The Galaxy A6s is the first Samsung phone it isn't manufacturing

Samsung just unveiled its first Original Device Manufacturer (ODM) phone in China. Spotted by SamMobile, the Samsung Galaxy A6s was designed by Samsung and will carry the Samsung brand, but will be manufactured in factories owned by a Chinese company (potentially Wintech, the ODM for Xiaomi phones).

SamMobile reports the Galaxy A6s starts at 1799 yuan (~$260), placing it at the lower end of the mid-range market. However, it has some decent specs for its price including 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, dual-rear cameras, a fingerprint sensor on the rear, a 3,300mAh battery, a Snapdragon 660 processor, and a Super AMOLED Full HD+ Infinity display.

It also takes advantage of the current trend for gradient designs and is available in four different colors.

Alongside the Samsung Galaxy A6s, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy A9s. However, this just appears to be a rebranded version of the Samsung Galaxy A9, which the company revealed earlier this month, for China. It’s a more premium phone than the Galaxy A6s and its main selling point is that it is the first phone to get four rear-cameras.

Both devices are part of Samsung’s strategy to recapture some of the lucrative Chinese market. Outsourcing this kind of labor can reduce costs, while Samsung is also reportedly considering shutting down one of its own Chinese factories for the same purpose. Note that Samsung has factories in China and a number of other territories where it has manufactured its phones previously.

In the second quarter of 2018, Samsung’s market share in the country fell to only 0.8 percent according to data by Strategy Analytics. Given the size of the market in China, even a small increase here could see Samsung sell a lot more phones.

While Samsung has said the Galaxy A9 will be released in select markets from November, we don’t know yet if the Galaxy A6s will be released outside China.

Next up: Samsung is losing ground in the mobile industry. How can it stay on top?