Samsung's average handset prices up on Galaxy S8

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- The average sales price of Samsung Electronics Co.'s handsets rose in the second quarter to the highest level in three years, data showed Tuesday, helped by the robust shipment of the Galaxy S8 flagship.

According to the data compiled by Strategy Analytics, the average sales price of Samsung handsets came to US$235 over the April-June period, marking the highest figure over the past three years.

The average price has been falling as Samsung continued to roll out various budget models to tap deeper into emerging markets. After hitting $289 in 2013, the average price of smartphones dropped to reach $232 last year.

Over the second half of 2016, the average price of handsets powered by long-term evolution (LTE) even dropped to $227 following the suspended production of the premium Galaxy Note 7 on faulty batteries.

Industry watchers said the latest revival was made possible by the robust performance of the Galaxy S8 series released earlier this year.

Strategy Analytics estimated the combined sales of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus over the second quarter reached 19.2 million units.

Samsung sold 93 million units of mobile phones over the April-June period, taking up 21 percent of the global market. It also accounted for 22 percent of the smartphone market on the back of the steady sales of its budget models.

colin@yna.co.kr
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