Seeing the commercial success samsung has with it’s low cost touchscreen phones, I honestly see a need for a cheaper iPhone. Believe me even the iPhone 2G would sell well enough, if Apple relaunched it. (No, I’m not dreaming, it’s just a gap I can see in the market which Samsung has identified)
The entire Star and Corby series from Samsung was so far seen by me as a low-end alternative to the iPhone. There are plenty iPhone lovers out there who can’t actually afford the 3Gs, and they would certainly enjoy the cool new Samsung Star Superb (S5560).
Samsung has managed to pack in an impressive 5 Megapixel camera with autofocus and flash light in the Superb. Priced lower than the Corby Pro and the 5530/5800 (at Rs. 11,000) only helps the superb. The device is compact, handy, and though it features a resistive touchscreen, it still has the UI optimized for finger input (just like the Corby series).
Whereas the iPhone is altogether at a different level and is the best in the field of touchscreen with unmatched UI and ergonomics that are classy, stylish yet very funky at the same time. The key selling point for the iPhone is the iTunes App store consisting of unique and exciting themes, games and what not. This complement the iPhones hardware perfectly resulting in the sales of around 3 billion Apps in the last years alone not only giving a boost to the sales of the phone but generating an alternative revenue stream at the same. Brilliant I must say. Unfortunately, the best never comes cheap and with the brand name of Apple and the profit margins that they have set for the iPhone takes it out of the reach of the middle class. For now, Apple is happy to cater to the niche market consisting of only the high end and the music lovers. For the rest its unaffordable going to Rs. 30k approx in India (the figures remain almost the same compared to the US price, even after taking out the premium contract price paid to AT&T).
Compared to the iPhone the Superb doesn’t offer anything significant to business or power users. However, once the Bada OS goes live, Samsung will surely have more meaningful devices for these segments. For the moment if you want a media friendly full touch at 1/3 the price of the iPhone; the Star Superb is superb for you!
Note: One way to look at the Samsung Star Superb is as a low cost alternative to the iPhone, but I also see it as a fantastic option for someone upgrading from a regular candy bar shaped phone to enter the arena of a full touchscreen.