Samsung has launched the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in China. The two devices will officially go on sale on Thursday, May 25. The Galaxy S8 will be available for 5,688 yuan (around $825), while you’ll have to dish out 6,188 yuan (around $900) to get your hands on its bigger brother. Samsung will also offer the S8 Plus with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, which will set you back 6,988 yuan (around $1015).
The tech giant announced that Bixby, the digital assistant that’s on board the two devices, will support the Chinese language around June. Additionally, Samsung has partnered up with local companies including Tencent and iQiyi to bring various content services to its flagships.
The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are important smartphones for Samsung, as the company tries to increase its presence in China. Business hasn’t been great for Samsung in the country lately, as its sales decreased by around 60 percent in the first quarter of the year. The company’s market share was 3.3 percent in the first three months of the year compared to 8.6 percent a year ago.
Back in 2013, Samsung was the top dog in China with a 20 percent market share. Things have changed since, as the company is facing increased competition from local brands including Oppo and Vivo. With the Galaxy S8 series, Samsung hopes it can turn things around. It might have problems doing so, as its high-end smartphones are a lot more expensive when compared to other flagships from Huawei and OnePlus, for example.
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