The American branch of Samsung slipped up with some marketing material that confirmed the existence of an unannounced device called the Galaxy A90.
The gaffe also confirmed that the product in question is a handset, in addition to describing it as the “ultimate gaming device,” as first spotted by one Dutch tech blog. Samsung’s disclaimer went unnoticed for several weeks but apparently also name-dropped every member of the Galaxy S10 family and the Galaxy Tab S5e before they were officially announced. It describes a promotional offer associated with Asphalt 9 that allows select Samsung customers to unlock the Lotus Evora Sport 410 and receive free in-game currency in Gameloft’s popular mobile game.
Besides being an Android smartphone suitable for gaming, no other details about the Galaxy A90 are presently available. The Galaxy A range itself is certainly adopting a new naming scheme utilizing tens as countless rumors and leaks already pointed to the existence of the Galaxy A70 and A40, whereas the A30 and A50 already launched last month. Though this lineup traditionally received only a couple of new models per year, its moniker is now being used for both entry-level and mid-range devices from Samsung as part of the company’s efforts to blur the lines between those price brackets and stop having any single new product from its workshop associated with the low end of the mobile market.
As for the Galaxy A90 in particular, this may not be the gaming-focused smartphone insiders talked about last year; by most accounts, that device may not exist or was scrapped in the meantime. While the Razer Phone prompted a resurgence of handsets designed for mobile gamers which has been ongoing for over a year now, no single product released as part of this trend achieved any notable commercial success and the industry appears to be on the verge of describing it as a fad and moving on.
Samsung itself was also rarely one to follow when it comes to handsets and the vast majority of the firm’s product strategy in the segment revolves around aggressive innovation. It entered 2019 by doing its own thing once again, having introduced an entirely new aesthetic to the mainstream audience with the Galaxy S10 range and its Infinity-O displays featuring camera cutouts. Immediately prior to that launch, Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy Fold, thus becoming the first manufacturer to announce a bendable handset, if only by a few days seeing how Huawei quickly followed suit at Mobile World Congress.
All things considered and seeing how Samsung already acknowledged the growing importance and popularity of gaming by focusing on such interactive experiences in its recent advertising efforts, starting with the Galaxy Note 9, if the firm was to truly embrace the concept of gaming handsets, it would likely do so in an innovative manner, i.e. with a unique product. At the moment, there’s nothing to suggest the Galaxy A90 is anything so special and the device will most likely end up being a value-oriented affair sitting near the top of the mid-range segment in terms of raw processing power.