Galaxy S9 selling way slower than its predecessor

Jul 5, 2018 09:15 GMT  ·  By

Samsung’s new smartphones no longer impress, with the company’s latest-generation flagships dropping to sales levels substantially below the ones reached by predecessors.

Living proof is the Galaxy S9, which according to analysts can’t match market expectations and sales figures recorded by the Galaxy S8. This is even more worrying, as the Galaxy S8 itself failed to sell as many units as the Galaxy S7.

Specifics aren’t available, but it’s believed that the last truly successful model launched by Samsung was the Galaxy S4, which set a new record of 80 million sold units. The Galaxy S7, however, sold well as well, but the market performance dropped gradually since then and is projected to continue going down in the coming months.

The next Samsung model to see daylight is the Note 9 due in August but given the small number of changes as compared to the previous version, it’s unlikely to sell in high volumes. The Galaxy S9 itself was based on a similar approach, and it used design and features resembling the ones of Galaxy S8.

Next key moment – the launch of S10

Analysts told Reuters that the S9 is on track to sell less in its first year on the market than the S8, with revenue obviously to be impacted as well. While the operating profit would increase 5.7 percent from the previous year, it’s expected to drop as compared to the March quarter. Shares are already down 9 percent this year.

The next major product unveiling is the Galaxy S10 in early 2019, with a foldable smartphone also expected in the first months of the year. The S10 will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the flagship and will bring several major upgrades, including what could be a triple camera system and a fingerprint sensor embedded into the screen.

But more worrying for Samsung is that while its devices failed to impress, others did far better. Not only that Apple’s iPhone X proves to be a hit, but phones from Chinese companies are also growing in the largest markets across the world.