Galaxy S4 sales to top 10 million

Mobile chief hints that sales may hit 100 million mark

By Kim Yoo-chul

Shin Jong-kyun

Samsung Electronics said Thursday it expects its latest flagship handset, the Galaxy S4, to surpass the 10 million mark in sales next week.

"We are confident that we will pass more than 10 million sales of the S4 next week. It is selling much faster than the previous model S3," Samsung Electronics co-CEO Shin Jong-kyun told reporters at an industry forum in Seoul, Thursday.

That would make the mobile device the fastest selling smartphone in Samsung's history.

Samsung officials said the company's increased spending on promotional campaigns significantly helped as Samsung directly targeted its users of its bitter rival Apple and touted some its hardware-driven features.

The company started selling the S4 on its home ground of Korea in April 26 and it has been selling the device in 60 different countries, including the United States, China and India since April 27.

"Samsung spent 50 days to pass the 10 million sales mark for the S3. The S4 will be Samsung's first '10 million seller' device less than a month after its official debut," Shin said.

Shin remained cautious when questioned about a plan to adopt an "unbreakable display" ― the first phase of flexible displays ― for the upcoming Galaxy Note3 "phablet."

"More time will be needed," he said. The Suwon, Gyeonggi Province-based outfit is developing the Note3 with a 5.9-inch OLED display. The device will debut at this year's IFA trade fair in Berlin, Germany, officials said.

Samsung, which uses Google's Android operating system, was responsible for 95 percent of Android profit during the first three months of this year, said Strategy Analytics (SA), a market research firm.

"An efficient supply chain, sleek products and crisp marketing have been among the main drivers of Samsung's impressive profitability," said SA analyst Woody Oh.

"We believe Samsung generates more revenue and profit from the Android platform than Google does," said SA's executive director Neil Mawston. SA said LG Electronics generated 2.5 percent of Android profit during the first quarter.

yckim@koreatimes.co.kr,