Samsung has unveiled the successor to its immensely popular Focus Windows Phone handset, today launching the 4G-enabled Focus 2, hitting AT&T on May 20.
The Samsung Focus 2 will position itself as a mid-range Windows Phone device (like its predecessor), featuring a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording and playback, a front-facing VGA camera and 8GB of non-expandable storage.
AT&T will start selling the device in just under two weeks, costing just $49.99 when purchased with a contract.
Of course, at its price point, the Focus 2 may sound like a steal, but with Nokia’s Lumia 900 on the same network for a mere $50 more ($99.99), how competitive it will be remains to be seen. After all, the Lumia 900 is Nokia’s biggest, and flashiest Windows Phone handset, and is set to receive heavy in-store promotion, which will likely remain in effect as the Focus 2 goes to market.
Still, how Microsoft intends to grow its smartphone market share is now exceptionally clear: low-priced hardware.
That tactic is quite interesting, as it essentially bars Microsoft and its OEM partners from competing on specs; instead, Microsoft appears to be betting on its Windows Phone operating system, claiming that it alone will be its chief differentiator. That’s a big wager.
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