# data[].attributes.headline
Article 1: Price elasticity of Samsung phones

# data[].attributes.subject
Article 1: Price elasticity of Samsung phones

# data[].attributes.body
According to the articles,  not just Samsung phones but, all smartphones prices will continue to hike mainly due to speculations of an increased integration of more advanced technology thus contributes to the fast that smartphones are habitually consumed. Consumers have also showed that their appetite for smartphones and their willingness to pay more for them is growing.

While smartphones are a necessity, for many, it always functions as a form of social status display. Having a expensive and, more often than not overpriced,  better looking phone displays your financial status thus, making it a luxury causing high-end expensive smartphones to be  a necessity for many. This tremendously helps Apple sell their iPhone XS which currently stands as the most expensive phone in Australia costing $1829. Even though the price tag is higher than that of a computer, a smartphone is much easier to showoff one's social economic status rather than a computer that sits at home or a laptop that is not brought out often. As a result, causes smartphones such as Samsung to be price inelastic.
Smartphones are habitually purchased and consumed as stated in the article with “Consumers have also showed that their appetite for smartphones and their willingness to pay more for them is growing.” This means that even though the prices are rising, most consumers do not seem to mind and are still willing to pay and purchase at a higher price.

On the other hand, the availability of substitutes such as Oneplus, Oppo, Xiaomi and Huawei, which offers similar or better performance specifications, does contribute to making the demand for higher costing smartphones such as Samsung, elastic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you thought $1,000 was outrageous for an iPhone or Android device, you're in for a nasty surprise in 2019. Thanks to Apple and Samsung phones like the iPhone XS and Galaxy Note 9, $999 is the new normal. And that's only the starting price. Level up your storage and phones become more costly still. For example, if you want an iPhone XS with 512GB storage capacity, you'll pay 35 percent more ($1,349). Let's not even get started with the iPhone XS Max.

While there are certain conditions nudging prices higher, some massive changes will build on these still-rising costs, making certain phones in 2019 even more expensive. and foldable designs seen in the upcoming "" will be cutting-edge, but they won't be cheap.

This new wave of higher prices for top-tier devices is part of a larger trend that affects the prices of most phone brands, including Google, Huawei and OnePlus. As phone makers struggle against costlier components like more powerful chipsets and custom cameras, they're also anticipating new designs, like 5G and foldable designs, that are crucial to helping their brands stand out in a cutthroat -- but lucrative -- industry.

Premium models aren't the only products getting more expensive. Midtier devices are being nudged up, too. The costs 7 percent more than last year's entry-level iPhone 8, and 15 percent more than the . The OnePlus 6T, meanwhile, rose 3.8 percent over the phone released just six months ago, and a total of 37.6 percent over the last two years.

Read: iPhone XS vs. Note 9: What a $1,000 phone buys you

The data from 11 phone models from 2016 to 2018 shows a pattern of sharp price hikes that we expect to see heighten in 2019 and beyond (See your regional chart below). Apple has certainly applied the model to other electronics in its lineup, boosting the price on its new and MacBook Air over previous models, and creating wide price swings between the entry-level product and the higher storage version.

These creeping prices across Apple's portfolio and the mobile category signal that costlier devices are here to stay -- and it may be for buying them in droves in the first place.

When Apple broke the $1,000 barrier for its in 2017, critics scoffed at its exorbitant price, but it quickly outsold every other Apple device in each week since it first went on sale in November 2017. Apple's gambit paid off as consumers accepted the higher-price models, and other manufacturers followed Apple's lead.

Read: Apple warns of weak revenue at start of 2019

The trend of increasingly costly handsets in the top tier underscores the cell phone's importance as an everything-device for communication, work, photography and entertainment. And as processing power, camera technology, battery life and internet data speeds improve generation after generation, the value people attach to a phone is sure to swell.

"Consumers are prepared to pay a premium for a mobile phone because it is arguably the most important product in their lives," said Ben Wood, the chief research analyst at CCS Insight.

Rising prices aren't unusual on their own. Faster, better components like processors and cameras cost more to make. The financial load of researching and developing new materials also gets folded into the final product. And inflation affects the cost of goods outside of tech, too.

But R&D spending and inflation don't tell the entire story your phone's creeping expense. By increasing the prices of their phones with each iteration, Apple, Samsung and other leaders in the industry are creating an ultra high-end segment that can make each sale more profitable -- that's important as people start holding on to their phones longer, for three years or more.

