Despite all the hardships faced by the industry, Samsung still shipped a very impressive 300 million phones last year, with a target of 334 million this year. But 2021 sales of their generally reliable achievers the Galaxy S series weren’t as shining as usual. Here’s why.
While Samsung would ship between 35 million and 40 million Galaxy S phones annually pre-pandemic, a new report shows they only managed between 20 million and 25 million last year – about the same as its predecessor the Galaxy S20 topped out at in 2020.
So when you look at the numbers, that means Galaxy S shipments were down more than 10 million for the previous two years, though the report doesn’t specify if that includes the Galaxy S20 FE, which has shipped more than 10 million since its September 2020 launch.
It’s no shock Samsung point to the pandemic and chip shortage as factors here.
Indeed, their production facilities in Vietnam, where a hefty part of their flagship product come from, suffered extended Covid-related lockdowns. As a result, the company are saying they’re switching some production to their plant in India.
It’s believed this has also played a part in the delay of the launch of the anticipated Galaxy S21 FE.
As for the Galaxy S series drop, it’s also unclear though the report how much of a part the success of Samsung’s game-changing foldable lineup played – though it’s safe to assume the positive reviews and welcome reception by consumers was a factor.
Samsung have also been maintaining a focus on their more workman-like Galaxy A and Galaxy M series phones, which are enjoying a chunk of volume in emerging markets like Russia, South-East Asia and India.
With the pandemic hopefully finally waning once and for all, Samsung’s 334 million target is looking achievable, which is very good news not only for them but CE retailers in need of a sales boost.
