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Samsung has taken quite a beating in the media (and on various forums) of late for a number of different issues related specifically to the Galaxy S22 series and some... questionable tactics involving multiple high-end smartphone families, but somehow, these controversies don't seem to have inflicted much damage on the company's US sales figures.
Not yet, at least, according to a new report put together by Wave7 Research and shared with the world by PCMag. Of course, the data is not recent enough to conclude buyers really did not care about the game performance throttling scandal that drew an apology from none other than Samsung's CEO last week, merely covering the month of February.
That's when the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra were officially unveiled, and despite hitting stores with just a few days left until March, the three powerhouses managed to immediately boost their manufacturer's share of the overall sales racked up by America's top three carriers.
All hail the new S Pen-wielding king!
Yes, the 6.8-inch Galaxy S22 Ultra eclipsed the 6.6-inch S22+ and 6.1-inch S22 in early US popularity, which may not come as a surprise... for those unfamiliar with the history of the Galaxy S series.
That's because the vanilla S20 actually got off to a much stronger stateside start than its big brothers back in 2020, and the same happened last year with the "regular-sized" Galaxy S21.
The S22 Ultra S Pen is included as standard out the box.
This time, the base Galaxy S22 model has to settle for a silver medal placement, beating the S22 Plus with a very similar set of specs at a lower price. There are no prizes for guessing what changed between 2021 and 2022 for Samsung's largest high-ender, which is still expensive and still inherently flawed in a couple of key areas.
As it turns out, a built-in S Pen can go a long way in driving higher sales numbers, especially with the Galaxy Note series out of the picture (for good). That's right, the Note 20 duo is believed to have cannibalized the S21 Ultra, which was apparently not the case for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and S22 Ultra due to the former's extravagant price, optional stylus, and not-yet-mainstream foldable design.
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Can the Galaxy S22 beat the Galaxy S10 after all?
It might seem weird to compare Samsung's latest and greatest handsets with a non-Ultra-including high-end trio from 2019, but 2020 is when the coronavirus pandemic kicked off, badly hurting the mobile industry and everything and everyone in it.
Now that the smartphone market is almost fully recovered after that massive shock, companies must be hoping to go back to their pre-pandemic record-breaking form. That being said, it remains unlikely that the Galaxy S22 family will manage to outsell the hugely successful Galaxy S9 duo around the world.
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But the S10 series could be a little more "vulnerable" than originally anticipated, while the S20 and S21 families are already starting to feel like distant memories.
The S22 Ultra (left) is way more popular than the S21 Ultra (right).
Granted, it's probably premature to deem the Galaxy S22 trio a huge box-office hit, especially given that the S21 series also started on the right foot last year before completely crashing and burning. But the S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra managed to sell like hotcakes during their first few days of US availability despite "questionable" in-store supply, which means their March sales could be even higher as inventory levels continue to rise.
In total, a whopping 69 percent of store reps surveyed by Wave7 claim the S22 is ahead of the S21 in early demand, bringing Samsung at around a 37 percent share of February 2021 sales registered by Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T.
Apple still towered above that number with between 53 and 64 percent of overall sales (depending on the individual carrier), but the Galaxy S22 family definitely managed to put a dent in the iPhone 13's popularity, which boosted Apple to as much as 79 percent at AT&T back in September 2021.
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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