Samsung President, HS Jo, stated that Latin American consumers are better recognizing the benefits of premium category smartphones and show a greater willingness to invest more in them. This positive perception should drive Samsung to increase the supply of high-end devices in the region.
Premium Market Growth
It is estimated that the smartphone market in Latin America is growing in the premium segment, defined by products valued over US$ 600, driven by users' increasing understanding of the benefits, especially those related to artificial intelligence. According to projections, the consumer market in Latin America covers approximately 671 million people, according to UN data.
Although overall market sales fell by 11% in the second quarter and the forecast for the second half indicates a 17% drop in Latin America, the premium segment stands out positively. Samsung supports the acquisition of these products through financial facilitation programs. The benefit known as trade-in is very popular in Brazil and Mexico, where the company estimates that between 40% and 46% of new phones use this method, allowing the customer to use their old device as part of the payment.
Logistics and Subscriptions
Returned devices are managed by the company's partners, who carry out collection, evaluation, and subsequent sale in the used market. This process is conducted by the Troca Smart program, also called Troca Consciente, operated by Brightstar, which is responsible for technical testing and forwarding to second-hand retailers.
HS Jo also expressed optimism about the viability of subscription models for electronics. In South Korea, Samsung implemented the AI Subscription Club program in December 2024, initially for smart home appliances. Later, the service was expanded to include Galaxy smartphones and tablets in February 2025, and extended to the United States.
Advanced Connectivity and Trends
Regarding cutting-edge technologies, such as the new Z Fold 8 foldable, Samsung addressed the possibility of direct satellite connection. Although this is a trend in Latin America, implementation still depends on partnerships. Samsung has already established tripartite collaborations with Starlink and the operator Entel in Chile, with plans for expansion to Peru.
In Brazil, the National Telecommunications Agency confirmed the possibility of Direct Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, provided Samsung is associated with a local operator. Successful tests were conducted in São Luís (MA) between May and June 2024, involving Claro, TIM, and the satellite operator AST SpaceMobile, within a regulatory test environment (sandbox). However, no solution has been made available to consumers yet, although Samsung predicts that even simpler models, such as the Galaxy A line, will incorporate this technology in the future.
Innovation and Customer Loyalty
HS Jo acknowledges that the increase in smartphone prices is linked to the industrial race for memory chips, whether RAM or storage. Despite this, he argues that the costs of recent launches, such as Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8, reflect concrete innovations and added value, citing the new 5,000 mAh silicon-carbon battery in the Ultra model.
The evolution of Galaxy AI, according to him, has gone beyond isolated tools like translation and photo editing, integrating into the entire operating system, understanding the user's context, and connecting to applications and services to facilitate tasks. HS Jo believes that Latin American consumers demonstrate greater loyalty to Samsung, which helps keep the company strong in the regional market. In contrast, in the United States, Apple has a dominant presence, with the name iPhone often used as a synonym for smartphone. Counterpoint Research recorded that Apple ended the fourth quarter of 2025 with 69% market share in the American market, compared to Samsung's 13%.
This loyalty will be tested with the arrival of the new foldable line in the region. Brazil, considered a priority market by Samsung, will host a launch event on August 6th, where the prices of the latest Fold, Fold Ultra, and Flip models, along with the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, will be presented.
