Samsung Galaxy S21, Early Success in Japan, the 'Graveyard of Korean Phones'

NTT Docomo Online Shop Pre-Orders Surge
"Delivery Delayed Over a Week" Apology Notice Announced

Samsung Galaxy S21 series sold by NTT Docomo, a major Japanese telecommunications company

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Samsung Electronics' new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S21, has captivated Japanese consumers. This is seen as a significant achievement in Japan, a market traditionally considered difficult for Korean smartphone brands to succeed in.

NTT Docomo's online shop announced on the 13th (local time) through a notice on its homepage that "there have been too many orders for new contracts and number portability (MNP)," and "delivery is expected to take more than a week longer than usual."

It added, "Docomo will contact customers if there are any incomplete parts related to their orders," and "currently, contacting customers is also taking longer than usual. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Samsung Electronics is collaborating with major Japanese carriers NTT Docomo and AU to conduct pre-orders for the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Ultra ahead of the official launch on the 22nd.

The Japanese smartphone market, like South Korea, is known for strong preference for domestic brands, making success difficult. Anti-Korean sentiment is also considered a disadvantage for Samsung.

To address these issues, Samsung localized the design by replacing the 'Samsung' logo on the back of the model with 'Galaxy' and other markings. The back of the standard Galaxy S21 devices sold by NTT Docomo currently feature 'docomo' and 'Galaxy' logos.

Samsung's market share in the Japanese smartphone market once fell to the 3% range but has been steadily increasing recently. According to the global market research firm IDC, Samsung Electronics held an 8.1% share of the Japanese smartphone market in 2020, ranking fourth after Apple at 46.5%, Sharp at 13.3%, and Fujitsu at 8.3%. However, last year’s sales were concentrated on budget models like the Galaxy A20 and A series, making this year’s strong performance of the Galaxy S21 more meaningful.