early next year could serve as an opportunity for latecomer Chinese companies to expand their influence."