Samsung rings up 270,000 Galaxy Note 8 units in South Korea over the launch weekend

With the hoopla over the new 2017 iPhone models, some of the excitement over the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 seemed to have dissipated. Still, with the device released last Friday, Samsung was able to sell 270,000 units of its high-end phablet in South Korea over the launch weekend. On Friday, three major South Korean carriers (SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus) scored 200,000 orders for the Galaxy Note 8 with an additional 70,000 sold the next day.

To put the figures in perspective, last year 160,000 Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units were sold in South Korea on the date of the phone's release. Subsequently, the device was recalled after issues with the battery led several units to explode. Earlier this year, the Samsung Galaxy S8 had 260,000 units purchased on its initial launch date in the country. During the pre-order period, the Galaxy Note 8 drew 850,000 reservations compared to the 380,000 units that were pre-ordered for last year's Galaxy Note 7.

Analysts in South Korea see smooth sailing ahead for the Galaxy Note 8 thanks to the late release of the Apple iPhone X. The tenth anniversary model of the iPhone won't launch until November 3rd. One analyst, Lee Soon-hak from Hanwha Investment and Securities, says that he expects Samsung to ship up to 12 million Note 8 units, topping 2015's Samsung Galaxy Note 5. The latter sold 8.5 million handsets.

source: TheInvestor