Sales data you probably haven't seen

**Derfel64** · 04-20-2012, 02:57 PM

The other thread about S3 vs Note got me thinking. Everybody assumes the S2 is the Android flagship and cannot be replaced by a "niche" device as the Note. It turns out that the Note may already be outselling the S2 (and any other Android device). This data hasn't translated yet into a bigger installed base, and everything could change with the release of the S3, but there we go.

The Note went on sale in Korea in early December. In early February, Samsung announced 700.000 sold, or a rate of almost 12.000 per day.

Perhaps they were just gathering dust in phone booths. But in February, Samsung announced sales had increased to 15.000 per day. This means 435.000 for the month or 22% of *all* the cell phones sold during the month. The overall market decreased but Samsung's share rocketed to 67 percent (their usual share was around 50 percent).

Perhaps that was a fluke, or a translation mistake. But then, in April Samsung announced that sales had reached 18.000 per day. And that was even though both the overall market and Samsung's sales were contracting.

And that's the last data that has been published:
-Note accounts for 29% of all phones sold in the country...and growing
-All the other non-Note Samsung devices, including the S2, account for 36%, diminishing or stable
-Therefore, total Samsung share is 65%, increasing or stable
-Total non-Samsung share (LGs, iPhones, everything) is 35%...and diminishing.

It's incredible if you ask me. The three iPhone models combined in the US haven't reached yet such market share after years of massive success and growth. The Note has only been around for a few months! It seems that at least one country, Korea, has already made the transition to giganto-phones. And it really has to be said, that there is no "entry edition" for the Note, there is only one model which is probably the most expensive you can buy.

We have no idea how well it's doing globally. Samsung sold 20 million S2s in 10 months, including 10 million in the last 4 months of that period, so probably it's now doing 80-100.000 per day in total. Note may be doing anything from 50.000 to 100.000, or even more, we just don't know.

Of course, Korea may be a really especial market, and this success may never happen worldwide. But if you ask a Note user, he can criticize a lot of things, but he never criticizes screen size. 99,9% of Note users simply say they're happy with the size, and they don't want smaller stuff. There's no going back.

**MOTH477** · 04-20-2012, 05:33 PM

I'd like to see the figures in US. 67% in Korea seems impressive but might not necessarily translate to U.S and that's why some people deem the GNote as a "niche" device. Comparatively speaking I wonder how GNote sales compare with other devices such as the Droids or even the S2? Does anyone know how many Droid Razzr have been sold?

**jontalk** · 04-20-2012, 06:52 PM

This data reminds me of the data we used to see in the music industry with record sales. Many companies report units shipped rather than sold. When in public I think I've seen maybe 5 G Notes out in public, though Apple is extremely popular in this area for some odd reason.

I still have a problem with the build quality on Samsung devices, especially when compared to Motorola, Sony or even HTC. Of course none of these other manufacturers make a device like the Note...

Yet.

I don't doubt the stats, I just find it hard to believe based on what I see people toting around in the Bay area.

**Derfel64** · 04-20-2012, 07:58 PM

Well, this is from Korea, not the US or the Bay Area. And I understand that people may have "shipped vs sold" doubts when they talk about the first million, but when it's several million over several months, that makes no sense.

And what company has reported such specific sales numbers, every month or so, from a specific country and a specific phone model?

**iPhone4Rocks!** · 04-20-2012, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by jontalk

This data reminds me of the data we used to see in the music industry with record sales. Many companies report units shipped rather than sold. When in public I think I've seen maybe 5 G Notes out in public, though Apple is extremely popular in this area for some odd reason.

I still have a problem with the build quality on Samsung devices, especially when compared to Motorola, Sony or even HTC. Of course none of these other manufacturers make a device like the Note...

Yet.

I don't doubt the stats, I just find it hard to believe based on what I see people toting around in the Bay area.

Actually its true, Samsung has sold 5 million units of the Samsung Galaxy Note worldwide.

**jontalk** · 04-21-2012, 12:23 PM

Well I for one would still like to see an improvement in build quality.. In fact I think the build quality on the GS2 is superior to the Skyrocket, so why can't they do it on the Note and others?

OK.. enough said.

**gavinfabl** · 04-21-2012, 04:38 PM

I have no issues with my Note in terms of build quality. I have many friends who have bought one or want to buy one.

The Note represents a unique device. There is no competition. The S Pen and Samsung's clever marketing take care of that. I have found that it is women (teenage or early twenties) that like the large screen appeal. Maybe, Samsung found this out too, hene the pink version.

**iPhone4Rocks!** · 04-21-2012, 07:18 PM

But the Samsung Galaxy S II has been out for a year already, of course sales nowadays will naturally go down.

**jcdaniels** · 04-21-2012, 09:01 PM

I'm in my early thirties, male, and I love my Note. Go figure.
I find the.build quality great compared to Motorolas that I've played with and HTCs I've had. Not as good as the fragile gorilla glass of my old iPhone 4 but the advantages of this phone vs ios makes up for it.