Samsung has recently taken IBM’s baton in the “who hates Apple more” marathon. The Korean electronics giant, although cooperating with Apple for many years, has seen its Samsung Galaxy S5 beaten by Cupertino’s year-old iPhone 5s. But Samsung refuses to lie down in the battle of the premium audio products.
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Samsung Mobile has announced that it will finally introduce its Level premium audio series to the US, which will likely strike a few chords in the Beats’ dominated sector.
Priced at US$349, the flagship Level Over (pictured above) undercuts the Beats Pro, while falling just above the Studio’s tag. The white and tan colour scheme of the cans gives Over an understated appeal, without sacrificing street cred, presumably. They are of course, also available in black.
Electronic gizmos include mandatory active noise cancellation, side-mounted touch controls and a detachable cable. They are however, on the hefty side, weighing in at a plump 350g.
Samsung will also bring the Level On (featured image, US$179) and Level In (US$149) on-ear headphones and in-ear earbuds to the States, while the Level Box (pictured below, US$299) is the Korean equivalent of the Beats Pill — the device that has stared in more music videos recently than actual musicians.
The Box however, features NFC-based pairing, a technology that Apple vehemently dislikes and a nifty four-mic system, that turns it into a mobile conference-call device.
Although they’re attractive and feature a strong crib sheet, these products won’t immediately guarantee success for Samsung in this sector.
Glancing through Beats’ reviews, even though it’s technically one of the most hated audio brands available, its products sell like half-priced hotcakes. Samsung does have a brand following through its Galaxy mobile device series, but it will need some marketing savvy as it goes up against Apple’s latest powerhouse.
The entire range will be available to the American public firstly on Amazon by 20 July, and on Samsung’s official website a day later. Other stores will follow within the week.
