Samsung unveils two new 5G smartphones for budget customers

The South Korean firm announced A71 5G at $600 and A51 5G at $500

Samsung's first quarter sales rose 4.9 per cent year-on-year but were down 8.1 per cent from the previous quarter. EPA

Samsung, the world’s largest manufacturer of smartphones, revealed two new 5G-enabled phones in its budget-friendly Galaxy A series to attract more customers.

The South Korean firm is rolling out the A71 5G, priced at $600 (Dh2,202), and the A51 5G which will cost $500. The two new smartphones are the 5G models of existing devices that were launched in December last year.

“Our ambition with the Galaxy A series portfolio is to deliver must-have innovations and powerful experiences, at a varied range of prices but without compromising on features,” said Yeon Jeong Kim, vice president and head of innovative product planning group at Samsung.

“These devices are part of our ongoing commitment to deliver next-generation connectivity to more people… by building 5G into our diverse smartphone portfolio, at more accessible price points,” added Mr Kim.

The A71 5G comes with a 17-centimeter display and weighs 185 grams, while the A51 5G has a 16.5cm screen and weighs 187gm.

Both devices are secured by Samsung Knox, the company’s mobile security platform and come with a 4,500 milliampere hour battery, which lasts for more than a day. Both models come with RAM of 6GB and 8GB with internal storage of 128GB.

Samsung, which sold more than 6.7 million Galaxy 5G phones globally in 2019, estimates it accounted for 53.9 per cent of the 5G smartphone market worldwide by the end of November.

With a wider global roll out of the 5G network expected this year, smartphone companies are gearing up to unveil more 5G-enabled devices. Manufacturers such as Huawei, LG and OnePlus are already selling 5G phones, but have not disclosed their sales figures yet.

Samsung reported a 2.7 per cent year-on-year increase in its first-quarter operating profit as a slight recovery in the chip market helped the company offset slower sales in its consumer business.

Overall smartphone shipments saw their biggest ever plunge in February due to the coronavirus pandemic that started in China – one of the biggest smartphone markets and a crucial manufacturing hub.

Global smartphone shipments dropped 38 per cent to 61.8 million units in February, almost 37.4 million units less than the same month last year, according to Strategy Analytics.