Samsung Electronics Co. reported on Friday that sales of its newly released Galaxy S20 smartphones during the first day were 20 percent lower compared to the sales of the previous model Galaxy S10 amid the spread of the new coronavirus.
The Galaxy S20 series first-day sales volume last Thursday came to about 80 percent of its S10 series predecessor, which launched in March last year.
The South Korean telecom company sold an estimated 70,800 units of the S20 in South Korea. Compared to the company’s S10 series the first day, it sold 140,000 units. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Note 10 smartphones sold 220,000 units.
Samsung presented its flagship smartphone S20 series through an online presentation on sale night. During the presentation, the company also announced that the S20 would go on sale in China starting in March.
LG Uplus Corp., SK Telecom Co., and KT Corp. are also vying for a more significant market share in the local wireless services industry.
A telecom official said that sales were affected by the decline of customers visiting physical shops due to COVID-19 infections scare, and the sharp drop of discounts for new phones.
Early this month, Samsung unveiled three variants of the Galaxy S20 series during the Samsung Unpacked event held in San Francisco, namely the S20, the S20 Plus, and the S20 Ultra. Starting at $999 (1.18 million won), $1,119 (1.41 million won), and $1,399 (1.65 million won), respectively, all three models support 5G technology.
On a more positive note, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip sold out within nine minutes after its sale opening in China on the same day.
Samsung began online sales of the Galaxy Z Flip in China at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, and after less than 10 minutes, the foldable phone sold out. Deliveries of the smartphone would begin as soon as possible.
Also, on the same day, Samsung started taking preorders for the Z Flip’s limited-edition Thom Browne design, which filled slots in just under three minutes. The tech company would begin delivering the Thom Browne edition in mid-March.
As of Friday, South Korea reported an accumulated total of 2,337 confirmed COVID-19 infection cases with 13 deaths. Officials cite Daegu as the epicenter of the country’s outbreak.
