Galaxy Note 3 phablet accounts for just 1/10 of Samsung's 2013 premium phone sales

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Samsung has always been cagy about releasing data on the devices it sells, but it just provided a new clue that indicates "phablet" models are not nearly as popular as is commonly believed, again explaining why Apple hasn't been in a rush to sell a big screen iPhone.



The company's promotional blog Samsung Tomorrow announced having shipped 10 million Galaxy Note 3 phablets in a roundabout fashion using an infographic to compare the Note 3 against other devices that had also reached the 10 million mark.

All three generations of the Galaxy Note and all four Galaxy S models have reached sales of 10 million units, but Samsung's latest Note 3 has only been on sale for two months.

That channel shipments milestone is less impressive when compared against Apple's launch sales of the iPhone 5s/5c, which hit 9 million sales in a weekend.

However, it's also only half as fast as the 10 million units "shipped in one month" pace that Samsung expected for the Galaxy S4 back in May.



That's particularly notable because the Galaxy S4 has continued to sell far short of initial expectations. In November, at an investor conference intended to assuage the concerns of its investors, a Samsung executive outlined that the company expected to ship a combined total of 100 million premium handsets in its Galaxy S and Note lines.

That figure revealed the first solid proof that the majority of Samsung's "smartphone sales" this year were actually very low end devices, because it means only one third of the company's overall shipments are premium phones that could be compared to an iPhone.

Samsung's numbers revealing that its big screen Note 3 phablet will account for only a tenth of one third of its 2013 smartphone sales also highlights that oversized phones are not nearly as popular as is often assumed. The majority of Samsung's Note phablets sell in Asia, primarily within South Korea itself. Half of the Note 3's current shipments had occured by then end of October.

5 mil Note 3's shipped in first month. Likely mostly in Asia and MOST in S. Korea. http://t.co/ytGGv6erhO

-- Ben Bajarin (@BenBajarin)


Subsequent numbers by IDC have similarly indicated that big screen phones account for a similar minority of overall sales, underscoring why Apple hasn't rushed to join Android phone makers in releasing big phones.

IDC defined "phablets" as phones with screens as small as 5 inches, which would also include the Galaxy S4. In total, the research company stated that Android's premium phones made up just 21 percent of the "smartphone" market, indicating that the remaining 66 percent of Android devices are very low end products with an Average Selling Price of just $214.50.

Apple selling more premium phones than Samsung

In its fiscal 2013 ending in September, Apple announced sales of 150 million iPhones, mostly iPhone 5 models, as well as 71 million iPads, a total of over 221 million premium smartphones and tablets.

Outside of tablet-phone hybrids like the Note, Samsung sells relatively few standalone tablets, liberally giving away such devices with other purchases of TVs and other products. The company doesn't release quarterly tablet sales.

Another reality highlighted in the company's infographic is the the radical shift the company made in 2009 when began efforts to clone the iPhone. Prior to that year, the only phones sold by the company that reached into 10 million units were simple flip phones or button-oriented candy bar models running Symbian.



Immediately after the "crisis of design" that leaked during the Apple vs Samsung trial last year, all of Samsung's subsequent phones appear to be copies of Apple's large touch screen iPhone concept.

Outside of Samsung, other large Android licensees are doing even worse in their attempts to sell premium phones. The HTC One turned out to be a tremendous disappointment for the company despite garnering more positive reviews than Samsung's phones.

Android Beat relayed news from the Korean language Asia Today this week that pegged quarterly sales of LG's flagship G2 at just 2.3 million units, short of the company's goal of 3 million units despite a prominent ad campaign focusing on the devices' rear fingertip controller.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 136
    Thank you Samsung Insider :D
  • Reply 2 of 136
    Heh heh. Is anyone surprised? :rolleyes:

    ('Cagy' or 'cagey'?).
  • Reply 3 of 136

    Phabulous!

  • Reply 4 of 136
    Extrapolate it will give 15mil note3 in a quarter. We know s4 sold 40 mil in two months so that's 20 mil per quarter. This give a total of 35 mil.

    Apple best quarter is when it sold 47 mil phones and roughly half of these are high ends (I.e 23.5 mil)

    With just 2 models in the premium range samsung still sold at least 50 percent more premium phones than apple.

    Looking at it straight on not a roundabout way gives a completely different picture than this article.
  • Reply 5 of 136
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by zerobim08 View Post



    Extrapolate it will give 15mil note3 in a quarter. We know s4 sold 40 mil in two months so that's 20 mil per quarter. This give a total of 35 mil.



    Apple best quarter is when it sold 47 mil phones and roughly half of these are high ends (I.e 23.5 mil)



    With just 2 models in the premium range samsung still sold at least 50 percent more premium phones than apple.



    Looking at it straight on not a roundabout way gives a completely different picture than this article.

    Are you counting TV dongles in your figures?

