Pretty much all the early excitement surrounding the radical new Galaxy Fold has crumbled before Samsung's eyes ahead of the actual launch of the world's first mainstream foldable device, but fortunately for the global mobile industry leader, the Galaxy S10 lineup is doing fine.
Although the company's mass-oriented high-enders are obviously not without their flaws, Counterpoint Research is proclaiming last month's US commercial debut as successful based on data gathered in a new weekly smartphone model tracker. While the specific sales numbers of the S10, S10+, and S10e remain under wraps, the market research firm claims these have surpassed the first week results of the Galaxy S9 series in the always important US region by a solid 16 percent.
The Galaxy S10e is making a big difference, but the S10+ is the star of the show
The S10e is a hit
For the first time in the history of the Galaxy S family, Samsung has simultaneously released three main variants of its latest flagship (no, Active models from back in the day don't count). This fragmented strategy seemed like a gamble... until we reviewed the "entry-level" Galaxy S10e version. The flat-screened 5.8-incher crushes the "affordable" iPhone XR in many aspects, providing excellent bang for your buck and essentially proving the deciding factor in the jump of S10 sales compared to S9 numbers.
In fact, the combined first week (March 8 to 14) scores of the Galaxy S10 and S10+ stateside are reportedly "similar" to those of the S9 and S9+ racked up between March 16 and 22, 2018. That also means the Galaxy S10e is not selling quite as well as its swankier siblings, although perhaps the most encouraging news for Samsung is that it doesn't appear to be "cannibalizing" the Galaxy S8 and S9 either.
The Galaxy S10+ is Samsung's most popular new flagship variant
Instead, the company is gaining market share thanks to the S10e, S10, and especially the S10+. The largest, most impressive, and priciest of the three models accounted for 50 percent of the lineup's volumes during its first seven days of availability, which is certainly good for profits.
Can Samsung beat Apple for first place in the US?
The short answer to that question is absolutely not... as far as yearly shipments are concerned. But Samsung did get incredibly close to claiming the top spot in the US market for the months of May and June 2018. As such, if the Galaxy S10 trio continues to prove more popular than the S9 duo, there's a good chance Apple will have to yield the crown soon... only to no doubt recover it when the first triple camera iPhones are released in the fall.
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Keep in mind that Samsung last toppled Apple way back in June 2017 stateside, so if the S10 can help its makers pull off that feat again, even for a single month, it's going to be a momentous occasion. After all, as Counterpoint Research explains, the "majority" of Samsung's "premium" smartphones are still sold in the US, making it one of the most crucial markets in the world for the company's financial stability.
Of course, we probably shouldn't jump to conclusions based only on one week of sales. Then again, the Galaxy S10 series is reportedly "on track" to reach 40 million unit shipments around the world by the end of 2019. While there are no official Galaxy S9 numbers to compare that forecast with, hitting the 40 mil target would most likely improve on last year's Samsung flagship performance.
By the way, the S10, S10+, and S10e have gotten off to strong starts in multiple key regions according to previous reports, including the UK, China, and Brazil, but oddly enough, not in Korea.
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'.
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