Samsung's poor showing in the second financial quarter was attributed to heavier competition in the low and mid-range smartphone segments, but according to new data, the Korean manufacturer might be facing issues in the high-end market as well. Research firm Counterpoint's survey of 35 markets found that Apple's eight-month-old iPhone 5s is doing better than Samsung's Galaxy S5 in terms of actual sales to consumers – sales of the iPhone 5s in May apparently stood at 7 million, compared to about 5 million for the fifth-generation Samsung flagship.
Samsung hasn't responded to the survey yet, but if the data is anywhere near reality, it should be a worrying factor for the company, especially with Apple set to launch the iPhone 6 with a larger screen, in turn negating one of the advantages Samsung's (and other manufacturer's) phones have held for the past couple of years. According to Tom Kang, Seoul-based analyst for Counterpoint, the use of plastic on the Galaxy S5 was one of the things that turned consumers away, and the phone isn't doing as well as the Galaxy S4.
The use of plastic is a complaint we have seen time and time again only to see Samsung's phones continue to sell like crazy, though a recent report said that Samsung would be launching a premium phone lineup with a metallic construction, called the Galaxy Alpha, next month in order to combat the iPhone 6. Whether the new series of flagship phones help Samsung return to the success of their previous Galaxy S flagships remains to be seen, but it will certainly help the company make a comeback at a time when the smartphone market has all but saturated in the high-end segment.
