World's Largest Mobile Phone Factory Set To Open in India (bloomberg.com)
Samsung said on Monday that it is opening what it said is the world's biggest mobile phone manufacturing facility as the South Korean giant seeks to expand production in the world's fastest growing mobile phone market. From a report: The new Samsung factory will have the capacity of 120 million smartphones per year, and make everything from low-end smartphones that cost under $100 to its flagship S9 model, according to the company. Earlier this year, China's Xiaomi displaced Samsung from the No. 1 smartphone spot in the country, breaking its long-held dominance. Indians favor low-end smartphones priced at $250 or less, given the low average annual income of its people, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. That's one reason why Apple has struggled to gain market share in India, with most iPhone models priced beyond $500, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence report earlier this month.
It's a pretty logical move since as the summary says it's the fastest growing mobile market. It'll surely allow Samsung to sell the phones cheaper than if they brought them from abroad. Samsung it's still kind of pricy for what it offers compared to most other Android manufacturers and specially Xiaomi. Since India is such a price sensitive market I'm not sure Samsung will be able to turn the tide.
I live in Spain and we're richer than the indians but not rich by european standards and still many people buy Xiaomi phones (or BQ a local brand that makes pretty cheap phones too) so as I said, I'm not sure what this will do for Sams.