Credit: David Imel / Android Authority
- Samsung UK says the Galaxy S21 series broke pre-order records, surpassing the S10 and S20.
- The Galaxy S21 Ultra represented over half of these early sales.
- The S21 was already successful in South Korea.
You might not be thrilled that Samsung dropped the microSD slot and bundled charger from the Galaxy S21, but that apparently hasn’t dampened enthusiasm for the company’s latest flagships. According to SamMobile, Samsung UK says the Galaxy S21 family broke pre-order sales records and eclipsed demand for the S10 and S20.
The company didn’t provide specific sales numbers for the Galaxy S21 lineup, but it made clear that the high-end S21 Ultra was the star attraction. The top-tier phone represented more than half of pre-orders. That’s not completely surprising when these customers are more likely to be fans, but it’s a sharp contrast from the S20 Plus dominating in the first half of 2020.
Read more: The best Galaxy S21 alternatives
Samsung’s results are somewhat unexpected. While there were hints of strong demand in the country’s home territory of South Korea, there were claims the company had set conservative sales estimates for the Galaxy S21 due to both the pandemic and premium competition.
It’s unclear whether or not Samsung can maintain the Galaxy S21’s sales momentum, or whether this translates to other countries. The audience that pre-orders a phone isn’t the same as the one that buys that phone during its main lifecycle — you may see more people buying the ordinary S21 models, or springing for one of its alternatives. Samsung has fiercer competition in places like North America and China, where rivals like Apple and Xiaomi have more sway.
If this is reflective of Samsung’s overall performance, though, it’s promising for the company. It suggests that Samsung addressed complaints about the S20 series, and that some of its more controversial design choices weren’t enough to hurt Galaxy S21 sales.
