We just received this invitation from Samsung, announcing the imminent "arrival of a new smartphone guaranteed to Astound, Astonish and Amaze". Did you spot the faux pas? Hint : It's in the picture...
Samsung says that all great things begin with the letter A... And their chief rival in smartphones is...?
LOL.. so now they are copying Apple's vibe & theme too (e.g. there's something in the air, wish we could say more, it's almost here, we've got a little more to show you.. etc...)! Oh look so colourful! Samsung learnt nothing from 2011-2014. they can remain relevant in 2015 because they have the backing of a conglomerate (plenty of $$$ to be louder, to be noisier and to be everywhere). The products? Meh...
I think they were copying before 2011 if that's what you were referring to... I don't think they are relevant anymore when all these low end phones from xiaomi, Lenovo, Asus, Huawei are emerging.
2011- early 2014 was their peak. and they should have utilized this to their advantage (extend the edge, widen their moat, improve the stickiness of their products etc). instead, they got louder, bigger but delivered zero substance. when cheaper alternatives become available, the galaxy will be forgotten. There is only one winner in Android ecosystem and that's Google. At least Nokia got 7.2 billion (more if you include all the partnership $) from Microsoft without selling a single android device. Look at HTC, Sony. Their android sales have never delivered that much profit $. Samsong sold tons of Galaxy phones in that period but their profit wasnt that spectacular either.
I think the Galaxy A series is going to have a tough time competing. The Wide Selfie mode is nice but I doubt it's compelling enough to differentiate the Galaxy A series, especially since it can be replicated by third-party software. If someone wants the ultimate selfie phone, they would spend a little more to get the HTC Desire EYE which has the same 13 MP cameras back and front. Plus, it has a faster processor, higher resolution screen and is waterproof to boot.
Incidentally, I just posted the launch event photos and video @ Tech ARP - The Samsung Galaxy A5 & Galaxy A3 Smartphone Launch Event