Android One Could Impact Samsung

While Samsung offers smartphones at price points of around $100 in emerging markets, they haven’t been particularly well-reviewed owing to their inconsistent software experience, although they have sold quite well. For example, Samsung’s Galaxy Star Pro and Galaxy S Duos 2 – which are the two best-selling smartphones in India – run on versions of Android that are at least two versions older than higher-end devices, and offer lower screen resolutions. Given that customers at the low end often bank on their smartphones to be their primary computing devices, they could veer towards the better software experience and better performance that Android One devices could offer. While Samsung could decide to join the Android One program for its low-end devices, it would reduce the level of product differentiation that the company offers, since most Android One devices will ship with nearly identical hardware specifications. Additionally, given that the program has several smaller manufacturers, the company could run the risk of diluting its brand image.