Call it a gimmick, call it weird, or call it whatever you like; either way, Samsung did something right with its big Galaxy S4 launch last week. UK distributor Carphone Warehouse is reporting pre-sales on the new Galaxy S4 are more than 4.6 times its predecessor, the Galaxy S3. The Galaxy S3 was Carphone’s best ever launch of a smartphone, and pre-order numbers this high suggest the Galaxy S4 may very well break more records with this retailer among many other in April when it launches.
Samsung delivered a unique mixture of shock & awe at its Galaxy S4 unveiling last week, where its new smartphone was demonstrated with a plethora of cheesy, off-off Broadway actors, overzealous stage design, and a smartphone more about its software than anything else. While some argue the new Galaxy S4 is all bark and no bite with its new software features, this pre-order performance could be evidence that Samsung’s software-oriented promotion might be a step in the right direction. Of course a single sales report from the UK doesn’t prove the entire thing was a success because of Unpacked 2013, but it does show that people are ready to make the S4 a best selling smartphone – perhaps even one to rival the iPhone 5’s Q4 performance.
There’s no way to tell just how well the Galaxy S4 will do until April arrives and the smartphone hits the shelves, but if these pre-sale show that Samsung is doing everything it can to make its smartphone the best selling device of 2013. Samsung chose to spend most of its time showing off software at Unpacked 2013, and not hardware. If this is evidence of anything, it’s that software sells, even if other phones can do most of it already.
