Demand for SGS4 Eclipses SGS3; Carphone Warehouse Pre-Regs 4 Times Previous Gen

[dgstorm]

Not long ago Samsung announced they expect to sell between 60 Million to 100 Million of their new Samsung Galaxy S IV flagship. New pre-order reports from the UK mobile retailer Carphone Warehouse suggest they might actually hit those numbers. According to a press release from Carphone Warehouse, desire for the new Samsung Galaxy S IV has completely eclipsed that of the previous generation Galaxy S III. They claim that pre-registration for the new device is already four times what the SGS3 had in the corresponding timeframe. Here's the full presser,

SUPERCHARGED DEMAND FOR GALAXY S4

Android fans scramble for new handset prompts ‘busiest pre-registration period ever’

Samsung Galaxy S4 Announcement and Launch | Live from New York | Carphonewarehouse.com

London, 20 March 2013 – Carphone Warehouse has today announced that interest in Samsung’s newest Galaxy S4 smartphone has been ‘off the charts’ compared with its predecessors. The UK’s largest independent mobile retailer has so far received more than four times (446%)* as many pre-registrations for the Galaxy S4 than it did when Samsung announced its last flagship device, the SIII, in 2012.

Graham Stapleton, Chief Operating Officer at Carphone Warehouse, says, “The vast number of pre-registrations we’ve had for this device is evidence how hot the Galaxy S4 is going to be. The launch event in New York clearly captured the imagination of many of our customers - acting as the driving force for the busiest pre-registration period we’ve ever seen!

“The Galaxy SIII launch broke records last year and was always going to be a tough one to beat, but the S4 is already proving to be a more than capable step up in the series that will inspire many people to make the switch to Android from other operating systems. This device is the one to watch for 2013.”

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available from Carphone Warehouse across all major networks from 26th April. To register your interest, visit Samsung Galaxy S4 Announcement and Launch | Live from New York | Carphonewarehouse.com. Tariff and pricing details will be announced closer to the launch date in April.

*SIII pre-registration figures taken 25th – 30th April 2012 compared with S4 pre-registration figures taken 15th – 18th March 2013

Despite the fact that the aesthetics and the internal hardware does not blow away those of us who follow the mobile industry regularly, it certainly looks like the mass consumer was more than impressed by all the features and functionality of this new superphone. For years we have seen device after device come out that was touted to be the true iPhone killer. All of them failed. It looks like the Galaxy S4 might actually succeed.

Source: Samsung Galaxy S4 Announcement and Launch | Live from New York | Carphonewarehouse.com

 

[johnomaz]

Not too shocking. I think the S3 itself is helping with that. I know a lot of people who were on contract still with no upgrade when the S3 came out and they really wanted it. Now they are eligible for upgrade and are craving the S4. It'll do what the S3 does and then some. A lot of people were burned by Moto and HTC with poor support for their phones in terms of updates. I hope the S4 explodes in popularity.

 

[Vepaot]

I hear that the Cyanogenmod team are refusing to do any work to the S4. Which I guess won't slow down most of the consumer base that purchases smart phones anyway.

In any case I've never been a huge Samsung fan when it comes to their Android line. My ex's S2 was nothing but problems from day one and I've gotten to play with both the S3 and GNote2 and absolutely hated both their aesthetics, as well as the cheap, plastic-y feeling from holding them.

 

[jspradling7]

I hear that the Cyanogenmod team are refusing to do any work to the S4. Which I guess won't slow down most of the consumer base that purchases smart phones anyway.

In any case I've never been a huge Samsung fan when it comes to their Android line. My ex's S2 was nothing but problems from day one and I've gotten to play with both the S3 and GNote2 and absolutely hated both their aesthetics, as well as the cheap, plastic-y feeling from holding them.

I'm just the oposite. I have and enjoy the Gnex, the S3, the Note 2, and the Nexus 10. I can't wait to get my mitts on the S4. I want removable batteries, SD slots, up to date tech, and 4G LTE. I'm running out of options.

