Galaxy S21 sales are almost 50% lower than Galaxy S10, prompting an internal review

Earlier today we learned that according to one research firm, Xiaomi had overtaken Samsung in terms of global market share. Samsung losing the top spot as the biggest smartphone brand in the world is rather surprising given the millions of dollars poured into marketing. However, a new report from Business Post (via 9to5Google) claims that sales of the Galaxy S21 have slowed “considerably” compared to the Galaxy S20 series.

In the report, Samsung is said to have sold 20% less Galaxy S21 units compared to the Galaxy S20, selling around a total 13.5 million devices to date. The numbers look even more grim when you compare the Galaxy S21 series to the Galaxy S10, as there has been a 47% drop in sales.

Part of this could be attributed to the fact that Samsung tends to release a new phone at a certain price, before discounting it by at least $100 to $200. This was the case for the Galaxy S21 earlier this year, and it seems that Samsung has permanently discounted its most recent flagship handsets. Doing such can cause a bit of confusion with consumers, as they might see the Galaxy S21 is released at $799, only for it to drop down to $599 or $699 later. But by that time, the consumer likely has gone elsewhere for their smartphone needs.

Another report from The Elec (via Android Central) states that sales are so low and alarming that Samsung is conducting a “management review of its smartphone business”. Samsung regularly performs reviews on its various businesses, but this one is being called a “special review”. And depending on what is found in the review, Samsung could end up doing a complete audit of its mobile business to figure out what went wrong and how it can be fixed.

Samsung has not been immune to the global chip shortage, as the company claims this is the primary reason why we won’t be seeing the Galaxy Note return this year. However, in the company’s recent earnings call, Samsung executives reaffirmed that it will be pushing forward with its foldable phones. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are likely to be announced at next week’s Unpacked event, but we’ll have to wait and see if the improved durability and added S Pen support are enough to get Samsung back on track.