Samsung touts 10M sales figure for Galaxy S4
The company says sales of the GS4 -- to carriers and retailers -- have surpassed the 10 million mark less than a month after the smartphone's introduction.
- Ed was a member of the CNET crew that won a National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors for general excellence online. He's also edited pieces that've nabbed prizes from the Society of Professional Journalists and others.
Samsung says it has sold more than 10 million Galaxy S4 smartphones to retailers and wireless operators less than a month after the handset's debut, making it the company's fastest selling smartphone to date.
In a press release Wednesday, the company noted that the GS4's predecessor, the Galaxy S3, hit the 10 million mark in terms of global channel sales -- not sales to consumers -- 50 days after its 2012 launch, and that the GS2 and GS took five and seven months, respectively, to reach that mark.
The GS4, then, would seem to be carrying Samsung forward momentum-wise. Still, for comparison's sake, Apple sold more than 5 million units of the iPhone5 -- to consumers -- during the first weekend after the gadget's release. Figures based on channel sales don't provide details about units left on store shelves or in warehouses.
Meanwhile, HTC told the Wall Street Journal that it sold 5 million of its new HTC One smartphones in the first month or so.
In its release, Samsung also said it would introduce new colors of the GS4, which is currently available in black and white. This summer, blue and red models will appear, followed by purple and brown in the fall.