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Did Samsung really ship 10 million Galaxy S5 units in 25 days? Report says so

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It looks like Samsung may have outdone themselves in a way that even they couldn’t have imagined. New reports out of their hometown of South Korea suggest the company has surpassed 10 million Samsung Galaxy S5 shipments in just 25 days. This would be the first time they’ve done so in that little amount of time.

Samsung Galaxy S5 wood DSC05784

Here’s how the numbers stack up, if true:

  1. Samsung Galaxy S5: 10 million units in 25 days
  2. Samsung Galaxy S4: 10 million units in 30 days
  3. Samsung Galaxy S3: 10 million units in 50 days
  4. Samsung Galaxy S2: 10 million units in 5 months
  5. Samsung Galaxy S: 10 million units in 7 months

Before we awe at the numbers, it’s important to remember that shipped and sell-through numbers are two different things. “Shipped” only refers to the amount that retailers and carriers have ordered to put on store shelves, while “sell-through” is what’s actually going into consumers’ hands. There’s no telling what the latter number looks like right now.

That aside, shipped is as good as sold to Samsung, as they no doubt feel like those carriers and retailers will be able to move those units in the months ahead with no issues.

It’s also worth noting that this is the first device Samsung has simultaneously launched in over 100 countries on the same day, which is a very impressive feat all on its own. That tidbit would explain how they were able to ship so many in such a short time span compared to last year’s model (which has reportedly sold over 40 million units to date last we checked).

It doesn’t seem like anyone or anything will be able to stop this Samsung train anytime soon. Despite cries on the internet of the device’s subpar design, it’s selling well. Despite tons of techies complaining about the “ugly” and laggy user interface, it’s selling well. Despite the likes of HTC, LG and Sony putting forth their best work ever, it’s selling well.

It’s needless to say that Samsung can look at these numbers and feel gratified that there is only one other manufacturer that can even dream of doing the same (and that manufacturer doesn’t even make an Android device).

We’ll be awaiting the full and formal celebratory workup from Samsung in the weeks to come. In the meantime, be sure to check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy S5 to see what the company has done to make a device that can sell so well, and join many others over AndroidForums.com to take part in the exciting discussions going on about the phone every single day.

[Hankyung via UberGizmo]

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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36 Comments

  1. Just goes to show that technology sites really don’t know what their talking about.

    Congrats Samsung, Galaxy S5 is s great device and deserves to sell well.

    1. I don’t think technology sites can accurately represent the consumer.
      Even if they wanted to they can only represent tech enthusiasts.

      I bought the S5 based on my needs and what I found an appealing not what some other guy or gal says.

      While I love the S5 to bits and haven’t noticed any lag I do wish the phone would be faster in opening apps and such if only samsung spent more time/money on the UI instead of producing 300 other Android phones a year.

      1. Review sites are constantly prioritising material and premium feel over everything else and that’s not what the consumer wants, it needs to change as it’s starting to become a running joke.

        A device can feel and look premium without being made out of glass or aluminium. Reviewers, bloggers or whatever still grasping to this BS should be fired or ignored.

        1. they arent prioritizing look and feel over anything else.. they simply mention it as a bullet point as part of their critique… the problem is people hate it when their favorite phone isn’t listed as head and shoulders above the rest.

          They never said the gs5 was a bad phone, it just doesn’t stand out from the pack in most areas. Other phones are equally as good. They never told you to NOT buy a gs5.

          1. Thank you! well said

          2. Well I don’t agree, simple as that.

            The material the device is made of should not be a positive or a negative point unless there are issues with the build quality itself.

            Build quality should be about durability, consistent high quality finish and easy of use as these as far more important and a lot less subjective.

            Your right that they’re not telling users not to buy the Galaxy S5 directly, but they are indirectly by giving other devices better scores and glowing reviews just because the base material is non-plastic.

            This is the only reply I’m doing as I know what your like, always the same reply’s and borderline trolling.

          3. borderline trolling? I think you need to look up the definition of trolling.

            My problem is that you are proving that your issue is that the s5 is your favorite device and you are upset it didnt get the highest scores.

            How do you know what I am like? I used to own a galaxy note 8, i seriously considered an s5 because i love the fact its waterproof and has a good camera and z2 looks to be nowhere in sight. I like HTC for its design, speakers, and its UI. I also liked the fact that you could do the focus thing after the shot was already taken. I like the g2 for its boss battery life and its sexy screen to bezel ratio. I own a nexus 4, i came from an HTC Evo 4g LTE, and my next device will be either an LG G3, One Plus, or a z2 if it ever hits the US with a finance option… or if i can get some crazy deal on the s5 like i almost had.

            “the only reason they get better reviews is because the product isnt metal.” No there are plenty of reasons some of these devices are getting better reviews, and since you never bothered reading any of them, i’ll give you a few examples….

            1- THEY ALL DO THE SAME CRAP and have the same basic specs. they are all fast smooth and play the same games and can get apps to do the same stuff and can all last a day on a single charge and all have 1080p screens.

