Samsung is back, and in record-breaking form.
Despite the alleged involvement of its de facto leader in a wide-reaching political scandal and the abject failure of its last flagship phone, it looks like Samsung still hasn’t lost its mojo when it comes to drumming up excitement from its eager (and decidedly loyal) customers. According to local media reports, pre-orders for both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the S8 Plus hit 550,000 in just two days. This represents the highest pre-order volume in South Korean history.
And just a couple weeks later, Samsung reported that its new flagship phones saw a 30-percent increase in pre-order numbers in the U.S. as well.
“We are delighted to see the response to the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus,” Tim Baxter, president and chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America, told Digital Trends. “At Samsung, we believe it is a privilege to make groundbreaking products that are enjoyed by millions, and have recommitted ourselves to innovate, not only with new products and services, but also in process.”
Baxter went on to say that the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are seeing more than 30 percent year-over-year growth in pre-orders versus the record pre-orders with the Galaxy S7, making it its best launch ever.
“The response is humbling, energizing, and points to a great launch week,” he said. “We aim to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the name of a better, smarter, more exciting experience for our consumers.”
The highly anticipated S8 and S8 Plus will be Samsung’s first phones since the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, which was best known for spontaneously combusting before it was recalled globally. To ensure nothing like that ever happens again, Samsung has taken its time in releasing its new handsets, and it looks like that strategy has paid off. Reports note that the gap left by the Note 7 and Samsung’s supercharged marketing campaign for its newest phones have both contributed to the S8’s popularity.
As it stands, pre-order volume is nearly three times that of the Galaxy Note 7, and 5.5 times that of the Galaxy S7 for the same two-day period. The most popular version in South Korea is currently the Galaxy S8 Plus 128 Gigabyte model, which is the first model in Korea to have a 6GB RAM.
Also breaking records is Samsung’s decision to operate 3,000 pre-sale trial zones in South Korea. So yes, this is shaping up to be one aggressive push. Pre-orders of the new handset kicked off late last week in South Korea, Canada, and the U.S.
If all goes according to plan, South Korean analysts predict that the newest Galaxy handsets will help Samsung achieve record profits for the second quarter of 2017.
Article updated on 04-25-2017 by Lulu Chang: Added news that Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus pre-orders in the U.S. have outdone the S7.
