The Success of Samsung Galaxy Trend

If you remember, I made this post about the Galaxy Trend on the 2nd Day of this year where I said it was going to be a trend like its name. And I can confidently say, 6 months and some days later, the phone is a trend. You cannot walk any where and fail to meet someone with it. It is the new Galaxy Pocket. You remember how Pocket trended back in 2012?

Within my circles alone (not Google+), I know 6 classmates who’ve bought the phone. I also wanted to buy it when I was making that post, but I have my reasons with Samsung which you can read on the fourth paragraph here. I also know around 15 more people, not classmates, who have the phone. Amazingly, all have the Galaxy Trend Plus except one who bought the very first Trend. And all bought their devices from Safaricom.

It is such a common phone now that when you pull it out of your pocket everyone recognises it, “Ah another Galaxy Trend”. I bet you, even the most naive person (tech-wise) will recognise the Galaxy Trend. Yet, I have never seen a TV or Internet ad on the phone. I have not heard a single ‘over-the-top’ review of the phone by any one in Kenya. It was just launched and placed in Safaricom Shops.

If you frequent Safaricom Stores, you’ll realise that the phone has made a significant drop price-wise. As of the time I was making that post, it cost 17,000 shillings. Right now, however, it will cost not more than 13,000 shillings I guess. It has had various offers through redeeming of Bonga Points and Safaricom Open days. I was once so tempted to get it for my Father who had not yet tasted Android back then… but then again me and Samsung don’t see eye to eye on matters of low/middle end smartphones.

So what might have contributed to Galaxy Trend’s success?

Methinks Trend offers customers, though particularly overpriced, the basic Android features  at an ‘almost premium’ looking smartphone. It is the feel and look of the phone that has made it sell. I even thought it resembled the Galaxy S4 mini! LOL.

In terms of specifications, you will be lying to yourself if you try and argue out that Galaxy Trend’s specifications are what have caught the eyes of many customers. The Processor, the Camera and even the Internal storage are not in any way awesome or rather appealing to the tune of 17,000 shillings. But most of the buyers really don’t care about the specifications and are just after a cool phone.

In the near future Samsung will need to really up their game and reduce prices of their low end phones. More and more people will be considering the Phone Specifications vis-a-vis the price. People are slowly quitting Samsung Phones since for so long, they’ve been selling their name rather than quality products.

The Galaxy Trend is not awesome. It is nothing. The Trend Plus however tries to solve the problem by making things better with a 5MP camera and a small twist to the Touchwiz UI. The sick Touchwiz UI.

Here’s my list of the best phones you can get under 20,000 in Kenya –> Click Here