Korean Tech giant predicts record S6 and S6 Edge shipments

folarin okunola

April 15, 2015 1:37 PM

Samsung is anticipating unprecedented shipments as it released its latest flagship devices - the S6 and the S6 Edge despite a host of other similar devices released by competitors in the same period.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge went on sale in the US on friday at 12.00pm ET, with the South Korean manufacturer predicting record sales for its new flagship devices. Samsung certainly needs a boost, with relatively sluggish sales for the Galaxy S5 dragging down its revenue and profit in the last quarter. However, after positive reviews across the board for the S6 and S6 Edge, some analysts are expecting the new devices to sell as much 50 million units in 2015 alone. “We expect the sales volume to hit the highest record ever among the Galaxy series," said Lee Sang-chul, Samsung’s head of mobile marketing.

Samsung also seems bullish about the prospects of the S6 Edge. The company’s head of mobile, JKShin, told press that demand for the Edge was outstripping supply, thanks to both increased orders from carriers and the difficulty of manufacturing the Edge’s curved screen. Of course, not being able to keep up with demand does not necessarily mean that demand is exceptionally high — it says more about launch inventory than future sales — but even a relatively small number of extra sales for the S6 Edge would be good news for Samsung thanks to its higher price point (an extra $100).

Although the S6 and S6 Edge go on sale today in the US, UK, Germany, and France, customers in other markets — especially in Asia and Africa — will have to wait at least a week to get their hands on one. To add to the fanfare of the occasion, Samsung says it will be ”rolling out the S carpet“ for the devices, with certain venues offering customers the opportunity to transfer data from their old phone to their new one on the spot.