Read: Samsung and OnePlus 5G phones: 6 things you need to know now

Yep, your phone costs more every year

With few exceptions, phone prices from top brands are on the rise.

"Although overall smartphone shipments will decline slightly in 2018, the average selling price (ASP) of a smartphone will reach $345, up 10.3 percent from the $313 ASP in 2017," IDC analyst Anthony Scarsella said in IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, shared with journalists in May 2018. Prices will jump on the high end especially, Scarsella added.

The uptick is immediately noticeable when comparing phone prices from today with the same model released just two years ago.

Apple's prices have risen at a steady rate for both its iPhone and iPhone Plus/Max lines, making the iPhone XS Max a luxury spinoff.

Samsung's Galaxy S, S Plus and Note prices are swinging upward too. Even before the Galaxy Note 9's $1,000 bombshell, the -- last year's iPhone Plus and iPhone X rival -- was already inching toward iPhone X prices.

We saw the most shocking escalation from OnePlus, whose price jumps up each time a new model arrives. OnePlus is currently on track for two variations per year: The OnePlus 6 debuted in June for $529 and the launched in October 2018 for $549. Again, the OnePlus 6T costs 37.6 percent more than the 2016 model in the US. The phone became 51.7 percent more expensive in the past two years if you paid in British pounds.

"As reliance on smartphones has increased drastically over a short amount of time, the increase in quality and components across the industry required to meet high performance demands has also risen," a OnePlus representative said.

According to LG, "Key factors include the cost of components, competitor pricing, carrier incentives, tariffs, etc.," Ken Hong, LG's senior director of global communications, said in an email.

"Fact is, these input costs are rising so we're forced to follow suit," Hong said, adding that introducing more variants like the LG V35 has the positive effect of lowering the price of the previous model, in this case the LG V30.

CNET reached out to all manufacturers mentioned in this story for comment.

Interestingly, the and cost the same as the Pixel and Pixel XL. However, Google raised the price 23 percent, without adding a second camera on the back and making minimal design changes. Google has pushed up the price to match the competition.

But making phones is more expensive now, right?

Phones, like all electronics, are composed of parts sourced from various suppliers, and if the cost of those parts goes up, it's a sure bet the cost of the phones will, too.

Demand for more storage over the past few years has triggered price hikes, pushing up the cost of memory and prompting suppliers to invest in building more factories to meet the demand, according to Wood.

Adding more sophisticated cameras like the iPhone XS' 3D depth sensing front-facing camera, or more lenses, like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro's three rear shooters, costs more too. And so do materials like glass or ceramic for a phone's backing, or sturdy aerospace-grade aluminum for the frame.

You can bet that the first phone to debut a diamond glass screen or the new, smudge-resistant Vibrant Satin Corning Gorilla Glass won't be cheap. It's also expensive for companies like Samsung to build a whole new manufacturing process for elements like curved glass and flexible OLED displays.

Yet while the cost of all these components -- called the Bill of Materials, or BOM -- can partially explain why high-end phones cost more each year, many experts say that phonemakers are padding their profits.

"I certainly accept that some elements of the cost came from the components and the manufacturing process... but not to that order of magnitude," Wood said on a phone call in July. "I also believe that Apple made a strategic decision to increase the price of the flagship iPhone to maximize the returns on a really amazing portfolio."

Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with Creative Strategies, agrees.

"There is certainly more going into these phones than ever before," she said in an email. "The BOM is certainly growing for these devices, but I do think that there is a premium margin applied by the brands to their flagship products because they are status symbols."

Will 5G and foldable phone designs push up the price ceiling?

Apple and Samsung struggled with stagnant sales in 2018, but that didn't stop Apple in particular from profiting handsomely. In August 2018, it became a trillion dollar company, on the back of high iPhone sales margins. As sales cool off, phonemakers will have to increase their profits per device, and that could mean raising the cost.

Now, the advent of 5G and new, foldable phone designs will give phone manufacturers more license to prop up costs. 5G phones require completely new technology inside the device, and phones have to be tailor-made to work with a single carrier. That's at least until 5G networks really get off the ground. In the early days of 5G phones, prices could rise by $200 or $300 per phone, OnePlus told CNET in December 2018.

"If you generate enough value [in the phone], then consumers will be ready to pay," said Justin Denison, Samsung's SVP of mobile.

The same can be said for foldable phone designs, which include Samsung's upcoming Galaxy X (the rumored name), and LG and Huawei's forthcoming designs. These phones will have bendable plastic or glass screens and will open into a tablet, but fold into a device around the same height and width as today's phones (though much thicker).

