Last month, Samsung unveiled its new foldable phones, smartwatches, and wireless earbuds. After the announcement, several people started mocking Samsung and accused it of copying Apple's design language with the Galaxy Buds 3 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra, which reportedly made Samsung's chief angry at the mobile division for plagiarism.

Samsung chief Lee reportedly got angry and stepped in after accusations of copying Apple's design

According to a report from AjuNews (via @lafaiel), Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee ordered the company's mobile division, Samsung MX, to reexamine its plans. Lee's strict orders reportedly came after people accused Samsung of copying Apple's design language for the Galaxy Buds 3, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra. They look like Apple's AirPods, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch Ultra, respectively.

Apparently, actions have been taken against some people in the smartphone division, including Samsung MX leader (TM Roh). An insider reportedly claimed that tensions are rising inside Samsung MX after this move. He said, “The chairman (Lee) himself stepped in after the controversy over Apple's design plagiarism and quality issues surrounding the Buds 3 series and Galaxy Watch 7 released last month. The internal atmosphere is currently very bad.”

At the media briefing held at Samsung Store Hongdae in South Korea, reporters constantly talked about Samsung's new devices looking exactly the same as Apple's.

The Galaxy Buds 3 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro now have stems, similar to AirPods and several other wireless earbuds in the market. Their pinch and swipe gestures are also similar to AirPods. The boxy and chunky design and orange theme of the Galaxy Watch Ultra also look similar to the Apple Watch Ultra. Long-time Samsung fans have been disappointed with Samsung for dropping its own design language in favor of Apple's.

To make things worse, Samsung also faced quality control issues with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Some people received units with uneven gaps and fragile ear tips that are prone to tearing. Jay Y. Lee, who generally has a calm demeanor, reportedly shouted and gave strict orders to the Samsung MX division.

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Samsung introduced several AI-powered features with the Galaxy S24. Samsung called the Galaxy S24 its first AI Phone. It is the first smartphone brand to go big with AI, seeing the AI boom. And Apple will soon follow Samsung, but its approach will be a bit different compared to its South Korean rival.

Apple could only bring on-device AI features to iPhones with iOS 18

According to a report from Mark Gurman (via 9To5Mac), AI features on iPhones will be powered entirely by a Large Language Model (LLM) developed by Apple, and all the AI processing will happen on-device. We can expect Apple to heavily market the privacy and speed benefits of using on-device AI processing. These AI features will reportedly debut with iOS 18 and will be showcased during WWDC 2024.

While on-device AI has privacy and speed benefits, it isn't as powerful as AI processing offered by dedicated servers in the cloud. However, it is possible that Apple will only introduce AI features that work well with on-device AI processing. For example, it could offer better auto-replies and Siri requests.

This differs from Samsung's approach of using a mix of on-device and cloud-powered AI features. Samsung uses a mix of its own LLM and Google's Gemini for AI processing. Users have to option to process AI data locally on the device with a simple toggle. As seen on the Galaxy S24 and older phones that have received One UI 6.1 with AI features, some AI features work fast, while others are slow, depending on the workload and complexity.

While Apple hasn't revealed any AI feature that could debut with iOS 18, it could bring better language translation, more reliable autocorrect while typing, and advanced image editing features. A few weeks ago, it was revealed that Apple was in talks with Google about using Gemini to power some AI features in iOS 18. However, it isn't clear if that deal has been agreed upon.

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Last year was terrible for smartphone brands, as sales declined year-over-year. However, not everything was bad. People have actually started spending more on smartphones, and a new report reveals how much people spend on average. Consumers in Samsung's home country spent the most on average on smartphones, bringing a good outlook for Galaxy S and Galaxy Z series devices.

South Koreans are lapping up Samsung foldable phones, resulting in rise of average smartphone selling price

According to a new report from market research firm TechInsights, South Korea, Japan, and the US were the top three markets with respect to smartphone Average Selling Price (ASP). The sales of Samsung's Galaxy Z series foldable phones are among the reasons TechInsights has quoted for the rise in smartphone ASP in South Korea. This figure is estimated to keep rising until at least 2029, which is great news for Samsung's foldable phones, especially since Samsung has multiple generations of foldable phones. Price growth has also been reported for iPhones in recent years.

In Japan, though, regulatory restrictions on smartphone subsidies have slowed the growth of ASP. Japan was the top-ranked country in terms of smartphone ASP until 2020, but South Korea topped it in 2021. The UK ranked fourth in 2023 but is expected to outgrow the US this year to rank third. This is due to the higher penetration of iPhones in the past couple of years and a faster upgrade cycle. However, the US is estimated to regain its third position in the next few years. The global smartphone market is estimated to grow by 3% in 2024 compared to last year.

While 2023 was bad, the future looks bright for the smartphone market. China, India, and the US are projected to lead smartphone growth. These three countries are expected to contribute almost half the global smartphone revenue by 2024. While India ranks 71st in average smartphone selling price, its massive population will drive revenue for OEMs. This makes India one of the best markets for smartphone brands to invest in, and Samsung is already in a great position. The company was the biggest smartphone brand in India in Q1 2024.

According to Abhilash Kumar, Industry Analyst at TechInsights, new smartphone form factors, like foldable and rollable phones, and deeper 5G penetration will improve smartphone average selling prices in the coming years. The complete TechInsights report, which includes data on 88 markets, can be read here.

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Despite challenging market conditions globally, Samsung has been quite resilient in India over the past year. While Apple stole Samsung's crown in 2023 worldwide, it isn't even close in the Indian market. In Q1 2024, Samsung was India's biggest smartphone manufacturer, and it achieved growth compared to Q1 2023.

Samsung performed well in the Indian smartphone market during Q1 2024

According to the latest figures released by market research firm Canalys, Samsung was India's biggest smartphone brand with a 19% market share. The South Korean firm shipped 6.7 million smartphones during the quarter, a 6% growth compared to Q1 2023. Canalys said that Samsung's strong performance came from stronger sales of the Galaxy S24 than its predecessor, thanks to attractive pre-booking offers, Samsung Finance+, and AI features.

Xiaomi ranked second in the market during Q1 2024, shipping 6.4 million smartphones and capturing an 18% market share. Samsung needs to be wary of Xiaomi, as there is just one percentage point difference between the two. Xiaomi's impressive 29% annual growth came on the back of great sales of affordable phones like the Redmi 13C 5G, Redmi Note 13 5G, and the POCO X6.

Vivo ranked third with 6.2 million smartphone shipments and 18% market share. That's a 14% rise compared to sales from Q1 2023. OPPO was the only brand among the top five OEMs with declining sales. It shipped 3.7 million smartphones, a 4% drop compared to sales from Q1 2023.

Realme shipped 3.4 million smartphones, 17% higher than last year's performance. It ranked fifth in the Indian smartphone market during Q1 2024. Overall, over 35.3 million smartphones were shipped in India in Q1 2023. That's 15% higher than smartphone sales in the country during the first quarter of last year.

Watch our review of the Galaxy S24+ below and click on the link below the video to buy the phone at a great price.

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