The Galaxy S9 lineup is struggling to compete with some of Samsung’s previously released devices such as the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy A8 series in the company’s home country, BusinessKorea reported Monday, citing a source from the local retail industry. Consumers are generally said to have mixed thoughts about the newest Android flagships from the Seoul-based company which they largely see as an incremental upgrade over their 2017 predecessors, whereas the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8 Plus (2018) are supposedly enjoying extremely positive performance among younger demographics interested in selfies and value-oriented propositions, as per the same report. The new Galaxy A8 family is hence still said to be the currently best-selling smartphone lineup in the Far Eastern country, whereas the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus continue to perform in an optimal manner.
The general lack of major performance improvements is a major factor contributing to the recent trend, as is the declining number of subsidies offered by mobile service providers in South Korea, many of whom were penalized for illegal subsidies several weeks back, paying the equivalent of over $45 million combined for such transgressions, the same source interprets. That state of affairs made the starting prices of the Galaxy S9 models much more expensive compared to their direct predecessors which consumers were able to pick up for under $200 last year, depending on the exact pre-order promotions and plans. Today, the Galaxy S9 lineup starts at over $420 with the most aggressive discounts and most expensive plans, whereas the full price of the devices is more than double that figure.
Samsung hasn’t shared any pre-order performance figures achieved by its new Android flagships for the first time ever since it started offering advanced orders on its devices globally circa 2014, suggesting the Galaxy S9 family hasn’t managed to reach the traction of the Galaxy S8 series. The new smartphone duo is still expected to outperform its predecessors and all of its other Android rivals released in 2018, as per numerous independent predictions and Samsung’s own claims. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus officially went on sale in 70 countries on Friday and are planned to reach 40 more markets by the end of the month.