Samsung shareholders: why can't you be more like Apple?
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Samsung's lack of brand identity was criticized
During the 51st Samsung Electronics annual shareholders meeting at the Suwon Convention Center in South Korea this morning, Samsung was grilled by some of its most important shareholders. Many of the toughest questions were aimed at the mobile division.
The president of Samsung’s mobile division, DJ Koh, responded by admitting the company must learn what it can from competitors in this area. Unfortunately, neither short or long-term plans were divulged.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
A different investor criticized the lack of AirPods Pro competitors at the moment. They also asked when the South Korean giant plans on bringing active noise cancelation to the Galaxy Buds lineup, to which DJ Koh replied that it’s a matter of carefully deciding when and which new features should be introduced to improve products.
Samsung thinks it can do better in China
One other area where Apple is performing much better than Samsung from a shareholder’s perspective right now is China. That led to quite a bit of criticism this morning because the South Korean brand still accounts for only 1% of the lucrative market, down from a double-digit share in the early 2010s.
DJ Koh said Samsung’s market share in the Chinese smartphone segment right now is “very heartbreaking” but he is nevertheless confident of a turnaround. The focus last year was reorganizing operations to improve distribution and profitability, and DJ Koh believes these will deliver results.
Samsung Galaxy S20+ vs Galaxy S20 vs Galaxy S10+
A specific timeline wasn’t provided but the true impact is now unlikely to be felt until the second half of 2020. That’s primarily because the recent coronavirus pandemic has led to a huge drop in demand, although things are slowly recuperating.
The Exynos 990 in the Galaxy S20 was attacked
The final investor highlighted in today’s report voiced concerns raised by thousands of fans in regards to the Galaxy S20 chipset. Specifically, the decision to use the Snapdragon 865 in the United States and South Korea, and the weaker Exynos 990 in Europe and other international markets.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kim Ki-Nam reportedly had an “expressionless” look on his face when the above question was asked, suggesting it may be a sore subject for the company.
Additionally, when asked about how Samsung plans to improve Exynos performance, there was no response.
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