Initial sales of Galaxy S20 series downbeat amid virus fears

Sales of Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S20 smartphones were lackluster on their first day, 50 percent lower than their predecessors, amid the spreading coronavirus outbreak, industry sources said Friday.

Samsung Electronics sold an estimated 70,800 units of the latest smartphone series in the domestic market on Thursday, sharply lower than first-day figures for the previous series, the Galaxy S10 phones, launched in March last year, according to industry insiders.

The Galaxy S10 series sold 140,000 units on its first day, while the Galaxy Note 10 smartphones shifted 220,000 units when they were launched in August.

"Sales were affected by sharp declines in discounts for new phones and the number of visitors to offline stores due to coronavirus infection fears," an official from a local telecom company said.

Lower than expected subsidies also led to downbeat sales, they said.

The Galaxy S20 series, which was unveiled early this month in San Francisco, has three models -- the S20, the S20 Plus and the S20 Ultra.

The entry-level S20 is sold for 1.248 million won (US$1,044) here, while the mid-range S20 Plus has a price tag of 1.35 million won. The high-end S20 Ultra, which boasts a 108-megapixel camera, comes with a price tag of 1.59 million won.

South Korea reported 256 new coronavirus cases on Friday morning, bringing the total number of infected people to 2,022. The country identified its first virus case on Jan. 20. (Yonhap)