Azernews.Az

By Bloomberg

Samsung Electronics Co. hinted that the next Galaxy S smartphone will feature a wraparound screen as the South Korean company seeks an innovation edge to regain sales from Apple Inc.

Invitations to a March 1 event coinciding with the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona included the statement “What’s Next” under the image of a curved line that resembles the shape of the Galaxy Note Edge, which debuted last year with a wraparound screen. The image, which also resembles the letter S, is in silver against a black background.

The e-mailed statement didn’t name the new product. The unpacking is scheduled for the day before the annual showcase in Spain from March 2 to 5. That was the same event that Samsung chose last year to unveiling its Galaxy S5 phone.

Samsung lost its outright lead in the global smartphone market last quarter as the success of larger-screen iPhones lifted Apple into a tie as the biggest producer. The Suwon-based company is using its display technology in more mobile devices to win back consumers from Apple and Chinese producers such as Xiaomi Corp. and Lenovo Group Ltd.

Wraparound screens allow users to read messages and news from an angle.

Samsung also is using more metal casings for its smartphones, the type of cover used by most of its high-end competitors. Samsung, which uses plastic bodies on its high-end Galaxy S phones, is cutting its lineup to focus on devices where it has a competitive edge.

Both Apple and Samsung shipped 74.5 million smartphones in the December quarter, Strategy Analytics said in an e-mailed statement Jan. 29. Both had 19.6 percent of the market, which for the Galaxy maker was 10 percentage points lower than a year earlier.

Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have gained in the world’s largest market of China, where consumers want a bigger device to perform the role of a phone and tablet computer. The Cupertino, California-based company posted 70 percent revenue growth in China last quarter and may get another boost from the Lunar New Year holiday this month.