Samsung Galaxy S3 sales hot despite iPhone 5
In the face of the iPhone 5 and the recent legal verdict against Samsung, the S3 is still enjoying huge demand, says mobile analytics firm Localytics.
Samsung's Galaxy S3 isn't being thwarted by little things like the iPhone 5 or jury verdicts.
Since August 1, sales of the S3 have seen average weekly growth of 9 percent, following by big spikes after the Apple lawsuit verdict and the iPhone 5 announcement, according to mobile-app analytics firm Localytics.
Sales of new S3 phones jumped 16 percent from August 21 to August 27. On August 24, a jury in California found Samsung guilty of patent infringement, awarding Apple more than $1 billion in damages.
The focus on Samsung and the notion that its phones were similar in some ways to the iPhone may have contributed to the sales bump, suggests Localytics. Many users may also have feared a ban on Samsung products in light of the jury verdict, causing them to rush out to buy a device before it was too late.
The second spike was seen from September 11 to September 17, when sales climbed by 15 percent. On September 12, Apple announced the iPhone 5 at a launch event.
The prior week, sales growth for the Galaxy S3 was flat, according to Localytics. Consumers eyeing a new smartphone were likely waiting to hear more about the iPhone 5 before deciding which phone to buy.
Even without the spikes, the S3's average weekly growth rate of 9 percent has stayed firm, which means Samsung is seeing heavy demand regardless of the iPhone 5.
Localytics sells software to app developers that can measure the use of their apps. To compile its data for this report, the firm analyzed the number of Galaxy S3 phones running apps that tap into its analytics. It then determined the weekly growth in new S3 handsets around the world. Localytics told CNET that it supports over 350 million devices and that several million Samsung Galaxy S3 phones were included in this study.
Updated at 9:00 a.m. PT with number of phones included in study.
