By Kang Seung-woo
Sales of Samsung Electronics’ latest Galaxy S8 smartphone have topped 10 million in less than a month after its official release April 21, according to the Seoul-based tech giant, Tuesday.
Market analysts expect that the strong sales performance will boost Samsung’s second-quarter earnings in the mobile business that has remained sluggish due to the recall of the Galaxy Note 7 late last year.
“The global sales of the Galaxy S8 series have already surpassed the 10 million mark,” said a Samsung official. “Although we cannot specify the number, the smartphone is doing well globally.”
After unveiling the device filled with such cutting-edge technologies as the digital assistant Bixby, March 29, Samsung officially released it in the United States and Canada as well as in Korea, followed by Britain, France, Germany and Italy a week later.
In order to keep up the momentum, Samsung plans to expand sales to 120 countries, including China, by the end of this month.
Samsung is the world’s largest smartphone maker, but it has struggled in China, with Chinese handset makers fast stealing away Samsung’s market share on their home turf.
In March, Samsung’s mobile chief Koh Dong-jin said that the firm is seeking to rebound in the world’s largest smartphone market.
The Galaxy S8 series features two models: a standard-size with a 5.8-inch display and a larger S8 Plus with a 6.2-inch screen.
The high-end phone features a bezel-less, edge-to-edge curved display with a unique 18.5:9 aspect ratio. In addition, it offers various innovative biometric authentication features -- fingerprint, iris and facial recognition -- as well as Bixby.
However, the Galaxy S8 encountered a few technical glitches, including complaints about a red tint to the screen, but those have been solved through software updates.
In addition, Bixby whose service has been available since May 1 has eased concerns that it may still need some time to accumulate enough datasets before offering a decent-level of service. It has drawn positive reviews for its highly-accurate voice recognition for various practical purposes.
Analysts forecast that 20 million Galaxy S8s will be sold during the second quarter and 60 million this year, which would be a new record for Samsung.
Samsung’s current best-selling smartphone is the Galaxy S7. According to Strategic Analytics this month, the gadget’s combined sales reached 55 million as of the first quarter of the year.
The strong estimate is tipped to double the firm’s operating earnings in the following quarter.
“The Galaxy S8 will lead Samsung’s very positive earnings in the second quarter,” said Lee Soon-hak, an analyst at Hanwha Investment and Securities.
“Amid continuous strong demand for the Galaxy S8, the operating profit of the IT and mobile communications division is expected to top 4 trillion won.”
Its first-quarter earnings in the IT and mobile division stood at 2.07 trillion won.