The Australian smartphone market which has been under pressure as consumers hold onto their devices longer is taking on a new lease of life with LG, Google, TCL, Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola all rolling out new devices.
Next month Motorola will launch four new devices while Samsung as just rolled out a new ‘Fan Edition’ device aimed smack bang at the value market.
The Company has worked out that a consumer wanting one of their top end Galaxy devices are not the same customer looking for a value device allowing them to continue delivering devices that are technologically more advanced than Apple and their Chinese competitors.
Late last year and in the early days of COVID-19 the market was suffering from stalled growth the smartphone was limping along amid the gloomy sentiment driven by the pandemic, now it’s taken on a new lease of life.
Starting with Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 20 launch in August followed by LG Electronics Velvet and Motorola Edge coupled with the potential launch of LG’s new swivelling form factor smartphone later this year, the market is seeing consumer excitement grow again with the releases of new models
TCL also revealed a new roll out screen concept model that could get launched early next year.
Among others, the launches of new form factors seem to be leading the overall recovery of the mobile gadget market.
Samsung’s two new foldable phones Galaxy Z Fold2 and Z Flip 5G, along with LG’s Wing have added to variety of the smartphone market.
Preorder’s for the $2,999 Galaxy Z Fold2 surpassed 80,000 units in five days, bringing consumers back to the high-end smartphone market.
The 8K camera experience of this device can be seen in the quality of this video.
The LG Wing will officially go on sale starting Oct. 5 in some markets but not Australia with a A$1,200.00 price tag.
“Compared to the first half of this year, the smartphone market is in an upbeat mood with the rollouts of various models,” said an Optus executive.
Better market reaction to the Galaxy Note 20 than to the Galaxy S20 series has helped buoy the market atmosphere, the official said.
“Another positive sign for the market is the iPhone 12,” the official said. “The market is expected to heat up further as many are waiting for the iPhone’s arrival.”
Apple disappointed consumers when it did not unveil the highly anticipated iPhone 12 at an online unpacking show on Sept. 15.
The US tech giant is expected to showcase the 12th edition of iPhone, including its first 5G-enabled model, next month.
The iPhone 12 is likely to be released in Australia in November according to a Telstra source.
Both TCL Samsung Motorola and LG are also offering consumers cheaper options as consumers shun Chinese brands such as Oppo, Realme, Huawei and Vivo due to security concerns and the fact that they are Chinese made products a Country that has moved to try and cripple Australian exports.
Samsung unveiled an affordable version of Galaxy S20, dubbed as “Galaxy S20 Fan Edition,” on Sept. 23.
The Galaxy S20 FE has a lot of similar features to the Galaxy S20, such as Super Steady and Single Take features of the camera, while using downgraded camera lenses and materials for the body to save production costs.
It is the first time that Samsung has released a budget phone based on its flagship model.
LG has released the LG K61, the cheapest LTE model among the company’s phones this year.
“This device provides necessary functions for the most competitive price,” said an LG official.
“The model will target consumers from all walks of life.”
TCL recently launched the TCL 10e and the TCL 10 Pro while Motorola entered the sub $1,000 5G market with their Motorola Edge.
