Skip to main content

Samsung’s grip on the Chinese market slipped ever so slightly in 2014

samsung loses grip on chinese market galaxy alpha front home
Image used with permission by copyright holder
For smartphone manufacturers, the Chinese market is arguably the ripest market to pick from. Unfortunately for Samsung, which already had a less than favorable 2014, its grip on the Chinese market is weakening, according to MarketWatch.

Data from CCID Consulting, China’s largest research and consulting company, revealed that Samsung’s market share in China decreased from 20 percent last January to just 13.7 percent this past October. While Samsung reportedly remains on top in the Chinese space, Lenovo, Apple, and Huawei are not that far from the South Korean giant.

Recommended Videos

The bad news don’t end there, as Samsung’s smartphone sales declined month-to-month. In October of last year, Samsung sold 1.6 million handsets, a number that decreased to 1.2 million in November. However, this is more representative of the overall decline in smartphone sales in China, as 307 million smartphones were sold in October. This figure represents a decline from the 356.2 million smartphones sold in China last January.

According to an unnamed industry analyst, Samsung’s decline is a symptom of the company’s unwillingness to properly adapt to the Chinese market. The issue stems, in part, from Samsung’s awkward pricing strategy. While companies like Xiaomi and Meizu are releasing flagship handsets at prices Chinese residents can afford, Samsung has the Galaxy S5, for example, on sale at twice the cost.

Xiaomi recently announced the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro, while Meizu announced the MX4 and MX4 Pro. In other words, Samsung’s competitors aren’t resting on their laurels, so Samsung would be wise to come up with a strategy for turning around its fortunes in 2015.

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
Best tablet deals: iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Fire, and more
Front face of Samsung Galaxy Tab S8.

Whether for work, play, or anything in between, a new tablet can make a nice addition to your device lineup. They’re perfect for kids, professionals, and content creators, and most brands have a tablet to offer for every price point. Tablets also make great tech for some savings, as even the best tablets will see a discount pretty often. There are a lot of tablet deals going on right now and among them are some of the best Samsung tablet deals, best iPad deals, and best Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals we’ve seen. There are even some Amazon Fire Tablet deals and Kindle deals to check out. Below you’ll find what we feel are the best tablet deals to shop right now, as well as some information on why each might best suit your tablet needs.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite (32GB) -- $128 $185 31% off

If you need an Android tablet for simple tasks like browsing the internet and watching streaming shows, the affordable Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite may be enough for you. Its 8.7-inch screen is decent with WXGA+ resolution, while maintaining portability so you can easily hold the tablet in one hand. Its internal storage is limited at 32GB, but you can expand it by up to 1TB using a microSD card. For the clumsy ones, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is perfect for you because it's protected by a sturdy metal frame.

Read more
Updating your Samsung Galaxy S25 could be easier than ever
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Gray in hand.

When is the last time you updated your phone? Most people wait until it's time for bed, especially since updates can take upwards of an hour. No matter how cool the features might be, losing access to your phone for an extended period of time isn't fun. According to leaker Chun Bhai on X, the next Samsung flagship may come with a feature that makes updating easier and faster than ever.

This feature is called seamless updates. It allows the phone to download and install the update as a background process; you only need to restart your phone once it's finished to activate the update. Some phones have supported this feature for a while, but the only Samsung phone to currently support it is the Galaxy A55. The Galaxy S25 will be the first Samsung flagship to work with seamless updates.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: Go big or even bigger?
Proportional comparison of Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra versus Galaxy Tab S10 Plus.

Samsung’s 2024 tablet lineup recently arrived with an interesting twist. While the company surprised us last year with a new 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, adding a third model to the mix, this year it reduced the family back to two models by dropping the standard 11-inch Galaxy Tab. Your choice is now between the big Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and the even bigger Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.

As usual, Samsung has made some good year-over-year improvements to both tablets under the hood, although on the outside, you’ll have a hard time telling them apart from their predecessors. However, that still leaves the more important question of which model is right for you. Is the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra worth investing in solely for its larger screen, or is it more than just a bigger version of its 12.4-inch Tab S10 Plus sibling? Let’s dig in and find out.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: specs

Read more