Samsung expects Galaxy S9 sales to outperform the Galaxy S8 but it seems that its home country of South Korea might not help it that much in achieving this aim. A new report out of the country claims that Galaxy S9 sales in South Korea have plunged to record-low levels compared to its predecessor. The report is based on industry data received by ET News.
Galaxy S9 sales
Sales figures from South Korea's top three mobile carriers – SK Telecom, LG Uplus and KT – reveal that the Galaxy S9 sold more than 707,000 units over the past two months. Samsung released the handset in March. This is said to be the lowest-ever figure for a flagship Galaxy S handset.
That's a considerable decline compared to the almost 1 million units that the Galaxy S8 sold in South Korea in the same period after its launch. Galaxy S9 sales were reportedly cut in half this month as only 231,000 units were sold compared to 476,000 units in March.
This isn't the first time that we're hearing about the Galaxy S9 proving to be a tough sell in South Korea. It was reported not too long after the handset was released that South Koreans don't seem to be that interested in the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ as they're not significantly different from their predecessors. The report also mentioned that it was actually the Galaxy A8 (2018) that was Samsung's best-selling smartphone in its home country currently.
Industry watchers cited in this latest report also point toward the lack of significant changes as one of the main factors behind sluggish sales of Samsung's new flagship smartphone. The high price is said to be another factor.
Perhaps Samsung can find solace in the fact that the iPhone X has not been doing any well either. The report claims that sales of Apple's flagship handset are at record lows as well. The iPhone X has reportedly sold only 475,000 units in South Korea since its November 2017 launch. They're also said to be the lowest-ever figures for a new flagship iPhone launch in South Korea.
