The Galaxy Note 7 is experiencing supply difficulties.
That is a statement that it seems unusual to say, considering that the Galaxy Note lineup hasn't had this type of unprecedented success since its inception in 2011. Between the Galaxy Note series and the Galaxy S lineup, it's been obvious which one sells the best — but Samsung's latest feature-packed phablet with its intelligent S Pen is making waves. First, there's the “outstanding” pre-orders in Canada (where the Galaxy Note 7 costs as much as $1,049.99); then, there are the doubling pre-orders in Korea (which has, no doubt, made Samsung all smiles these days).
Though there has been little if any official word on Galaxy Note 7 pre-orders in the US, I've heard a number of testimonies from T-Mobile customers in particular that Galaxy Note 7s are in short supply at some retail stores. With car accidents, fights, and disgruntled customers being some of the normal happenings for the US pre-order launch, perhaps we'd do well to call the Galaxy Note 7 “the Pokemon Go of smartphones” (though it is my wish that we do not). Blue Coral Galaxy Note 7s, in particular, are out of stock, with only Black Onyx and Silver Titanium colors remaining for many consumers — that is, unless they'd rather wait another 4-6 weeks.
A new report out of Reuters says that huge, unprecedented Galaxy Note 7 demand is outstripping supply (which explains the rising numbers of unfortunate countries that are facing delays, such as The Netherlands, Russia and Ukraine, and Malaysia (the victim of launch rescheduling), to name a few. The fear is, as it was in the days of the Galaxy S6 edge shortage in 2015, that Samsung will lose business if it does not fix the supply issue and appease customers.
And yet, it seems that Samsung isn't having a problem with curved display production (which was the issue last year); instead, Samsung is simply seeing an overwhelming order of Galaxy Note 7 phablets that has never happened in Note series history. The issue pertains to boosting production, which Samsung has said it's doing to meet the growing demand. The Galaxy Note 7 supply shortage should be temporary.
Analysts have said that Samsung could ship as many as 12 million Galaxy Note 7 phablets this year, but Reuters now says that the original number could go as high as 15 million.
Why is this demand so high? because Samsung has discovered what consumers want in the next-generation Galaxy Note. 2016 isn't over yet, but Galaxy Note fans (and Samsung) can take cues from Lil' Wayne, pour the champagne and propose a toast.
