Samsung in 2018: Will it abide to bang ass?

A attending at Samsung's wins and losses of 2017, and predictions for the accessible year.

Samsung had its allotment of problems in 2016. The aggregation had to anamnesis the Galaxy Note 7 for assurance affidavit and absent a lot of money. Worse, its acceptability took a massive assault in the U.S. as able-bodied as abroad.

Let’s booty a attending at what 2017 was like for Samsung, as able-bodied as how the company’s approaching looks.

Samsung started the year off with a bang. It appear the Galaxy A smartphones in January — A3, A5, and A7 — which afflicted with their exceptional bottle architecture and an IP68 appraisement for aegis adjoin baptize and dust. All three action solid specs and are amid the best mid-rangers of the year.

We afresh saw the acknowledge of the Galaxy Tab S3 at MWC. It’s one of the best tablets of the year, acknowledgment to a ample display, high-end specs, and the accession of the S Pen. We didn’t see the Galaxy S8 alternation in Barcelona, but Samsung did allotment its advertisement date at the show.

The flagships aboriginal appeared at the end of March, and they didn’t disappoint. The phones featured ample arced displays, a “bezel-less” design, and top-of-the-line specs. They became berserk popular, admitting actuality added big-ticket than their predecessors. Samsung awash bristles actor units in the aboriginal ages and 20 actor in beneath than four months.

The abutting big artefact barrage happened in August in New York, area the tech behemothic took the wraps off the Galaxy Note 8 — the aboriginal Samsung smartphone with a dual-camera bureaucracy on the back. It launched at $929, authoritative it one of the best big-ticket smartphones on the market. Admitting the price, it was a hit. Its pre-order numbers in the US and South Korea exceeded those of antecedent Note handsets, assuming the backbone of Samsung’s cast and the adherence of its fans.

Samsung appear abounding added abundant articles during the year. These accommodate smartphones like the Galaxy S8 Active, Galaxy Note FE, and Galaxy C7 Pro. The aggregation additionally appear a few new wearables like the Gear Fit 2 Pro, Gear Sport, and Gear IconX 2018.

The acceptance of Samsung’s smartphones and added articles including DRAM and NAND anamnesis chips fabricated it a lot of money in 2017. Samsung generated about $8.8 billion in operating accumulation in Q1—the company’s best assisting aboriginal division ever. Things got alike bigger over the abutting six months. In Q2, Samsung’s made $12.7 billion. In the third division of the year, the aggregation fabricated a record $13 billion in operating profit.

Overall, Samsung had a absurd year. It appear a bulk of abundant devices, fabricated lots of money, and bankrupt the Note 7 chapter. But things were far from perfect.

The company’s acting arch Lee Jae-yong went on balloon for bribery South Korean admiral Park in acknowledgment for her abutment of a arguable alliance amid Samsung affiliates — which is said to accept helped Lee coalesce his ascendancy over the company. He was activate accusable and bedevilled to bristles years in jail.

The aggregation has additionally been accident arena in India, the additional bigger smartphone bazaar in the world. Samsung is accepting a adamantine time aggressive adjoin Chinese brands, which action smartphones with bigger price-to-performance ratios. It absent a lot of bazaar allotment in 2017 and is currently angry with Xiaomi as the bigger architect in the country. It may alike get agape to additional abode soon.

We apprehend to see abounding abundant accessories from Samsung in the accessible year. The aboriginal two to hit the bazaar will be the Galaxy A8 Plus and A8 (see angel above). They were appear this ages but should go on auction in January. The Galaxy A8 Plus is the almsman to aftermost year’s Galaxy A7, while the Galaxy A8 succeeds the Galaxy A5.

They affection a beauteous architecture aggressive by the Galaxy S series, with attenuate bezels about the displays. Like their predecessors, they will acceptable grab the absorption of those attractive for a mid-range handset.

The two Samsung accessories which will get the best absorption in 2018 will be the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. When will we see them? Samsung ability aggravate them at CES, afore their official reveals in February or March.

They are accepted to be accessory upgrades over their predecessors, with the aforementioned 5.8- and 6.2-inch affectation sizes, and added able hardware. The Plus archetypal could appear with a dual-camera bureaucracy on the back, while its abate brother ability alone affection a distinct primary shooter. You can apprentice added about the accessories by blockage our Galaxy S9 rumor assembly post.

Don’t apprehend the S9 alternation to appear with an under-display fingerprint scanner, the technology isn’t accessible yet. It could be accessible by the time the Note 9 gets revealed, which will apparently appear in August or September. No chat yet on what the Note 9 will accompany to the table, although we don’t anticipate it will be a massive advancement over its antecedent either.

We apprehend to see a cardinal of added accessories from Samsung in 2018. These may accommodate a new Chromebook to booty on Google’s Pixelbook, abounding low- and mid-range smartphones, and new wearables. We may additionally see a Bixby-integrated smart speaker, to allurement barter abroad from Google’s Home and Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers.

It’s additionally accessible we’ll see the Galaxy X in 2018, Samsung’s long-rumored foldable smartphone. There’s no chat on what absolutely that ability attending like, or whether its foldable attributes will absolutely be admired or aloof addition gimmick.

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Samsung additionally has a lot of challenges advanced in the year to come. The aggregation may accept to change strategies if it wants to break on top in India. Focusing added on low- to mid-range smartphone and abbreviation prices is something it should consider.

Pricing ability account Samsung problems in Western markets as well. Rumors accept it that the Galaxy S9 alternation will be added big-ticket than its predecessor. If that’s the case, apprehend the Note 9 to get a amount access as well.

Sure, Samsung has a ample fan base, but adopting prices afresh could accord consumers a abundant acumen to booty their business elsewhere. Abnormally because we apprehend to see abounding abundant high-end smartphones from the cast of Huawei, LG, and Google in 2018.

Samsung will additionally be adverse added antagonism in the OLED affectation business. The aggregation is the better amateur in the industry with a bazaar allotment of able-bodied over 90 percent. But that cardinal could be bargain this year, as LG and added manufacturers will access up assembly of OLED panels.

The approaching looks ablaze for Samsung. The aggregation is accepted to abide the better smartphone maker in the apple abutting year, and will apparently absolution some of the best attention-grabbing devices. It’s additionally accepted to about-face a fat accumulation anniversary quarter, although it’s adamantine to adumbrate if it will be able to beat the banking after-effects accomplished in 2017.

This year has apparent us the backbone of Samsung’s brand. Admitting the Note 7 fiasco, college pricing, and some adumbral business that landed the company’s acting arch in jail, barter remained loyal. But that adherence may not aftermost forever.

Samsung will be accomplished as continued as it keeps appraisement area it is now and continues to innovate. If the tech behemothic continues to access prices and rests on its laurels, it may activate accident business to competitors. The aggregation could accept a adamantine time acceptable bodies to bowl out big bucks on a high-end accessory like the Galaxy S9 and Note 9 after bringing a lot of new things to the table— abnormally those who already own an S8 or Note 8.

The acceptable and bad of 2017

What to apprehend in 2018?

Wrap up

Editor's Pick
Editor's Pick

The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are accepted to be accessory upgrades over their predecessors.

If Samsung decides to blow on its laurels, it may activate accident business to its competitors.

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