While there was a palpable excitement leading up to the official announcement of Samsung’s new flagship line, apparently this did not immediately translate to sales. Samsung still hasn’t given us the official numbers but reports coming out of Korea are saying that first day sales of the Galaxy S10 are weak compared to the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S10. There were only 140,000 pre-orders this time around but there’s probably a valid reason why the numbers are that way.
The three major mobile carriers in Korea, SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, only received 140,000 pre-orders from the period of February 25 until they shipped out starting March 4. Compared to Galaxy S9 (180,000 units) and the Galaxy Note 9 (200,000 units), this seems a pretty low number, despite the excitement generated when they officially announced the new Galaxy S10 device.
The good news for Samsung is that there might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this dip in the numbers. People may actually be holding out for the 5G version of the Galaxy S10 that will be released later this month. Or they might even be waiting for the Galaxy Fold and its foldable display which is expected to hit the stores in May.
The bad news is that the low numbers may also indicate a general downturn in smartphone sales which all OEMs have been experiencing. People are holding on to their devices longer since they’re not convinced there’s much difference between their current smartphone and the new ones being released by their brand or also other brands.
Korean carriers are trying to lift up sales by offering marketing schemes. Some have offered an exchange program so that if they buy the Galaxy S10 right now, they’ll be able to exchange it for the 5G version when it finally comes out. Let’s see if this scheme can help improve sales.
VIA: The Investor
