Samsung expects to ship 10m Galaxy S3s by the end of next month. It’s already the fastest-selling pre-order phone of the year, so will Apple be able to compete when the iPhone 5 finally launches?
With all the hype and buzz surrounding the Galaxy S3, it’s easy to forget it’s only been on sale for less than a month. Now Samsung’s mobile business president, Shin Jong-kyun, has claimed that Samsung will ship 10m of the handsets by the end of July, when it’ll be on sale from nearly 300 mobile carriers worldwide.
Now, that’s a heady claim, but it’s worth putting this in context: these are handsets shipped, rather than sold. And this is Jong-kyun’s prediction, rather than an actual landmark the company has reached.
But still, it’s an impressive figure, showing just how much confidence Samsung has in its flagship handset. And what reason do we have to doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S3 will pass 10m? It’s already the fastest-selling pre-order phone of the year, according to Carphone Warehouse.
The rise of Samsung
The demand has been so high, in fact, that there have been some supply shortages – notably of the ‘pebble blue’ version of the handset. But Samsung reckons these should be sorted out by next week.
Samsung Galaxy S3: Everything you need to know
Samsung has overtaken Nokia as the biggest maker of phones in the world, and it’s a two-horse race between it and Apple for top smartphone maker. These figures – as well as a five month head start – will certainly give Samsung a nice head start before Apple launches the iPhone 5 (predicted to land in October).
The two rivals seem to be leapfrogging each other, with Samsung aping Siri for its S-Voice application, and Apple reportedly set to use a larger screen on the next iPhone. Other rumours for the next iPhone include a smaller dock connector and new two-tone back. Judging from the great reception the Galaxy S3 has had, Apple will have its work cut out come October.
