[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] “I made a pre-order through a carrier at Samsung Digital Plaza, but there has been no mention of the pickup schedule. They say they don’t know when I will receive it, so I feel like I’ve been betrayed by the pre-order.” (Pre-order customer A)
The pre-order activation period for Samsung Electronics’ first half strategic smartphone, the Galaxy S21 series, has been extended by one week. Due to aggressive pricing strategies, such as setting the base model’s retail price below 1 million won, the initial sales success led to some models running out of stock. However, as supply became unstable and activation schedules were disrupted, dissatisfied voices have emerged among pre-order customers.
Samsung Electronics announced on the 28th, one day before the official release of the Galaxy S21 series, that the activation period for some pre-order models would be extended by one week due to a shortage of pre-activation stock. The initial sales of the Galaxy S21 exceeded expectations, causing the stock prepared by Samsung to run out. Accordingly, the activation period originally scheduled from the 22nd to the 28th has been changed to the 4th of next month.
As supply issues caused activation schedules to be missed, complaints have surfaced among pre-order customers. On major sites such as Ppomppu and Clien, posts like “I have a pre-order number, but the store says they don’t have the product, so they can’t activate it,” and “I was told they don’t know when the pink color will be restocked, so I immediately activated with the gray color, which had a small quantity left,” have been posted continuously.
Industry insiders estimate that the pre-order volume for the Galaxy S21 is about 15-20% higher than that of its predecessor, the Galaxy S20, and actual sales are expected to surpass the previous model. According to global market research firm Counterpoint Research, domestic sales of the Galaxy S21 series this year are expected to reach approximately 2.4 million units. This represents about a 40% increase compared to the annual sales of the Galaxy S20 series, which was about 1.7 million units.
The early success of the Galaxy S21 series is attributed to aggressive pricing strategies, such as setting the base model’s retail price below 1 million won for the first time among 5G smartphones. The models currently experiencing stock shortages, except for the top-tier Galaxy S21 Ultra Phantom Black, are concentrated in the base Galaxy S21 models (Phantom Gray, Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink colors).
Customer B, who purchased the Galaxy S21 through pre-order, said, “I skipped the Galaxy S20 because it was expensive, but I think the Galaxy S21 will absorb a lot of replacement demand from people like me,” adding, “Considering the downgraded and improved specs as well as the price, I found it reasonable and decided to purchase.”
Additionally, the three major mobile carriers are actively securing subscribers by offering official subsidies of up to 500,000 won, double that of the previous model. The popularity of budget phones and unlocked phone combinations, which have spread in the domestic market since the second half of last year, is also playing an important role in the sales of the Galaxy S21 series. Samsung Electronics has added colors to the unlocked Galaxy S21 Ultra model, and online shopping malls are expanding purchase benefits for unlocked customers.
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