Maybe it’s because of the pricing, maybe it’s because of the gimmick, maybe because from the front, it still looks the same, but it seems like the Galaxy S6 isn’t selling as well as it was supposed to. According to Korean news reports, the Galaxy S6 preorders and sales are not going too well for Sammy, yet again. As much as I’d like to rub it in Samsung’s face, saying that gimmicks and high prices won’t work, the Galaxy S6 is still one of the if not the actual best smartphone that’s on the market right now. Hands down. Then why are Galaxy S6 sales and preorders under 200.000 ? Albeit that’s just a number for Korea, which is a region where Samsung isn’t the most popular smartphone vendor, these numbers do foreshadow bad sales for the Galaxy S6 globally.
So why is the Galaxy S6 not selling? One guess would be that people are preferring the Galaxy S6 Edge, because it looks way more awesome.Fact of the matter is that these reports are in no way proof that the Galaxy S6 is going to be a flop, as all odds point to the contrary. Almost every tech reviewer whose review I’ve checked out in the past month says that the Galaxy S6 is the best smartphone ever, or at least the best Samsung-made smartphone ever, which is no small feat to accomplish.
One theory that could explain why the Galaxy S6 isn’t selling well and why Galaxy S6 sales are below initial predictions and expectations involves flagship fatigue. What is flagship fatigue? It’s complicated, but most people agree that it essentially represents the fact that people are getting bored by the recycled designs of flagships, matched with high prices that the majority of the average population cannot afford. The fact that people need to get new carrier contracts in order to get their hands on such a smartphone also plays into flagship fatigue. Since the Galaxy S6 design is not out of the ordinary, but it is new for the South Korean company, that aspect might not be part of the problem here.
Our best guess is that the Galaxy S6 price is just not viable and people have started wondering if smartphones are actually becoming an addiction. Smartphone addiction actually exists, and so does a phobia from being away from one’s smartphone. That plays into the fear that people might harbor against becoming entwined in the marketing world, feeling the need to upgrade their phones every year, even though they might not need it and can’t afford it. I know from personal experience that I can’t afford to buy an unlocked Galaxy S6. That’s hardly experience, it’s a fact of life. There are few out there who make enough to be able to pay their bills, their taxes, their schools, their ISPs and buy an $800 new smartphone every year on top of all that, all the while saving up for something in the meantime.
I can’t speak for the Korean market, because I’m not familiar with it enough to be able to do a correct or at least plausible analysis of the Galaxy S6 impact there, but the reports that say that no more than 200.000 Galaxy S6 units were sold up until now so emphasize that it’s not going well for Samsung. The reports actually go into detail about the fact that the number of Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge preorders were around 300.000, but 100.000 of those preorders never followed through. The reports also mention that carriers don’t offer the prices they do in the U.S. when buying the Galaxy S6 with a contract, which could as well play into the low sales numbers that have been recorded so far.
People are expecting at least 50 million Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge units to be sold this year, which is a massive number for such an expensive smartphone. We are currently waiting to read some reports from the U.S., to see how preorders match up to actual sales until we draw a conclusion from this story. It’s time to ask our readers: did you/will you buy the Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge? If so, are you planning to get it unlocked or with a two-year contract? Let us know, as you guys are most important for us.
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