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| Samsung Electronics' Galax S6 and S6 Edge on show at the "Galaxy S6 Color Studio" in Times Square Mall in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, last week. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics |
By Kim Yoo-chul
A senior Samsung Electronics executive said Sunday that its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are selling well, refuting media reports that sales had fallen dramatically short of expectations.
"Sales of the S6 and S6 Edge are meeting our internal target. S6 sales will clearly be higher than those of the S5. Samsung will aggressively promote sales in our target markets," the executive said in a telephone interview, asking not to be identified.
A Samsung spokesman in Seoul refused to release any official information on sales; but the company is expected to unveil figures at its upcoming investor relations forum on June 3.
Such remarks come a few days after Samsung Electronics Corporate Affairs President Park Sang-jin told reporters that the firm has been seeing a steady increase of sales on international markets.
"You have to wait and see; however, the S6 and S6 Edge sales will be far higher than those of the S5" he said.
The two models were unveiled during the Mobile World Congress 2015 event at the beginning of March. Both models were made available for purchase in April.
Citing a report by CounterPoint Research, a research firm, eBEST Investment analyst Kim Hyun-yong said Samsung sold 6.1 million S6s and S6 Edges in April.
He added 305,000 S6s were being sold daily since the devices' availability ― better than the S5 and S4's 124,000 and 241,000 per day, respectively.
At a recent meeting with reporters, Samsung Electronics mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun said the company won't release its next Note series ― tentatively named Galaxy Note 5 ― earlier than expected. Samsung usually announces its new Note series at an annual IFA trade exhibition in Berlin, Germany.
Such a strong denial appears to be an attempt to boost sales of the S6 and S6 Edge series, according to officials.
Samsung Display, an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, is on track to boost output of curved panels for the S6 Edge to meet healthy demand for the Edge version, which costs more than the non-curved models.
"Samsung Electronics may report a healthier operating profit during the second quarter thanks to good sales of the S6 and S6 Edge products," Kim said.
