The long rumoured Samsung Galaxy A series (A7, A5 & A3) smartphones are reportedly making their debut next month.
Media house, Korea IT Times, citing industry sources has claimed that Samsung is planning to release the much anticipated mid-range affordable smartphone Galaxy A series early next month.
The South Korean company's move is attributed to the threat posed from the emerging Chinese firm, Xiaomi, which has risen to the third position in the top smartphone makers' chart, within a span of three years after launching its first Mi series smartphone in 2011.
According to the latest IDC (International Data Corporation) Q3, 2014 study, Samsung, despite being on top, has witnessed a decline in its market share. The South Korean company's share currently stands at 23.8%, compared to 32.5% last year, while Xiaomi, placed in third place has grown to 5.6%, from 2.1% in Q3, 2013.
Though Xiaomi's 5.6% share may look as a smaller number for some, the company's year-to-year growth is staggering 211.3% in terms of shipment volume, highest among the top-five smartphone makers.
As the Chinese firm expands its device portfolio in emerging markets like China, India, Indonesia and later in Brazil, the day Xiaomi dethroning Samsung does not look that far. However, if Samsung brings changes to its business models, things can change for better.
Top Five Smartphone Vendors, Shipments, Market Share and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q3 2014 Preliminary Data:
| Vendors | 2014 Q3Shipment Volumes(in millions) | 2014 Q3 Market Share | 2014 Q3Shipment Volumes (in millions) | 2014 Q3 Market Share | 2014 Q3/ 2013 Q3 growth in terms Shipment volume |
| Samsung | 78.1 | 23.8% | 85.0 | 32.5% | -8.2% |
| Apple | 39.3 | 12.0% | 33.8 | 12.9% | 16.1% |
| Xiaomi | 17.3 | 5.3% | 5.6 | 2.1% | 211.3% |
| *Lenovo | 16.9 | 5.2% | 12.3 | 4.7% | 38.0% |
| *LG | 16.8 | 5.1% | 12.0 | 4.6% | 39.8% |
| Others | 159.2 | 48.6% | 113.0 | 43.2% | 40.8% |
| Total | 327.6 | 100.0% | 261.7 | 100.0% | 25.2% |
*IDC declares a statistical tie in the worldwide mobile phone market when there is less than 0.1% difference in the market share (based on shipments) of two or more vendors.
As per the previous report, Galaxy A7 (code-named SM-A700) sports a 5.2-inch full HD (1920x1080p) screen and ships with Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS powered by the new ARMv7 class Snapdragon 615 series Octa-core CPU (with Adreno 405 GPU), 2GB RAM and 16GB inbuilt memory.
It is also said to house a feature-rich 12.0-megapixel camera with full HD video recording, touch-focus and a 5.0-megapixel front camera.
On the other hand, Galaxy A5 is said to feature a 5.0-inch HD display, a Snapdragon 400 series CPU, 13.0-megapixel main camera, 5.0-megapixel front camera and a 3,200 mAh battery.
Whereas, the Galaxy A3 flaunts a 4.8-inch qHD (960x540p) screen, Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS powered by 1.2GHz Snapdragon CPU, Adreno 306 GPU, 8.0-megapixel camera on the rear-side and a 5.0-megapixel snapper on the front.
Galaxy A3 is said to fall in the mid-range with prices ranging between $350 and $400 (around €275-315/₹22,500- 24,500), whereas A5 is said to be priced at $400 (more than €315/₹25,000).
On the other hand, the upper-mid range Galaxy A7 is slated to be priced between $450 and $500 (around €353-€392/ ₹28,000-31,000). Unlike other two A-series models, A7 will be launched in some selected regions, so that it does not cannibalize its premium sibling Galaxy Alpha sales.
Leaked Specifications of Samsung Galaxy A3, A5 & A7:
| Models | Galaxy A3 | Galaxy A5 | Galaxy A7 (SM-A700) |
| Display | 4.8-inch qHD (960x540p) screen with five-finger gesture support | 5.0-inch HD (720x1280p) resolution | 5.2-inch full HD screen with 1920x1080p resolutions,(with five-finger gesture control feature) |
| OS | Android 4.4.4 KitKat | Android 4.4.4 KitKat | Android 4.4.4 KitKat |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz Snapdragon CPU with Adreno 306 GPU | Snapdragon 400 series CPU | 1.5GHz Snapdragon 615 (ARMv7) series Octa-core CPU with Adreno 405 graphics engine[64-bit architecture] |
| RAM | 1GB | N/A | 2GB |
| Storage capacity | 8GB | 16GB | 16GB |
| Camera | Main: 7.0-megapixel camera with LED flash, full HD video recording
Front: 5.0-megapixel camera with full HD (1080p) video recording ability |
Main: 13.0-megapixel camera
Front: 5.0-megapixel camera |
Main: 12.0-megapixel camera with full HD video recording
Front: 5.0-megapixel camera with full HD video recording support |
| Add-ons | Bluetooth, Single SIM slot, Wi-Fi, light sensor, compass, accelerometer, LTE support | 2,300 mAh battery, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE support | Single SIM card tray, NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, |
| ExpectedPrice | $350- $400 (around €275-315/₹22,500- 24,500) | $400 plus (more than €315/₹25,000) | $450 and $500 (around €353-€392/ ₹28,000-31,000) |