 

[xeene]

The fact that you can use it as a remote control for your TV is a huge selling factor.

I could dump a half dozen remotes from around the house and just use a phone that I always have on me.

 

[Valvoline]

I'm just the oposite. I have and enjoy the Gnex, the S3, the Note 2, and the Nexus 10. I can't wait to get my mitts on the S4. I want removable batteries, SD slots, up to date tech, and 4G LTE. I'm running out of options.

This. Minus the gnex and note2. nex10 is a beast!!!

 

[jseah]

I hear that the Cyanogenmod team are refusing to do any work to the S4. Which I guess won't slow down most of the consumer base that purchases smart phones anyway.

I doubt that their decision would affect the popularity of the device. Probably less than 5 percent of people who will end up getting the phone (and that guess is probably overly optimistic) will care about rooting and modding. I doubt many people will base their decision of whether to buy the phone or not on whether one particular developer decides to support it or not. It's like saying that the XBox 360 will never sell well because Mario is not available for it.

 

[jspradling7]

I doubt that their decision would affect the popularity of the device. Probably less than 5 percent of people who will end up getting the phone (and that guess is probably overly optimistic) will care about rooting and modding. I doubt many people will base their decision of whether to buy the phone or not on whether one particular developer decides to support it or not. It's like saying that the XBox 360 will never sell well because Mario is not available for it.

I certainly appreciate and have donated to CM more than once but if they chose not to work on the S4 it wouldn't influence my choice any. My Gnex runs Sourcery, the N10 has AOKP, the S3 and Note 2 just have TW with some root apps. There's a very good chance that's all I'll do to the S4. TW isn't for everyone but they've come a very long way into making me satisfied with a stock device.

 

[hradek422]

This actually really surprises me. Being a GS3 owner, the S4 didn't really impress me enough to justify spending $700.00 on buying the phone outright. However, I have been telling my friends who are coming up on an upgrade and asking me what phone to get, that if they are okay with spending $200.00 on a new 2 year contract, to get the S4. Otherwise, they can get the S3 because the price is going to start dropping fast. I dont know, just not really worth the cost for me this time. Maybe the S5 will impress me.

 

[Lars]

I'm not surprised. I fall into the group that wanted the GS3 but my upgrade isn't until this year so I will happily go with the GS4. I've been loyal to Motorola, but I can't get over how snappy my wife's GS3 is and the quality of the photos are incredible. It's no problem when we forget our point-and-shoot camera because the GS3 is sufficient enough in most instances. I also have the Galaxy Note 10.1 and it might be the most amazing device I have every used. Also, I can't help but wonder how many iPhone users were disappointed with the iPhone 5, and opted to wait until the next Galaxy device was released.

Bottom line, Samsung has such a huge line of quality products and I think we are seeing that people who have been satisfied with a Samsung TV, washer/dryer, dishwasher, etc., are likely expecting the same experience from a Samsung smartphone.

 

[hradek422]

I completely understand people who don't have the S3 already wanting to upgrade to the S4. I'm just saying, if you have the S3 already, it's not really worth spending the money to upgrade it. For me, I'm on an unlimited data plan still, and if I "Upgrade" I lose it. I have to buy the phone for retail price. Not worth it for me. If the S4 completely blew the S3 out of the water, that would be a different story. If it had that Exynos 5 in it, I probably would have made the jump.

 

[jseah]

I will be buying the S4 at full retail (to keep unlimited data) but it will be for my daughter to replace the Rezound she is currently using. My two boys have the S3 and they are perfectly happy with theirs.

 

[xeene]

I completely understand people who don't have the S3 already wanting to upgrade to the S4. I'm just saying, if you have the S3 already, it's not really worth spending the money to upgrade it. For me, I'm on an unlimited data plan still, and if I "Upgrade" I lose it. I have to buy the phone for retail price. Not worth it for me. If the S4 completely blew the S3 out of the water, that would be a different story. If it had that Exynos 5 in it, I probably would have made the jump.

Buy s4 for $700, sell s3 for $400.