In bid to woo Apple users, Samsung offers up $1 smartphones.
Samsung is hoping to snag a larger share of the US cellphone market with a tantalizing offer to try the companies newest phones for a single dollar.
People attend the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2015 event beneath images of a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ and a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 in New York on August 13, 2015. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd unveiled a new Galaxy Note phablet and a larger version of its curved-screen S6 edge smartphone on Thursday, marking a fresh bid by the South Korean tech giant to revive momentum in its handset business.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Samsung is experimenting with a new gimmick to get people to switch from iPhones to androids: $1 phones.
Now, those in the market for a new smartphone will be able to try Samsung’s new lineup of Galaxy phones, including the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, and Note 5 for one month. If you like it, you can keep the phone, plus a month of cellular service, for just $1. The only catch: You have to enroll in the program from your iPhone, meaning that loyal Samsung customers are out of luck.
“Samsung struggled in the smartphone market last year as it was pressured at the high end by the release of Apple's iPhone 6 and larger screen iPhone 6 Plus and at the mid-to-low end by Chinese players like Xiaomi,” CNBC reported.
“Until Apple released its 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus last year, Samsung was the go-to choice for big displays. In a bid to lure users away from Apple's larger screen iPhones, Samsung released the 5.7 inch S6 Edge Plus and Note 5 last week.”
Still, Samsung continues to dominate the smartphone market, obtaining 22 percent of global sales last quarter, CNN Money reported. Meanwhile, Apple only boasts of 14.6 percent.
Nonetheless, Apple does appear to be playing a game of catch-up, observers say. Apple Inc. increased its market share in the second quarter of this year from 12.2 to 14.6. In the United States Apple continues to be the brand of choice, controlling 43 percent of US smartphone sales. Samsung only controlled around 29 percent of sales, according to the American Internet analytics company comScore.
In response, Samsung has made moves to up its game.
“The Galaxy S6 was supposed to be Samsung's answer to Apple's explosive growth. Its sleek (iPhone-like) design has received rave reviews, but it wasn't enough to stop seven straight quarters of Samsung's sinking smartphone profits,” CNNMoney reported.
According to the rules of Samsung’s new promotion, you can return your $1 phone for free if you decide you don’t like it.
This report includes material from Reuters.