Samsung Leads the UAE Smartphone Market With 31.1 Percent Share

Successful portfolio of smartphones continue to fuel growth

Dubai, UAE, May 7, 2012 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a leading global mobile phone provider, today announced that it is now leading the UAE smartphone market with a 31.1 percent market share. Samsung has achieved solid growth by posting a strong 109 percent growth from fourth quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2012. This growth was fueled by the wide acceptance of Samsung’s successful line-up of smartphones in the country.

The company has performed exceptionally in the rest of the GCC markets as well. In the Gulf, Samsung recorded a 120 percent increase from fourth quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2012 in smartphone sales following the launch of the GALAXY S II and its comprehensive portfolio of smartphones. Samsung’s mobile business, which includes smartphones and tablets, currently holds an average of 25 percent market share across the region.

“UAE is very competitive market as the consumers here are extremely tech savvy and tend to adopt new technologies early,” said Ashraf Fawakherji, General Manager of Telecommunication Group at Samsung Gulf Electronics. “In the first quarter of 2011, our market share in the UAE stood at 17.5 percent. With the introduction of our high-selling GALAXY S II, and Galaxy Note, we were able to capture 27.2 percent of the UAE’s smartphone market in the first quarter of 2012.”

Globally as well as regionally, the Galaxy S II is leading the growth of Samsung’s telecommunications business since its launch early last year. The company recently announced that it sold 20 million units of the popular smartphone in just nine months after its launch. At the end of last year, Samsung also introduced the Galaxy Note across the region. The 5.3-inch Galaxy Note is a new revolutionary mobile device that combines the core benefits of a tablet while maintaining smartphone portability.

“In the first quarter of 2012, we received an exceptional response for our consumers for our new revolutionary mobile device and category, the GALAXY Note. We expect the demand for smartphones and tablets to remain strong and this will continue driving market share in this quarter,” Mr. Fawakherji added.

In addition, Samsung’s mobile devices, which includes the GALAXY Tab range has struck the right note with customers. In the past year, Samsung introduced its comprehensive portfolio of tablets such as the GALAXY Tab 10.1, GALAXY Tab 8.9, GALAXY Tab 7.7 and GALAXY Tab 7.0. The Android based tablets offer seamless user experience, fast performance and productivity in a thin and light design.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2011 consolidated sales of US$143.1 billion. Employing approximately 206,000 people in 197 offices across 72 countries, the company operates two separate organizations to coordinate its nine independent business units: Digital Media & Communications, comprising Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, and Digital Imaging; and Device Solutions, consisting of Memory, System LSI and LED. Recognized for its industry-leading performance across a range of economic, environmental and social criteria, Samsung Electronics was named the world’s most sustainable technology company in the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.