Latest data from Kantar Worldpanel shows that the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge became an instant hit with customers in the United States as the handsets captured 5.8 percent of the US smartphone market combined in Q1 2016. Even though it was only available for the last few weeks of Q1 2016, the Galaxy S7 was the fifth best-selling smartphone during this time. Its predecessor, the Galaxy S6, didn't do as well as the new flagship. It was only the 10th best-selling smartphone with 3.2 percent of market share after launch.
Kantar reviewed many customers who picked the new Galaxy handsets and it found that 53.5 percent of those surveyed said that they had opted for the Galaxy S7 or the Galaxy S7 edge because of the improvement in battery life. A significant chunk of buyers also said that camera quality made them put money down for the Samsung flagships. It merits mentioning here that Samsung's new flagships are probably the most heavily promoted phones ever, with the company offered a free Gear VR for all pre-ordered units, and carriers throwing in incentives like the Gear S2 smartwatch. One can attribute the stellar performance of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge post launch to these promotions but Kantar is of the view that there's actual substance here that's bringing in customers which is why it expects the new flagships to become the best-selling phones in Q2 2016.