            2. better UI… a lot of reviews find other skins to be faster and more attractive.
            3. better battery life… a lot of reviews have said some devices lasted longer
            4. camera.. although the gs5 camera was rated one of the better options, they said other cameras were more fun to use… i think that comes back to UI.

            Also, why should the material AND DESIGN of a device be irrelevant? People take material and design into account when they buy a ton of things. They prefer more attractive cars, they prefer more attractive laptops, they prefer things that feel nicer than others. It’s not the be all end all, but it’s a bullet point. Asking for a review to be 0% subjective is just asking for a spec sheet…. and they already did that.

        2. Amen to that!!!!

      2. I notice you said, faster in opening apps and such, have you tried changing the animation speed. YouTube it, there are many tutorials and I’m sure it’d help.

        1. I shouldn’t have to do this.

          1. Well some people like the animations. The phone barebones from Samsung is designed for casuals. Casuals tend to either like flashy animations or wont care about a half second open time for an app. Point being, instead of wishing about it, you could of done some research and find out that changing the animation speed tailors the phone to YOUR needs. It’s not like you have to root the phone, its right there, in the settings.

          2. I understand. I do like the visuals, but when the visuals are over and the app still hasn’t loaded that’s a problem. What I’m talking about is not so much the visual but the actual loading of the app.

            But I’m not a programmer or developer so maybe the fault isn’t even Samsung’s but rather app developers

    2. Technology sites give you reviews on how they feel about a device compared to other devices… them “not knowing what they are talking about” would only come into play if they said the gs5 was going to flop and not sell any phones… they never said that. They just said the device itself doesn’t stand out fromt the pack like previous models did… they even went on to say they would sell a ton of phones… so what are you even talking about

  2. In my country india galaxy s5 launched in 12th april at 851 usd . Now the price in 12th may is at 703 usd. Its price has fallen more than 100 usd under a month.

    It is the biggest price drop of a top model in mobile phone history in samsung history in india. Dont know who is buying this phone in my country at all.

    P.s Indian import database zauba shows samsung is importing a single galaxy s5 at 420 usd into my country.

  3. What’s most important is how much sold. I have a feeling the S5 is not gonna sell as its previous phones.

    1. Sounds about right….the premium smartphone market is filling out….now the growth is in the small time profitless smartphone category. Samasung do well there too but it don’t pay the bills and it leads to faster commoditisation of the overall market which spells doom and gloom for Samsung.

  4. I liked it better when you guys at least attempted to mask the anti-Samsung bias.

    1. Ha. Every week we’re either pro Samsung or anti Samsung. Choose one.

      1. you’re only supposed to list spec sheets, otherwise you’re biased

      2. Touche. Internet comments are a cruel mistress I suppose.

        Most of this article seems to be trying to explain away the (alleged) success of the S5. It’s the latest device in a line of solid devices from the most well known Android OEM with a massive marketing budget and the will to wield it accordingly.

        The article reads like the S5 is a poor device that is selling well inexplicably. All the flagship devices are excellent; Samsung just has a massive marketing campaign and brand recognition behind theirs.

        1. Ah, I see where you might have taken that in the wrong tone. The comments about it being ugly, slow, etc was me rattling off the typical stuff you hear in comments sections just like this one. I was saying that the device is selling well despite all that mumble jumble, so Samsung must be doing something right.

      3. Shots fired.

    2. Samsung….is that you?

  5. this is shipped not sold. there is a difference. lets see actual sold. there could be 5 million of the 10 million shipped gs5’s on store shelves for all we know

    1. First, the article mentioned shipped. Second, the article mentioned that it doesn’t matter to Samsung. They have been purchased by carriers so Samsung is getting paid either way.

      1. duh captain obvious :-p

        1. yes? what can I do for you?

          1. lol

          2. I don’t think I will ever get tired of that joke :)

    2. Which was explained in the article.

      1. I know it was. I never said it wasn’t. I was just adding my own comment cause I saw people commenting about how reviewers don’t know what consumers want and blah blah blah. So i was adding that these are shipped not sold.

    3. I don’t understand why so many people raise this as a point. The retailers, who know much more about the expected demand than any of us, have ordered that many S5s because their professional market analyses have indicated they will sell well. Every year Samsung ship faster, which means the retailers expect increased demand with every iteration of the Galaxy S series and suggests they do sell well..

      1. “I don’t understand why so many people raise this as a point.”

        because they are two different things

      2. One has nothing to do with the other. Not if you have stock sitting in cabinets or warehouses.

        1. Every year they ship even faster; why would retailers order more units if previous galaxy S devices were not profitable/hot sellers? It’s reasonable to infer that these phones are not just idling in a warehouse somewhere.

          1. Because they shipped to MORE countries this time. Not idling….they shipped 10 million S4’s in 30 days but only 40 to date…..I suspect that there will be many idling…probably in small store cupboards.

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