Even 2019's 4G LTE phones stand to get more expensive without extra radios and foldable displays.

"Apple continues to break all the rules when it comes to consumer electronics pricing," said Wood. "Once again it's increasing the price of its flagship device. It comes at a time when rivals like Samsung are under huge pressure, and it simply confirms the premium that people are prepared to pay for Apple products."

With today's iPhone XS, Galaxy Note 9 and Huawei Mate 20 Pro nudging prices skyward, other players have reason to follow suit. Even midtier models (again, the iPhone XR and OnePlus 6T) can get away with raising their price tags so long as the devices cost relatively less. For example, the OnePlus 6T at $549 still costs nearly half of what you'd shell out for the iPhone XS, a relative value that many find easy enough to swallow for a "cheaper" phone with high-end parts.

"When Apple announced the iPhone X for a thousand bucks... they did the whole industry a favor," Wood said. "That gave all the other manufacturers some breathing space and I can imagine there was a certain delight in the corridors of Samsung and Huawei and others."

In other words, while Apple might pocket the most profit, its audacious iPhone X price tag helps competitors make more money per phone, too.

Don't worry, midrange phones are still affordable

High prices on top-tier phones may not mean that the cost of every phone will rise.

We continue to see fierce competition in the middle and low end where phones like the Motorola Moto G6 and families turn out excellent budget handsets for just about the same price each year: $250, £219 or AU$399 in the case of the Moto G6.

Huawei's Honor brand also notably produces midprice, midtier devices that strike a balance between value and cost, often while hewing to popular designs and features, like slim bezels and dual, portrait-mode cameras that people crave. Xiaomi, Nokia, Oppo, Asus and other brands also help fill the gap worldwide by quietly cranking out basic, affordable phones for cost-sensitive buyers.

So while the shiniest, most powerful devices are still locked on a path to their highest prices yet, there's still a strong demand for midrange and entry-level phones aimed at people with tighter budgets or more basic needs.

If a $1,000 phone sounds too outrageous, you may need to find beauty in a more modest phone, or get over the sticker shock and accept that the days of a $600 flagship phone are long behind us.

Originally published Aug. 5, 2018. Updated Jan. 2, 2019.

The mobile world might finally get exciting again in 2019: From foldable phones to 5G, here's why we're looking forward to next year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why your iPhone and Android phone will cost more in 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you thought $1,000 was outrageous for an iPhone or Android device, you're in for a nasty surprise in 2019. Thanks to Apple and Samsung phones like the iPhone XS and Galaxy Note 9, $999 is the new normal. And that's only the starting price. Level up your storage and phones become more costly still.

# data[].attributes.body
Demand & supply
There is a change in a non-price determinant of demand, which is the price of related goods, substitute of Xiaomi for Samsung. Because Xiaomi is relatively cheaper than Samsung, consumers would prefer to buy from xiaomi instead.

Market equilibrium.

There is a downward pressure on the price as Samsung was forced to lower price to compete with other budget brands for greater market share.

China's brands such as Xiaomi is challenging Samsung in the lower priced phones market in India.

Samsung India's net profit fall by 11%, but revenues grew by 10%.

This drop in net profit is because Samsung focuses on launching price-aggressive smartphones at a relatively lower margin to combat Xiaomi, Oppo Vivo and OnePlus.

Samsung is still maintaining its revenue lead in the India smartphone market.

However, as of period from July to September, Counterpoint estimates that the Chinese company Xiaomi had 27% share followed by Samsung with 23% share.'

According to https://www.counterpointresearch.com/india-smartphone-share/

The Indian mobile phone market grew by 48% YoY in Q1 2018 driven by strong demand from the featurephone segment. The smartphone market remained flat YoY.

The performance of Chinese brands remained strong, accounting for 57% of the total smartphone market in Q1 2018, up from 53% during Q1 2017. This is the highest ever contribution by Chinese players in the Indian smartphone market.

Xiaomi recorded its highest ever shipments in India during Q2 2018. The growth can be attributed to its strong product and supply chain strategy that has allowed it to launch products with a longer shelf-life than its competitors and that too in the important sub INR 10000 (<US$150) segment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Fighting Chinese competitors with lower priced phones saw Samsung India's net profit fall by as much as 11% but revenues grew by 10% to cross the milestone of Rs 60,000 crore in FY18. While the South Korean giant did not attribute any reason behind the performance in its regulatory filings to the Registrar of Companies (RoC), two senior industry executives said the fall in profitability was due to Samsung India's focus on launching price-aggressive smartphones at relatively lower margin to combat Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus. Total income touched Rs 61,065.6 crore in 2017-18 from Rs 55,511.9 crore in the previous year, while net profit dipped by 10.7% to Rs 3,712.7 crore, as per its latest filings.

