Slimmer and smarter - that's the strategy governing the rollout of the latest phones from Samsung Mobile.
Ike Chung, Samsung Mobile senior VP of overseas sales and marketing for Africa and Asia, said consumers were increasingly demanding smaller form factor phones with more sophistication.
'With the increasing emphasis on sleek and stylish design and the growing mobile lifestyle in today's world, we expect the global trend to shift toward slimmer phones,' he said, adding that the trend was particularly strong in Asia Pacific.
This week Samsung is showcasing three major offerings from its 'Ultra Edition' portfolio, which the company claims represents the world's slimmest phones across three form factors. These are the Ultra 6.9 camera phone, the Ultra 9.9 clamshell and a 3-megapixel slider phone.
According to Chung, Samsung will launch around 10 Ultra Edition phones this year.
While the phones are slim, he said that customers still demanded a high level of features. 'There is growing demand among consumers for more sophisticated mobile phones beyond basic functionality, as well as a greater emphasis on design, as mobile phones are no longer seen as just a functional gadget but a fashion icon,' he commented.
Chung said that it was important to maintain a strong position in terms of product design and multimedia features. One of the critical issues to solve in meeting this goal is the battery technology, something the company has been working to improve.
'Samsung is actively looking for alternative power sources like fuel-cells while trying to minimize the power consumption through phone designs that maximize battery efficiency,' Chung explained. 'That is how we have been able to reduce the size of our phones without compromising on the latest multimedia features.'