Has Samsung made things easy for iPhone7, its true blue competition for Galaxy Note7 in India?

Apple and Samsung have been true blue rivals in the India market in the premium band. And September is the month that Apple fans wait for the new iPhone to launch. This year Apple launched its iPhone7 which is seen as a direct competition to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7. Samsung lead with the launch by announcing the phone couple of weeks before iPhone7. It was all going perfect for Samsung with the new phone getting rave reviews and company selling millions within a couple of weeks but Galaxy Note 7 hit a massive roadblock with the battery fiasco. In a way, the Note 7 suddenly lost the entire advantage. And this can be seen as an opportunity for rival Apple with its new iPhone 7 where Apple might be able to convert some potential Note 7 buyers to look towards their next offering especially in India.

Although Apple’s sale is slipping and market share dropping in India but that doesn't mean Apple doesn't hold appeal to Indian consumers. A report from market analysts Canalys in May noted that Apple was challenging Samsung in the premium sector. In the first quarter of 2016, Apple's share of sales of phones costing more than $300 grew from 11 percent to 29 percent, while Samsung's fell from 66 percent to 41 percent. The iPhone-maker's overall market share may be small, but it has potential.

Samsung has delayed the sale of its Galaxy Note 7 in India which was to start selling fron 5th of September, two days before the launch of iPhone7. But with over 30 complaints globally of the phone’s battery catching fire. Samsung had to call it off and now we are not sure yet as to when Samsung will start selling the new flagship in India as the company is in the process to solve the battery issue by replacing all devices sold globally. This certainly is a big blow for Samsung and the timing of it just makes it worse with its long time competitor launching their new phone. Both the companies claim that these phones are the best the companies have made so far. Samsung did get its share of thumbs up from the reviewers and we are yet to see how iPhone7 will fare. Just from the launch we can see that Apple has taken its camera to another level and says that it is the best camera an iPhone has ever had front and back and iPhone 7 Plus confirms rumours of dual camera. And now both Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and iPhone 7 are water resistant. Specifications aside both brands have their ardent fans in India.

With the early launch of the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung was hoping to establish the Note 7 as the leading phone of its generation, forcing the industry to make a direct comparison of the Note 7 to the iPhone 7 Plus. But now the comparison unfortunately has been made difficult for Samsung as iPhone 7 sort of has the edge just because it is unlikely to burst into flames!