Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have managed to secure 5.8% of Q1 2016 US smartphone sales, an impressive feat, given that the devices had only 3 weeks to achieve the same. This placed the Galaxy S7 the fifth bestselling smartphone of the quarter, a considerable improvement over Samsung’s performance over the same period last year where the Galaxy S6 placed 10th with a 3.2% market share. This market analysis with regards to Samsung was released earlier by Kantar Mobile.

Part of the reason behind the high sales volume of the devices is due to the fact that both phones were heavily promoted with bundles and special deals. According to Kantar Mobile Analyst Lauren Guenveur, these phones might just be the most heavily marketed smartphones till date. Further analysis of the research data suggests that up to 40% of those who purchased either the Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, did so due to a promotional offer or a deal.

These deals included a free Gear VR (valued at USD 99.99) with 6 VR games for those who purchased before the 18th or March. AT&T and T-Mobile also offered buy one, get one free deals during the same period.

“Best Buy included a Gear VR and a 64 GB SIM card with the purchase of an S7. For purchasers of the S7 at Costco this month, they’ll get a 32-inch Samsung HD TV. And that’s barely scraping the surface of the promotions and trade-ins available for this device.” -Lauren Guenveur

Of the remaining 60%, 12.2% purchased the devices due to a free or discounted product being offered as part of the deal. While 11% were enticed with a trade-in offer and 10.3% by a free or discounted accessory.

Though there have been many features of the device that have been praised, the report by Lauren Guenveur suggests that the main attraction of the phone is the battery life, with 53.5% of buyers mentioning it as the motivation behind their purchase. A further 51% said that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge camera was their primary motivation to purchase one of the device’s, while 36.5% were attracted to the expandable memory slot and storage capacity.

What is surprising from this report is the lack of consumers appreciating the water and dust proofing of the phone, which was heavily marketed by Samsung. Even the expandable memory was not a priority for those who purchased the device. Though this report is centred around the US, it does give insight as to what consumer demands for smartphones of the future are: Battery capacity and Image quality.

The analyst expects that the Galaxy S7 would climb to the spot of the top selling phone in US by the end of Q2 2016. However, with HTC 10, LG G5 and iPhone SE having also made their way into the market, the road ahead for Samsung is paved with challenges if it plans to achieve top-spot. With the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus launching later in the year, Apple would be giving the Samsung a run for its money in the later half of the year. How the Note 6 holds up at that point would be crucial in determining the company’s future strategy.

Are you planning to purchase a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge or do you already have one? Either ways, let us know in the comments as to what about the device is appealing to you.