Samsung has a lot of catching up to do with the absence of the Galaxy Note7 and the next Galaxy has to do exceptionally well to make up for lost ground. Before they reveal the Galaxy S8, the Korean smartphone maker apparently has set an ambitious target to outdo its previous 3 flagship models.
According to an industry source, Samsung is targeting to ship 60 million Galaxy S8 in 2017. That’s higher than the estimated total shipments for the Galaxy S5 (45 million), Galaxy S6 (45 million) and Galaxy S7 (48 million) series. Their best flagship sellers are the Galaxy S3 at 65 million and Galaxy S4 at 70 million back in 2012-2013.
With Samsung expected to launch the Galaxy S8 later on 18 April instead of its usual MWC venue in February/March, Samsung is left with just 8 months to push this model in addition to its next Note series which is expected around Q3 2017.
According to IDC’s Q3 2016 report, smartphone shipments have grown just 1.0% year on year and Samsung’s biggest competition is coming from Chinese brands such as Huawei, OPPO and vivo which have shown significant increased in shipments over the past year. At the moment, Samsung remains on top with a market share of 20% followed by Apple with 12.5% in Q3 2016.
Even Apple which had just celebrated its iPhone’s 10th Anniversary had seen a dip in sales in 2016. On the premium segment, Apple remains a top seller with 211.88 million iPhones sold during their fiscal year ending in September 2016 versus 231.22 million iPhones in the previous year.
You will find more statistics at Statista
For Samsung, their best seller isn’t their flagship models. Driving the bulk of the volume is their affordable smartphones that are doing well in emerging markets. For 2017, their affordable Galaxy J series is targeted to ship 100 million units while the newly announced Galaxy A series is said to have a goal of pushing 20 million units this year.
Can Samsung push more flagship smartphones in 2017? It really depends on how compelling the upcoming Galaxy S8 would be in the face of stiffer competition. Huawei has almost doubled up in shipments for its mid-high end smartphones and they have sold over 10 million units for its P9 series. Furthermore, the Android marketplace is filled with lots of capable mid-range smartphones that works just as well as a flagship but at a fraction of the price. What would you like to see the most in the Galaxy S8? Let us know in the comments below.
