While Samsung expects sales of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ to top those of the underwhelming Galaxy S8 last year, that might not be the case in the company’s home country of South Korea. According to ET News, sales figures from SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus — the country’s top three mobile carriers — show that Samsung has only sold 707,000 Galaxy S9 units since the phone debuted in March, which is a record low for a Galaxy phone in Korea.
Considering Samsung moved nearly 1 million Galaxy S8 smartphones over the same stretch last year, this significant dip should be a worrisome sign for the conglomerate. After reportedly selling 476,000 units in March, Samsung only managed to ship 231,000 in April. And that number will continue to drop.
It’s worth noting that Apple’s outlook is just as bleak, as the same three carriers reportedly only moved 475,000 units from the launch in November to February. In fact, fewer than 100,000 iPhone X units were sold in February.
“We don’t see the slowing sales as a one-time event. This could become a long-term trend in the market,” stated one source in regards to the slow start for the Galaxy S9 and the iPhone X in South Korea. “There are no immediate signs that the premium smartphone market will gain momentum any time soon.”
Industry watchers believe that high prices and a lack of alluring new features are keeping consumers from shelling out for the new flagship phones from two of the biggest names in the mobile industry. If that is indeed the case, rumored upgrades set to arrive in the coming months aren’t going to do much to change their tune either.
