“The market volume remains stable, but the mix has completely changed”

Samsung is betting on the change in trend that occurred in the tablet market following the pandemic, with users demanding products with better configurations and for more intensive uses.

How do you analyze, today and in general, the tablet market?
We are talking about a market of between 400 thousand or 500 thousand tablets per year that in terms of volume did not change, but the mix changed completely. 70% of what was sold were tablets under $200 and today that segment is 15%.

Does that mean that the profile of demand, of users, changed?
In recent years the use has been changing, especially in Argentina and due to the pandemic. Until 2019 it was a very low end market, in price, many tablets with low specifications were sold and the main use was for children to watch videos. Samsung did not play a relevant role because it has devices with very high specifications. Since the pandemic, the tablet began to have a different role: from making a video call to being essential for studying. The devices that were in homes did not meet the minimum necessary requirements and products with higher specifications began to take on more relevance.

The cell phone has already gained ground as a device for many different uses, including studying. What is the difference that the tablet makes?
The cell phone is not such an accepted device within a school. There is a lot of content for which a larger screen is needed and children are used to consuming entertainment content on this type of device and not on a television, due to the interaction they have with the content. Boys also play with cell phones, but the types of games are different. Many professionals use tablets to make presentations to clients, there are artists who draw on them and programs to even study piano with a tablet. Today it is very common to see students in universities taking notes with a tablet with a keyboard.

Specifically in benefits, where does user demand go?
It is similar to what happens with cell phones. The main difference is the camera, which is one of the main purchase drivers on the cell phone and not on the tablet, except for the front camera and for those who make a lot of video calls. What was evolving is the size of the screen. Consumers are looking for larger screens and longer-lasting batteries. The market, which was all 7 and 8 inches, today has an average of 10 or 10.5 and Samsung has 14.6. Secondly, we look for the quality of the screen and work on the adaptive refresh rate, because a 120 Hz panel consumes battery and you don't need it all the time.