Samsung gunning for the low-end market with Galaxy M series?

The Wi-Fi Alliance has certified an upcoming Samsung smartphone believed to be the Galaxy M10. The phone was certified earlier today, as spotted by 91Mobiles (via PhoneArena), indicating Samsung may launch it within the next few weeks.

According to the certification document, the phone has serial number SM-M105F/DS — the DS standing for dual-SIM — and will run Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box with support for the 2.4 GHz frequency band.

The Wi-Fi Alliance gives little else away about the handset, but 91Mobiles’ sources have hinted at some specifics about it.

It’s tipped to be part of a new budget lineup from Samsung, with the M10 packing an Exynos 7870 chip at 1.59GHz, 3GB RAM, and 16GB or 32GB storage. It’s also set to come with a more powerful version, the Samsung Galaxy M20.

These phones would apparently start from 10,000 rupees (~$140) in India, pitting them against phones like the OPPO realme 2 (starting at 8,990 rupees, or ~$127.50) and the Xiaomi Redmi 6 (7,999 rupees, ~$113).

Chinese OEMs have been trouncing Samsung in the low-end market lately, though Samsung has been making positive moves this year with the release of phones like its ultra-budget Android One device, the Samsung J2 Core. This launched in India for 6,190 rupees, or ~$88.

The Galaxy M10 may launch as soon as January, but will it help Samsung claw back market-share from Chinese OEMs? Give us your thoughts in the comments.