14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung Galaxy S10 is now available for pre-order for customers worldwide, and needless to say, the South Korean manufacturer expects this model to spearhead its smartphone sales for another year.
But as it turns out, early demand for the device isn’t as high as anticipated, with preliminary data showing that first-day registrations are below those of both the Galaxy S9 and the Note 9.
South Korean media reports that Samsung received only 140,000 pre-orders for the Galaxy S10 on the first day in its home market, well behind the 180,000 units pre-ordered when the company started taking pre-orders for the Galaxy S9.
Furthermore, the Note 9 was even more successful at 200,000 units, according to the same source.
As for the reasons why the Galaxy S10 isn’t selling as good as anticipated, many believe the high prices are forcing customers to hold on to their purchases.
The iPhone XS saga
This is something that happened in the case of the 2018 iPhones as well, with Apple often criticized for charging too much for its new models. iPhone XS starts at $999 in the United States, while the top-of-the-range iPhone XS Max reaches $1,449.
However, there’s also a chance that pre-orders for the Galaxy S10 do not meet expectations because of the Galaxy Fold. Announced during the February 20 Unpacked event, the foldable smartphone is Samsung’s most ambitious project this year, and by the looks of things, it may cannibalize sales of its other smartphones.
Of course, it’s too early to tell whether the Galaxy S10 is selling good or not, but The Korea Herald speculates that consumers are embracing “a wait-and-see approach,” which means that sales could gain pace at some point in the coming months.
It remains to be seen how sales of the Galaxy S10 would improve after the device goes on sale in the coming weeks.