Samsung to produce more JDM smartphones in China this year

According to reports from foreign media outlets, Samsung was planning to manufacture 4.4 million JDM smartphones this year but recently decided to increase production to 6.7 million units (via The Elec).

This year, the company released the Galaxy C55 in China, which was recently rebranded into the Galaxy F55 for India. It has a leather-based design that is unlike most other phones, and although Samsung hasn't confirmed this, the C55 appears to be one of its JDM phones for 2024.

How does Joint Design Manufacturing work?

Samsung has been using Joint Design Manufacturing (JDM) for smartphones released in China for many years. The JDM method allows the company to cut production costs by partnering with other firms. These firms then share some of the pre-production responsibilities with Samsung.

Through Joint Design Manufacturing, the design process is handled jointly by Samsung and its JDM partners in China, the latter of which gets a portion of the profits from sales. Once a JDM smartphone's design is complete, the OEM, i.e., Samsung, pushes it into mass production.

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Samsung doesn't have a huge market share in China, and going the JDM route might be safer. That way, the company doesn't cover 100% of the costs of producing and selling Galaxy phones in China. Furthermore, it can also use the expertise of local manufacturers should it want to follow local design trends.

One example of Samsung trying to follow local trends more closely might be the Galaxy C55, which shows all the signs of a JDM device. In essence, the C55 is an A55-grade phone optimized for China.

The phone has a Qualcomm chip instead of an Exynos one, more base RAM, lower-resolution ultrawide and macro cameras, faster charging, a plastic frame instead of an aluminum frame, and no IP dust and water-resistance rating, but it is wrapped in eco-leather.