The world's largest handset maker also continued the pace of sales growth seen in its mobile phone business in India growing 9% to touch Rs 37,349 crore, maintaining its revenue lead in the Indian smartphone market. Rival Xiaomi's sales in FY18 was Rs 22,947 crore, Oppo Mobiles India was Rs 11,994 crore and Vivo Mobile India Rs 11,179 crore. Apple India's FY18 sales was Rs 13,097 crore. Though the mobile business profit before tax dipped in FY18 to Rs 3,415.9 crore from Rs 4735.6 crore in the fiscal earlier, Samsung continues to be the most profitable consumer electronics and smartphone maker in India.

Though competitors Xiaomi, Sony LG and Huawei are profitable, they are far behind whereas Oppo and Vivo are in losses.

Samsung's television business, however, grew by less than 1% last fiscal at Rs 4,512 crore as compared to Rs 4481 crore in 2016-17. Industry executives attributed this to the intense competition and sales taking a hit in the 32 inches segment - which accounts for almost 50% of total TV market - from the online focussed brands like Vu, BPL, Xiaomi and Thomson. Samsung had decided to focus on the higher margin premium and large screen TV models. An email sent to Samsung India did not elicit any response till Tuesday press time. Last fiscal the company sold its printer business to HP India.

Samsung said in the filing that it was not a major line of business. Samsung also commenced a new line of business in India related to semi-conductors and device solutions during the year, without elaborating. In the filings with the Registrar of Companies, Samsung said it is the largest brand in televisions, frostfree and side-by-side refrigerators in India. As per Hong Kong-based tracker Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi became the market leader in the Indian smartphone market for the first time ever in the October-December quarter of 2017. As of period from July to September, Counterpoint estimates that the Chinese company Xiaomi had 27% share followed by Samsung with 23% share.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Samsung India revenue grows, profit falls

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fighting Chinese competitors with lower priced phones saw Samsung India's net profit fall by as much as 11% but revenues grew by 10% to cross the milestone of Rs 60,000 crore in FY18.

# data[].attributes.headline
Article 3: Samsung sharp drop in profit 

# data[].attributes.subject
Article 3: Samsung sharp drop in profit 

# data[].attributes.body
According to the latest article on BBC news,  Samsung is expected to have a decrease or slow down in the demand of smartphones - even after the release of the newest model of Samsung Galaxy 9.

Also, their memory chips that was supposedly high in demand in the previous years and served as an earnings booster , it have also experienced slow down in the demand leading to a sharp profit drop.

All these was caused by the competition from different rivals especially Apple and other China rivals. The forecasted trend line shows a gradual decrease stock prices which also means that the profits are decreasing due to the drop in demand of the Samsung goods.

With the drop in demand of memory chips, which is a change in the number of buyers overall, there is a change in the non-price determinant of demand.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Samsung Electronics expects to post a 29% drop in quarterly operating profit as demand for smartphones and memory chips slows.

The firm forecasts operating earnings of 10.8 trillion Korean won ($9.7bn; £7.6bn) for the last three months of 2018.

It marks the first quarterly profit drop in two years as strong demand for chips had boosted earnings at the firm.

Samsung also faces fierce competition from Apple and Chinese rivals.

In a statement on Tuesday, the firm cited lacklustre demand and rising competition for its darkening outlook.

"We expect earnings to remain subdued in the first quarter of 2019 due to difficult conditions for the memory business," the South Korean tech giant said in a statement.

Samsung's folding smartphone revealed

It forecasts revenue will decline 11% to 59 trillion won.

Samsung will provide detailed earnings later this month.

The firm had seen earnings surge in recent years largely due to strong appetite for memory chips in mobile devices.

Slowing demand, including from China, is weighing on the wider sector.

Last week, Apple warned that its sales have been slowing, blaming economic weakness in China.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Samsung Electronics expects to post a 29% drop in quarterly operating profit as demand for smartphones and memory chips slows. The firm forecasts operating earnings of 10.8 trillion Korean won ($9.7bn; £7.6bn) for the last three months of 2018. It marks the first quarterly profit drop in two years as strong demand for chips had boosted earnings at the firm.