Considering that the Injustice Edition sold out in just 10 minutes, and that an Iron Man edition phone was auctioned off last month in China for $91,000 after 92,429 bids, sales of the Olympic edition are disappointing. (image: Samsung Electronics)
SEOUL, July 21 (Korea Bizwire) – Sales of Samsung’s latest special edition smartphone, the Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Games Limited Edition, have failed to meet the success of previous limited edition Galaxy models. In fact, the phone was met with mixed reviews from consumers, who fervently sought out Samsung’s previous limited models like the Batman-themed Galaxy S7 Edge, released last month, and the Iron Man Galaxy S6 Edge, released last year.
The Olympic edition was unveiled on July 7, and was released to the public on July 18 in select countries including Korea, Brazil, the U.S., Germany, and China. As of Wednesday, which marked the end of the phone’s sale period, the Olympic edition still lingered in Samsung’s inventory.
Considering that the Injustice Edition sold out in just 10 minutes, and that an Iron Man edition phone was auctioned off last month in China for $91,000 after 92,429 bids, sales of the Olympic edition are disappointing.
According to industry watchers, excess supply of the phone is one of the main reasons behind its comparative lack of popularity. On top of the 2,016 units sold in each of the five countries, Samsung will be providing approximately 12,500 units to participating athletes at Rio 2016. That alone is over 20,000 units, contributing to a decline in the premium value often associated with limited edition models.
Another factor is in the phone’s design, which, as far as Korean online tech community is concerned, is ‘immature’ and ‘poorly represents the characteristics of Rio 2016’. The model features the five colors of the Olympic rings – black, blue, yellow, red, green – which were also incorporated in the user interface, such as the home and lock screens.
But the Olympic edition isn’t the only disappointing Galaxy S7 launch.
The Galaxy S7 Active, which was supposed to offer improved waterproof and dust-proof capabilities, was reported to have water leakage issues. According to Consumer Reports, after placing a Galaxy S7 Active in a water tank for 30 minutes, “the screen was obscured by green lines, and tiny bubbles were visible in the lenses of the front- and rear-facing cameras.” It also added the touchscreen wasn’t responsive after removing the model from the water tank.
“Samsung is clearly suffering from unprecedented struggles with its ‘special edition’ models,” said an industry official.
The Galaxy S7 Active, which was supposed to offer improved waterproof and dust-proof capabilities, was reported to have water leakage issues. (image: Yonhap)
By Joseph Shin (jss539@koreabizwire.com)
