Samsung pins hopes on new smartphone

South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is looking at capturing a bigger slice of China's cutthroat smartphone sector, with the launch of its latest premium smartphone Galaxy Note 9 in the world's largest smartphone market.

The smartphone boasts a 6.4-inch super AMOLED display with a bezel-less design, 4,000mAh battery, the largest ever on a flagship Galaxy phone and enhanced S-Pen capabilities, as part of the company's push to boost sales and win back consumers in the competitive market.

"China is one of our most important strategic markets," said DJ Koh, president and CEO of IT & mobile communications division of Samsung Electronics.

Koh said at a launch event in the United States on Aug 9 that the Galaxy Note 9's battery is completely safe, and expressed confidence that sales of the Note 9 would surpass the Note 8, which was unveiled last year.

Samsung established a quality control team after its Note 7 was recalled in 2016 due to a faulty battery with a tendency to catch fire, and has taken stricter measures to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.

The company has been pressured by growth from local competitors such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Oppo Electronics Corp, Vivo Mobile Communication Technology Co and Xiaomi Corp.

Hattie He, a smartphone analyst at Canalys, said: "The top four Chinese smartphone brands account for a market share of 83 percent in the country," and it will take time to see whether the Note 9 could give a boost to the South Korean tech giant's overall China sales.

Statistics from market research firm International Data Corp showed that Huawei continued to lead China's smartphone market with shipments of 28.5 million units during the second quarter of this year, taking up a 27.2 percent market share.

However, Samsung once again remained the leader in the worldwide smartphone market, shipping 71.5 million units in the second quarter of the year, despite a 10.4 percent decline in shipments from last year.