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Six weeks in, Samsung's Galaxy S21 5G series is still far more popular in the US than the S20

Published: Apr 03, 2021, 3:00 AM

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Six weeks in, Samsung's Galaxy S21 5G series is still far more popular in the US than the S20

It's no longer a big secret that Samsung's latest high-end smartphones have proven quite successful pretty much worldwide during their first few weeks of commercial availability, but while the company itself is unlikely to ever confirm any actual sales numbers, a fresh report put together by Counterpoint Research is here to give us a good idea of the level of popularity achieved early on by the Galaxy S21 series in a crucial market.

Released back in late January, the 5G-enabled S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra have apparently racked up combined sales figures surpassing their predecessors by a two-to-one margin in the US after roughly a month and a half in stores.

Although any comparison between the S21 and S20 families needs to come with a huge asterisk stressing that demand for Samsung's early 2020 flagships was badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, said pandemic is obviously not over yet, but the new high-enders are simply too good to be ignored. The $799 starting price is once again highlighted as the key strength of the Galaxy S21 5G roster, followed by the "improved contour-cut camera design" making the imaging sensors "feel more flush compared to the protruding bump of the S20."-

If the price is right, all the compromises are worth it

Somewhat surprisingly, it seems that US buyers are not too bothered by the "cheap" plastic back of the "entry-level" 6.2-inch variant, which accounts for a much larger chunk of the S21 family's sales compared to last year's "standard" and arguably overpriced 6.2-inch S20 5G model.

Unsurprisingly, no one really cares about 5G support or upload/download speeds in general, and while "some consumers" found the lack of a power brick in the box "mildly annoying", that doesn't appear to be a deal breaker for a significant number of people.

Last but certainly not least, the nation's top wireless service providers undoubtedly had a crucial contribution to the early success of the Galaxy S21 trio, incentivizing their customers to upgrade from older devices with killer trade-in deals.

But although it's definitely remarkable to hear the GS21 lineup has managed to double the US sales of the S20 trio six weeks after their respective launch days, it looks like Samsung may have something to worry about as well. According to Strategy Analytics not long ago, the Galaxy S21 series was thrice as successful as the S20 family during the first month of US availability, which seems to suggest its popularity is starting to decline.

Luckily for Samsung, the deals and discounts are getting better and better, and not just at the likes of AT&T and Verizon. Amazon, for instance, is selling the already inexpensive "regular" Galaxy S21 5G at $100 less than usual while also slashing a whopping 200 bucks off the list prices of the unlocked S21+ and S21 Ultra. Of course, the question is how low can these impressive phones go and how long can sales be artificially inflated by huge discounts. We'll just have to wait and see.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.