Samsung Galaxy S5 Sales Strong in Korea Despite Not Officially Launching Yet

[dgstorm]

Last week we shared a story about SK Telecom in South Korea "going rogue" and selling their inventory of Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphones ahead of Samsung's official April 11th launch. This was due to an impending temporary sales ban.

It probably comes as no surprise that because of this act of defiance, the Galaxy S5 is already experiencing strong sales in that country. Here's a quote with more of the details,

According to a report from local news agency Yonhap, the Galaxy S5 is already a hot seller in South Korea.

The report claims that carriers in South Korea have collectively sold an average of 7,000 Galaxy S5 units each day since the phone first became available on March 27th. Local sales of the Galaxy S4 during the same period of time last year averaged 8,000 units per day, but the S4 has Samsung’s marketing muscle and an official launch to support it.

Yonhap also notes that at approximately $820, the Galaxy S5 is less expensive than the Galaxy S4 was last year when it launched for about $850 off contract.

South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom will be banned by local regulators from selling new phones between April 5th and May 19th, while Korea Telecom’s ban is already in effect and runs through April 26th. LG Uplus cannot sell phones from March 13th through April 4th and then again from April 27th through May 18th.

This situation is ultimately a "win-win" for Samsung. They get to sell their device a bit early and get some extra press because of it. In the long run, they only have to mildly punish SK Telecom with a "slap on the wrist," and still come out looking great.

Source: BGR

 

[Jeffrey]

They started selling them here in Thailand yesterday at $800. for the 16G and surprisingly enough, are now sold out. They are now quoting 3-4 week delivery.