Preorders for Samsung's Galaxy S20 smartphones start in S. Korea

Preorders for Samsung Electronics Co.'s new flagship smartphone line started in South Korea on Thursday, with local mobile carriers rolling out various promotions to attract customers.

Samsung said preorders for the Galaxy S20 smartphones will run through next Wednesday at online and offline stores in South Korea, with the official launch of new handsets scheduled for March 6.

The Galaxy S20 series, which was unveiled last week in San Francisco, comes in three models -- the S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra.

The entry-level S20 is sold for 1.248 million won ($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.

Samsung said those who preordered its new smartphones can get the company's new artificial intelligence speaker, the Galaxy Home Mini, or portable printer Nemonic Mini.

Local analysts earlier expected that Samsung would sell between 33 million and 38 million units of the Galaxy S20 series globally.

Meanwhile, sales of Samsung's new vertically folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip, started in South Korea last Friday, with some retailers reporting that their initial volume in stock has already sold out.

The Thom Browne edition of the Galaxy Z Flip will go on sale from Friday in South Korea, with a price tag of 2.97 million won. (Yonhap)