Samsung Electronics has revealed that pre-orders for its Galaxy Note 8 premium smartphone have hit the highest-ever for the Note series, beating its predecessor Note 7 over five days by about 2.5 times.
Pre-orders reached about 650,000 Note 8 handsets over five days from about 40 countries, making the initial response “very encouraging,” DJ Koh, president of Samsung Electronics’ mobile communications business, said at a media event.
The Note 8 is the successor for the short-lived Note 7, whose battery fires resulted in Samsung pulling the device from the market after just a couple of months at a cost of billions of dollars.
Reuters reports that the Note 8’s U.S. price starts at $930 to $960, including dialing and data plans, begins an era of premium-priced handsets which analysts expect to be joined by $1,000-plus iPhones.
Reports also state that the company is hoping the Note 8 will retain its market dominance in light of Apple unveiling its new suite of iPhones this week. Samsung is currently heralded the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer by market share.
[related-posts]
