三星首推全金屬外殼手機 希望奪回中國市場霸主地位

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd SSNLF 7.22% unveiled two mid-tier handsets with a premium design as its prepared to deliver a riposte to low-cost Chinese rivals and reclaim its title as the top brand in the world’s biggest smartphone market.

三星電子公司（Samsung Electronics Co Ltd）推出了兩款設計精良的中端手機，準備向低成本的中國競爭對手發起反擊，奪回這個全球最大智能手機市場的頭把交椅。

Samsung’s smartphone woes began late last year and persisted through July-September, with its global market share down for the third straight quarter and its profit scraping at a three-year low.

從去年年底開始，三星的智能手機業務開始顯現頹勢，一直延續到今年第三季度。其市場份額連續三個季度下滑，淨利潤更創三年來的新低。

Its struggles were prominent in China, the world’s biggest smartphone market, where it was dethroned by local upstart Xiaomi Inc as the top smartphone maker in the second quarter. It does not help that Samsung’s lower-end products are too expensive and not distinctive enough compared to those touted by Xiaomi and Lenovo Group Ltd , analysts say.

而在中國這個全球最大的智能手機市場，三星的日子尤其艱難。本土品牌小米（Xiaomi Inc）於今年第二季度力克三星，成爲了中國銷量第一的手機品牌。更糟糕的是，行業分析師指出，與小米和聯想集團（Lenovo Group Ltd）的熱銷產品相比，三星的低端手機不僅價格較高，而且缺乏特色。

The Galaxy A3 and A5 are seen by analysts as Samsung’s first counter-strike. Initially launching in China in November, they’ll be Samsung’s first devices to feature fully metallic bodies and its thinnest smartphones to date. In size, the A3 and A5 are comparable to those of the top-of-the-line Galaxy S5, though of

分析師認爲，三星推出Galaxy A3和A5手機是其第一波反擊。這兩款手機將於今年11月在中國率先發售，是三星首次推出的全金屬機身手機，也是迄今爲止最薄的智能手機。A3和A5的尺寸堪比旗艦級的Galaxy S5，但是屏幕分辨率稍遜一籌。相較之下，小米的Mi4比A5稍厚，但處理速度更快，屏幕分辨率也更高。

lesser screen resolution quality. For comparison, Xiaomi’s Mi4 device is thicker than the A5, for example, but sports a faster processor and a higher-quality display.

首爾IBK資產管理公司（IBK Asset Management）的基金經理Kim Hyun-su持有三星公司股票，他認爲：“三星必須提高中端手機的配置，比如使用金屬機身，這樣才能應對中國本土的競爭對手。”

“I think improving specs on the mid-tier products by using features like a full metal body is something that Samsung needed to do to respond to the Chinese rivals,” said Seoul-based IBK Asset Management fund manager Kim Hyun-su, who holds Samsung shares.

三星將這兩款新手機定位爲中端手機，並表示也會在其他“特定市場”發售，但是並未透露價格。

Samsung classified the new phones as mid-tier, and said they will be launched in other “select markets”, without disclosing the pricing.

在三星宣佈推出新產品之後，市場期待三星業績出現反彈併發放更多股息，從而帶動公司股價在首爾證券交易所一路上揚，收盤價創兩個多月來新高。自週四以來，三星股價已上漲10%。

The announcement, combined with hopes for an earnings recovery and bigger dividends, pushed Samsung’s shares in Seoul to the highest close in more than two months. The stock has gained 10% since Thursday.

“我們還需要觀望這些手機的銷售情況，”聯昌國際銀行集團（CIMB）駐首爾的分析師Lee Do-hoon表示。他指出，由於價格尚未公佈，目前很難預測這些手機是否能取得成功。

“We’ll have to wait and see how well these phones sell,” said Seoul-based CIMB analyst Lee Do-hoon, adding that the lack of disclosure on pricing makes the devices’ success harder to predict.

三星近期還將推出多款新設備。該公司週四承認，自己面對“競爭格局的風雲變幻”反應太慢，並表示將推出新產品。

Samsung is expected to launch more devices soon, having admitted on Thursday that it was too slow to respond to “rapid shifts in the competitive landscape” and vowed to deliver new products.

三星高級副總裁金鉉俊週四向分析師表示，“在中低端智能手機方面，我們將在顯示屏和材質等方面做文章，並升級攝像頭功能，由此來提升產品的競爭力。”他同時表示，三星會採取措施，將利潤率保持在兩位數。

“For our mid to low-end smartphones we will enhance product competitiveness by differentiating our displays and materials as well as upgrading camera functionality,” Senior Vice President Kim Hyun-joon told analysts on Thursday, pledging to take efforts to keep margins at double-digit rates.

但是這顯然並非易事。全球智能手機市場增長對於低端產品的依賴與日俱增，因此形成各大公司競相壓價的局面，能依舊維持高價的只有蘋果公司（Apple Inc）。

That may be difficult to achieve, though. Global smartphone market growth is increasingly driven by the low-end segment, making it a race to the bottom for all but companies like Apple Inc AAPL 0.95% , which can still command a price premium.

三星宣稱要提高價格的競爭力，但是這隻會進一步影響其利潤率。多數分析師認爲，最早在2015年年中之前，該公司的智能手機業務利潤都難見實質性的上漲。而在此之後，公司纔有可能看到產品線調整所帶來的成效。

Samsung has vowed to improve price competitiveness, as well, which will only further erode the bottom line. Most analysts do not expect a meaningful profit recovery for the firm’s smartphone business until mid-2015 at the earliest, when the company may start seeing tangible results from a line-up revamp.

但是KTB投資分析師Jin Sung-hye表示，“這種產品線的調整代價高昂，就相當於把家裏重新裝修一遍。”