Two days after pre-orders opened in Samsung’s home country of South Korea, the company has already sold 550,000 handsets to eager customers. The news, from Business Korea, is a huge increase over the 100,000 pre-orders made for the Galaxy S7 in the same time period. It’s also a significant increase over the Galaxy Note7, the company’s previous record holder with 400,000 pre-orders.
The statistics will encourage Samsung that its brand reputation hasn’t been permanently tarnished by the events of last fall. When the company was forced to recall, recall again and then discontinue the Note7, some in the industry had expected Samsung to find it more difficult to find buyers for the S8. That issue apparently hasn’t yet manifested itself, at least in South Korea.
The larger Galaxy S8+ is reportedly the most popular of the two models available. The Midnight Black colour is the preferred option for the majority of buyers, according to a Samsung spokesperson. Although customers are opting for the larger, more trendsetting handset, they’re finishing it off in a safe, conservative colour.
With sales of the new handsets outselling their already highly successful predecessors, Samsung seems to have pulled off the task of recovering from the Note7. The company took the chance to admit its past mistakes during the S8’s unveil, making explicit reference to its new safety protocols throughout the event and in the S8’s press materials. The introduction of an all-new design and strong supporting features seems to have been sufficient to sway many buyers.
Equipped with a 5.8-inch “Infinity Edge” bezel-less display (6.2-inches on the S8+), the Galaxy S8’s new look has been welcomed by reviewers and consumers. After sticking with the same basic design for several generations, Samsung has made a radical departure from its Galaxy S-series roots by abandoning the physical home button and removing its logo from the handset’s front. The result is an unbroken sheet of glass designed to make an impact.
While Samsung’s marketing materials wax lyrical about the S8’s “holistic oneness,” “unified fluidity” and “youthful sensibilities,” there’s also a lot to see beyond the fascia. The Galaxy S8 includes an impressive line-up of features for professional users and mobile workers, ranging from the company’s new Bixby digital assistant to its Windows Continuum clone, Samsung DeX.
Samsung has played all its cards in a single generation-defining device, aiming to convince existing buyers to stick with its brand while attracting new customers who have previously looked elsewhere. Judging by today’s figures, it looks as though the strategy is paying off, to the disappointment of rivals that were banking on the S8 holding less appeal than previous Samsung launches.
