14 DAY TRIAL // Galaxy S8 is of much importance to Samsung, considering that it will be the first flagship phone to be announced after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco last year. The company also hopes to regain consumer trust in its products with the new flagship launch.
Reports from South Korea point to the fact that Samsung is betting big on pre-orders for its upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone, before the handset is made official on April 21. Industry sources said that Samsung already revealed subsidy plans for customers, much earlier than usual, during the pre-order period from April 7 to April 17. The phones would then ship from April 18, earlier than the official release date.
Moreover, Samsung plans to host a hands-on event in South Korea, after the phone is announced in New York and London on March 29. Apparently, the event will be nationwide and will offer consumers the option to test out the phone.
Galaxy S8 to exceed pre-orders for previous flagship
Samsung believes that Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will surpass last year’s pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 7. The Note 7 managed to record around 400,000 pre-orders during the 13-day period last year, but the company eventually suffered an operating loss of $6.26 billion following the discontinuation of the phone.
The Korean smartphone maker has been building hype around the new phone, releasing several teaser videos and even announcing the new Bixby virtual assistant. Between the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, Samsung believes the standard model with a 5.8-inch display will be more popular, as carriers have reportedly placed more orders for this variant.
The rumored total production of Samsung’s upcoming flagships is 12.5 million units and the company is said to produce 2.6 million Galaxy S8 units and 2.1 million S8+ variants in March. Production will continue in April with 4.5 million standard units and 3.3 million S8+ models with 6.2-inch displays. The S8+ will be the more expensive phone with a price starting at €899 in Europe.