This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
On Wednesday, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) unveiled the Galaxy Note 10, a premium smartphone with improved camera features and fast 5G network connection, in a bid to revive its slumping profit and widen the gap with struggling rival Huawei.
The new smartphone boasts enhanced video effects such as augmented reality and stabilization modes, and a front-facing camera centrally located at the top of the display for better selfies. It lacks a headphone jack, a tweak Apple Inc (AAPL.O) made to its smartphones three years ago.
The Note 10 will be sold starting at Ksh. 94,900 while the bigger Note 10 plus will start at Ksh. 109,900. The Note 10 model with 5G capability will start at Ksh. 129,999.
The phone will go on sale from August 23 and square off against Apple's latest iPhones, which are widely expected to come out later this year.
Analysts expect similar shipments of about 9.6 million units, with price likely to be the most important factor in a weak market. The global smartphone market shrank 3% in the June quarter, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
"It is hard to expect strong sales for the new Note with just a few upgrades in its camera features," said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Cape Investment & Securities.
