If its customers really fell in love with the first smartphone with a dual-edge display from Samsung, the Galaxy S6 Edge, then as was the case over a year ago, they’re still wowed by the technology so much that numbers show they absolutely loved the Galaxy S7 Edge.
The S7 Edge, which was launched back in February alongside the standard S7 model, has apparently been a hit with consumers and topped sales charts for the entire first six months of 2016. Never mind that it has only been on sale in most markets for a little over half of that duration.
According to market research firm Strategy Analytics, the Galaxy S7 Edge sold 13.3 million units in the first half of 2016 out of the 577 million Android smartphones sold in that time frame. That translates to 2.3% of all the Android smartphones sold in that period alone. For just one device, that is no mean achievement since the S7 Edge itself has to battle with its “flat” sibling which most people have gotten used to over the years and offers everything the Edge has bar the dual-edge display at a price lower than the S7 Edge’s.
The standard Galaxy S7 model sold 11.8 million units in the first half of the year earning it 2% market share. Combined, the two flagship smartphones from Samsung account for over 4% of all Android smartphones sold between January and end of June 2016.
Now we know why Samsung saw it fit to bring the dual-edge display to its Note lineup as well.
To truly reflect that the world has always been receptive of budget devices that resonate with the masses across the globe, it is a budget smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy J2, that topped the charts over the same period. The entry-level Samsung device sold 13 million units, narrowly ceding the top spot to the Galaxy S7 Edge. It is only a month since a newer version of the Galaxy J2 (the 2016 edition) was announced so if the market stays loyal, Samsung can be expected to ward off the influx of similarly-priced cheap smartphones made by numerous Chinese brands.
Samsung acknowledged as much the impact the budget Galaxy Js and the flagship Galaxy S7s have had on its mobile division’s business fortunes in a statement while releasing the company’s Q2 2016 financials. “Samsung’s earnings improved QOQ (quarter over quarter) thanks to strong sales of its flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones. Additionally, the company achieved growth in the second quarter by maintaining the profitability of mid- to low-end models, such as the Galaxy A and J series, and improving the product mix by raising the sales proportion of the Galaxy S7 edge to over 50 percent.”
It will be interesting to watch and see if Samsung will be able to maintain the momentum its Galaxy S7 smartphones have made it gain in the first half of the year in the second half since rivals such as Apple will be unveiling new products and IFA Berlin is a month away and we’re likely to see even more hardware that will challenge Samsung’s market dominance. Such is what has made Samsung do an about-turn about its Galaxy Note release calendar. Will it pay off?
