Of all the hot new devices Samsung unveiled with great fanfare at its virtual Unpacked event a couple of weeks ago, we least expected the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ to sell like hotcakes. That's definitely not for any fault of the company's latest (and greatest) high-end Android slates, but simply because those types of tablets rarely prove popular in a market dominated by Apple's iPads and low-cost Android models from brands like Huawei or Amazon.
Making matters worse, the two oversized Snapdragon 865+ powerhouses didn't get an actual US release date at the time of their official announcement, as Samsung could only commit to a vague and possibly distant "fall" ETA.
All initial inventory was sold out, far exceeding last year's Galaxy Tab S6 demand
Given that the Tab S6 was released in a single 10.5-inch variant, it might not seem fair to compare its early popularity with the combined pre-order numbers of the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S7 and 12.4-inch Tab S7+.
But Samsung's newest premium Android tablets were wiped out from Korean stores after a single day of commercial availability, which has to be some kind of a record. While the company unsurprisingly avoided to share exact sales figures with regional media publications, these are apparently already 2.5 times higher than the Tab S6's entire domestic pre-order haul.
Believe it or not, Samsung claims to have sold 10 times as many Tab S7 series units as it did during the first 24 hours of Galaxy Tab S6 availability last year, which caught the tech giant totally off guard. The plan was to accept pre-orders around those parts until August 22, but now the company is all out of stock and "working hard" to secure additional quantities to satisfy the shockingly rampant demand.
The jumbo-sized Galaxy Tab S7+ is the more popular model
Admit it, you were skeptical of the box-office prospects of a ginormous 12.4-inch Android tablet with ultra-high-end specifications when you first heard of Samsung's ambitious iPad-challenging plans for the second half of 2020.
It's certainly not easy to convince the masses of the utility of an iPad alternative costing $850 and up that doesn't run Windows 10, but at least in South Korea, it looks like Samsung has managed to pull off the impossible, selling more Tab S7+ units so far than 11-inch Tab S7 copies.
It remains to be seen if the same will be true stateside... whenever the Tab S7 duo expands to the "land of the free." In case you're wondering, Samsung was planning to properly release the new flagship tablets in South Korea on September 3, which may or may not be on the cards after this rampant pre-order start.
For the time being, there are no words on the reception of the 5G-enabled Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ versions, both of which are also headed for the US in addition to entry-level Wi-Fi-only configurations.
While it's generally unwise to draw conclusions on the potential global success of a Samsung product based exclusively on its domestic popularity, it's worth highlighting that the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra performed well in the early stages of their Korean pre-order period, failing however to break any records or at least considerably boost the numbers of their forerunners. So, no, not everything that Samsung touches turns to gold in its homeland, which means the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ might just be special.
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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'.
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