UAE smartphone market up for busy summer, Samsung sets launch date for Flip, Fold

UAE smartphone market up for busy summer, Samsung sets launch date for Flip, Fold

Dubai: This year’s new model year smartphone launches will start early, with Samsung just confirming the date – July 26 - for the latest Flip and Fold handsets. Both will be making their UAE almost immediately. Last year’s launch of the Samsung models were early September. Samsung bringing forward this year’s launch means the South Korean brand will have a clear run in picking up sales in the UAE and elsewhere through August. In other words, without any distractions from any of the major competition. Pre-booking for the latest foldables will start immediately after the launch. “This essentially means a surge in sales from August itself,” said Rajat Asthana, Chief Operating Officer at Dubai-headquartered Eros Group, and one of the biggest retailers in the region of brand Samsung. “The brand’s UAE share is anywhere between 30-40 per cent, and these days, the super-premium flagship models (including the Galaxy S) represent higher volumes.” (In Apple’s case, widening of the iPhone range to include more entry level options has worked out just fine.) The UAE smartphone demand has clearly cleaved into a two-brand race, featuring Apple and Samsung. Based on retailer feedback, sales of both are running neck-to-neck. The introduction of the