Samsung sees increasing low-end mobile phone sales

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), the world's second-largest maker of mobile phones, expects the portion of low-end mobile phones in total sales to increase in 2008 as it tries to penetrate further into emerging markets.

Samsung, however, will try to limit the trend to protect margins, the company said during its fourth-quarter earnings conference call with industry analysts.

Mobile phones priced $100 or below will likely account for about 40 percent of its sales, against 37 percent in 2007, Samsung said.

(Reporting by Rhee So-eui; Editing by Keiron Henderson)