Samsung may have ceded the overall smartphone market to Xiaomi, but at least it's still leading the flagship segment: Report

Defying the competition from Chinese players, Samsung has become the leader in the Indian flagship smartphone market, garnering 49.2 percent share in the first quarter of 2018, the German research firm GfK revealed on Thursday. [caption id=“attachment_4473065” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The logo of Samsung Electronics. Image: Reuters[/caption] In the full financial year (April 2017-March 2018), Samsung registered 55.2 percent market share in the Rs 40,000 and above price segment, said GfK that reports final consumption of the devices and not only shipments. In March alone, the South Korean giant registered a massive 58 percent market share in the flagship segment, riding on the success of Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus smartphones that were available for sale in India from March 16. “These are exciting times for Samsung in India. In the flagship segment, we are the clear leader. The credit goes to our continuous effort towards turning our platforms consumer-friendly with an aim to provide them better value proposition,” Aditya Babbar, General Manager, Mobile Business, **Samsung India** , told IANS. “Our flagship devices like Samsung Galaxy S9, S9 Plus, **S8** and **Note 8** have been very successful. The credit goes to the kind of unique technologies these devices have – along with exciting offers for consumers – that have driven the sales for us,” Babbar added. Galaxy S9 series promotions were strong both in offline and online channels in India. The S9 and S9 Plus devices have cameras with capabilities to shoot “Super Slow-mo” videos and a new “Dual Aperture” lens system with innovative low-light photography efficiency. The super-AMOLED “Infinity Display” screen comes with 18.5:9 aspect ratio and a QHD+ resolution. With “AR Emoji”, these Samsung devices let users create an emoji that looks, sounds and acts like them. The “Bixby-enabled” devices come with mobile payments service Samsung Pay. Consumers can pay their utility bills seamlessly through Samsung Pay, set reminders and search favourite biller based on their current location. With an aim to make a dent in the market share of Chinese brands in the Rs 30,000-40,000 segment, Samsung India has also launched **Galaxy A8 Plus**  smartphone with flagship features for Rs 32,990.