Data from analytics firm Canalys indicates that Samsung shipped 8 million units of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ combined in its launch month. The performance is similar to that of the Galaxy S8, though lower than the 9 million units that Samsung managed to ship of the Galaxy S7 series in 2016.

Out of the 8 million units, Samsung shipped 2.8 million units of the handsets to the United States, while another 1 million units were shipped in South Korea — Samsung’s home market.

Nonetheless, as per Canalys analyst Ben Stanton, that’s still an impressive performance from Samsung’s latest flagship. This is because the Galaxy S9 packs modest upgrades over the Galaxy S8 so there was not a lot of customer buzz around it when it was initially unveiled. However, by making sure the phone had a wide launch along with some aggressive trade-in programs, Samsung managed to ensure that the S9 sales figure matched those of its predecessor during its launch month.

Samsung’s Galaxy S7 series was among its most successful smartphones selling 48 million units in a year. While the Galaxy S8 received positive reviews, the company managed to ship around 41 million units of the smartphone. Samsung wants the Galaxy S9 to better than its predecessor which is why it is already heavily discounting the smartphone in many key markets to help spur sales.

Our Take

If Samsung wants the Galaxy S9 to outsell the Galaxy S8, it will have to promote the phone heavily through carriers since it lacks any major upgrades over its predecessor. While there’s no other flagship Android smartphone in the market right now that can challenge the Galaxy S9, though major upcoming launches like that of the OnePlus 6, LG G7 will definitely change that.