Samsung
Samsung’s budget AI phones to challenge Chinese rivals
Samsung competes with Apple in the premium market. Meanwhile, Samsung faces a lot of competition from Chinese brands in the budget and mid-range market. Well, the company is now fueling AI into its mid-tier phones to challenge Chinese rivals.
Recently, Samsung announced the AI-powered Circle to Search for a handful of mid-range phones and tablets. It’s the second notable expansion of Galaxy S24’s most exciting feature to older products after landing on the Galaxy S21 series.
The company is now taking on its competitors in the mid-priced smartphone market. Chinese brands such as Xiaomi and Oppo are increasingly encroaching on Samsung’s turf in the low-cost segment in key markets.
Samsung is turning its budget A series into AI smartphones to fend off Chinese competitors!
The recent move by the Korean tech giant comes as it faces growing competition with Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. The Chinese phone makers are going aggressive in key markets such as Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Galaxy A series has been quite popular in crucial countries such as Latin America, India and other Southeast Asia. However, Samsung’s market share is declining amid fierce competition from Apple Inc. and Chinese rivals.
Circle to Search x Galaxy
Samsung said it will gradually pack its mid-range phones with AI through software upgrades. The company announced that Circle to Search will first arrive on Galaxy A55 and A35, with A54, A34, Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+ will get it shortly.
Circle to Search, jointly crafted with Google, was first installed on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 launched earlier this year. It enables users to find real-time info about a product or a person appearing on the screen by circling, selecting, or tapping.
Samsung started mass production of 1TB QLC 9th-gen V-NAND semiconductor to gain an edge in the AI era. This achievement suggests Samsung is solidifying its leadership in the high-capacity, high-performance NAND flash market.
As the enterprise SSD market shows rapid growth with stronger demand for AI applications, Samsung will continue to solidify its leadership in the segment through our QLC and TLC 9th-gen V-NAND.
The South Korean tech giant plans to expand applications of the QLC 9th-generation V-NAND, starting with branded consumer products and extending into mobile Universal Flash Storage (UFS), PCs and server SSDs for customers.
Samsung’s QLC 9th-gen V-NAND brings several innovations. The area of the cells and the peripheral circuits have been optimized via TLC 9th-gen V-NAND. Adopting Designed Mold has improved data retention performance by nearly 20%.
In addition, the company’s QLC 9th-gen V-NAND has doubled write performance and improved data input/output speed by 60%. Data read and write power consumption decreased by about 30% and 50% respectively.
Summary:
The latest QLC V-NAND combines several breakthrough technologies, including Channel Hole Etching which enables the highest layer count in the industry with a double stack structure. Industry-first QLC and TLC 9th-gen V-NAND delivers optimum memory across various AI applications.
Galaxy A16 would be the most selling Samsung phone in 2025. It’s anticipated to lead the Android smartphone market throughout the next year. Ahead of the December debut, the Galaxy A16 design was revealed in leaked renders.
Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy A16 in December this year. As revealed in renders, the device will have three rear cameras, a key island, and an Infinity-U display. The phone continues to flaunt Samsung’s signature design language.
Interestingly, the phone’s left side holds the SIM card slot. At the same time, the right side carries volume buttons and a power key that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. The bezles look fine-tuned while the chin is extremely thick.
The Galaxy A16 could be available in two different chips – Dimensity 6300 (SM-A166P) and Exynos 1330 (SM-A166E) – probably following market needs. It will be powered by a 5000mAh battery, supporting 25W wired charging.
Samsung has recently launched the Galaxy A06 smartphone. Chinese phone makers harmed Samsung’s market in key countries. However, the company is now aggressively targeting the entry-level and mid-range market.
We are seeing fruitful upgrades in newly released and upcoming entry-level handsets. The decision aligns with a long-term strategy to maintain an edge across segments. That said Galaxy A16 is all set to lead the Android smartphone market next year.
Apart from hardware, the Korean tech giant is also improving the One UI. Software experience remains a controversial point in Samsung’s non-flagship phones. However, the One UI Core is getting improved with time – following user feedback.
Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, and Galaxy S23 Ultra users in South Korea have recently received a major One UI 6.1 (based on One UI 6.1.1) update. Though the exact dates are not clear, One UI 6.1.1 update for the Galaxy S23 series will soon be available in more countries.
According to the information, One UI 6.1.1 is expected to make its way to additional countries within the next week. While the exact timeline for the wider rollout has not yet been disclosed, the update is expected to be available in more countries next week.
One UI 6.1.1 update brings Galaxy AI’s Sketch Conversion for turning drawings into artwork and Portrait Enhancements for improved photo styles. Samsung Keyboard now features text auto-completion, while real-time translation is available for calls and text in images.
The update also includes voice-to-text conversion, better PDF management, and dynamic wallpapers that change with weather and time. It installs the Android security patch to improve system security.
At the moment, Samsung Galaxy S23 users can enjoy these new features on their devices. Users in other regions can look forward to receiving the update soon, as Samsung rolls out updates gradually.
Aside from this, the Korean tech giant has also released One UI 6.1.1 update to Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Tab S9 series in Korea. The company will soon expand this major update to these devices in more countries.
One UI 6.1.1 update for Galaxy S23 rolling out with new AI features