Introduction
In a surprising twist of events, the Samsung Galaxy S24 series has demonstrated superior daily shipment numbers compared to the Galaxy S25 series. While the latter’s launch initially appeared promising, a deeper analysis reveals that the S24, despite being an older model, surpassed the S25 in daily sales once the pre-order phase was accounted for. This article delves into the nuances of shipment data and what it suggests about consumer demand in the competitive smartphone market.
Samsung's 2025 flagship smartphone line experienced an initial surge in sales, according to data released by Hana Securities, a Seoul-based investment firm. A tweet from leaker @Jukanlosreve highlighted that Samsung recorded smartphone sales of 19.03 million units last month, marking a 3% decline from January yet a significant 15% increase from sales in February of the previous year.
During its inaugural month, the Galaxy S25 series saw shipments of approximately 4.56 million units. As expected, the premium Galaxy S25 Ultra model led the way, accounting for 2.55 million units (56% of total S25 sales). The base Galaxy S25 followed with 1.17 million units (26%), while the Galaxy S25+ trailed with 840,000 units, representing 19% of the total shipments.
In contrast, the Galaxy S24 series recorded shipments of just 1.42 million units during its first month, highlighting that the latest flagship line surpassed its predecessor significantly. Notably, the Galaxy S25 Ultra alone shipped 79% more units than the entire Galaxy S24 lineup combined.
To provide context, the breakdown of shipments for the Galaxy S24 series during its initial month saw 320,000 units for the S24, 270,000 for the S24+, and 830,000 for the S24 Ultra. Although these numbers suggest that the Galaxy S25 series outperformed the Galaxy S24 series, a deeper examination reveals a different story.
When calculating the daily shipments after the pre-order period, the Galaxy S24 series outperformed the Galaxy S25 series by an impressive margin, with daily shipments of 240,000 versus 180,000. This unexpected trend stems from the differences in the length of pre-order periods— the Galaxy S25's pre-orders concluded on January 25th, with an official release on January 31st, while the Galaxy S24's pre-order period ended on February 3rd, with a release on February 7th.
This discrepancy in pre-order durations steered more Samsung Galaxy S24 sales away from pre-orders, leading to a higher average daily shipment for the S24 series in the following month, indicating stronger demand relative to the Galaxy S25 series.
Additionally, reports indicated that the Galaxy S25 suffered declines in sales across nearly all regions, except for India—the world's second-largest smartphone market. Notably, sales in China, the largest smartphone market globally, also witnessed a year-over-year drop for the Galaxy S25.
