Samsung commits to premium designs and high-res screens across its range

Samsung held its yearly shareholder meeting today in Seoul, and one of the hottest topics was the performance of the mobile unit and what Samsung is doing to reverse the decline from 2014.

Speaking to shareholders, head of mobile unit JK Shin said Samsung would double down on premium features in 2015, in a bid to make Samsung devices stand out against a resurgent Apple and the assault of cheaper Chinese competitors.

“Samsung Electronics aims to consolidate its leadership in the premium market and plans to newly change the smartphone line-up to strengthen competitiveness,” the executive said.

Samsung will focus on three core aspects: metal casings, slim designs, and high-definition displays, according to Shin, and interestingly, these features will be used across Samsung’s range of models. That’s a clear sign that Samsung intends to employ metal designs in more devices this year, joining devices like the Galaxy A series and, of course, the new Galaxy S6.

Samsung Electronics Vice-Chairman Oh-Hyun Kwon reiterated the focus on premium devices in his letter to the company shareholders:

“For our core businesses, we will focus more on developing premium products and reinforcing technology leadership to secure competitive advantage. By doing so, we will maintain our absolute superiority not only in advanced markets but also in growth segments such as emerging and low-priced markets.”

Samsung’s newfound focus on premium designs has likely been bolstered by the warm reception that its new flagship is enjoying – regular customers, pundits, and carriers have showered the Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge with praise, prompting Samsung to increase the initial production run by a million.

Do you think a bigger focus on premium features will be enough for Samsung to resume growth?