  • Reply 6 of 136
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    zerobim08 wrote: »
    Extrapolate it will give 15mil note3 in a quarter. We know s4 sold 40 mil in two months so that's 20 mil per quarter. This give a total of 35 mil.

    Apple best quarter is when it sold 47 mil phones and roughly half of these are high ends (I.e 23.5 mil)

    With just 2 models in the premium range samsung still sold at least 50 percent more premium phones than apple.

    Looking at it straight on not a roundabout way gives a completely different picture than this article.

    What part of 150 million iPhones did you have trouble understanding?

    By far the most popular "premium" screen size is the iPhone screen size.
  • Reply 7 of 136
    LOL I like how the 2014 mystery device in that infographic has an even bigger fucking screen than the Note 3, as if that was the only idea they had for improving it: make it "speccyer."
  • Reply 8 of 136
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member

    samsungtomorrow.com?

     

    Here's to a 404 error ;)

  • Reply 9 of 136
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by zerobim08 View Post



    ..shill blowing smoke in everyone's face..



    That's the problem with forums.  Give's trolls like this clown a platform to pass nonsense in the hopes someone takes it for fact.

  • Reply 10 of 136
    Quote:


     Samsung's numbers revealing that its big screen Note 3 phablet will account for only a tenth of one third of its 2013 smartphone sale


    Less cumbersome to just say 3.3%?

  • Reply 11 of 136
    I thought I saw a guy carrying a box with next-year's Samsung top-of-the-line smartphone. I mean, the box had "Samsung" all over it.

    Turns out he was holding a Samsung 22" TV.

    I knew it was going to have a bigger screen, but this would be really, really hard to fit in a pocket.
  • Reply 12 of 136
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    zerobim08 wrote: »
    Extrapolate it will give 15mil note3 in a quarter. We know s4 sold 40 mil in two months so that's 20 mil per quarter. This give a total of 35 mil.

    Apple best quarter is when it sold 47 mil phones and roughly half of these are high ends (I.e 23.5 mil)

    With just 2 models in the premium range samsung still sold at least 50 percent more premium phones than apple.

    Looking at it straight on not a roundabout way gives a completely different picture than this article.

    Seriously? Before you make such a moronic post, go get yourself a good education as you are obviously clueless! Apple ONLY sells high end advanced phones, even models that are two or three years old are high end. They still are updated with current iOS, unlike junk Android devices, and still carry state of the art features. They also are in such high demand they have excellent resale value. As to your Samsung numbers, you obviously flunked math class. Back to school for you!
  • Reply 13 of 136
    Phablet demand is not high? Or Samsung, Android Phablet demand not high?
  • Reply 14 of 136
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zerobim08 View Post



    Extrapolate it will give 15mil note3 in a quarter. We know s4 sold 40 mil in two months so that's 20 mil per quarter. This give a total of 35 mil.



    Apple best quarter is when it sold 47 mil phones and roughly half of these are high ends (I.e 23.5 mil)



    With just 2 models in the premium range samsung still sold at least 50 percent more premium phones than apple.



    Looking at it straight on not a roundabout way gives a completely different picture than this article.

    You have some really funny math, the S4 in the first two months sold 10 million according to samsungs own info graphic in the article. Guess you just didn't see that.  You must be using flawgic.

     

    Here is a pict of it for you

     

    notice that 10 million number.

  • Reply 15 of 136
    Phablet demand is not high? Or Samsung, Android Phablet demand not high?

    Since Samsung's phablets are outselling other Android phablets it can be deduced that all phablet sales are phucking phlat.
  • Reply 16 of 136
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by zerobim08 View Post



    Extrapolate it will give 15mil note3 in a quarter. We know s4 sold 40 mil in two months so that's 20 mil per quarter. This give a total of 35 mil.



    Apple best quarter is when it sold 47 mil phones and roughly half of these are high ends (I.e 23.5 mil)



    With just 2 models in the premium range samsung still sold at least 50 percent more premium phones than apple.



    Looking at it straight on not a roundabout way gives a completely different picture than this article.

    keep trying tiger, you'll get the hang of it soon.

  • Reply 17 of 136
    I don't know why everyone is poo-pooing Samsung's numbers. There clearly is a market for large and even giant phones.

    Yes... Apple sells a metric-fuckton of phones already. No argument there.

    But imagine how many [I]more[/I] iPhones Apple would sell if they had equivalents to the screen sizes of the Galaxy S4 or Note 3.

    Samsung just sold 10 million Note 3s in 2 months. Call it a hunch... but I bet sales of the Note 3 would be a lot lower if Apple sold their own "iNote" or whatever.

    Let's face it... larger phones are here to stay. And there are plenty of people who consider Apple's 4" phone too small.

    So they buy 4.3" 4.5" 4.7" 5.0" and larger instead.

    Yes... 150 million iPhones a year is great... but wouldn't 200 million be better? :D
  • Reply 18 of 136
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    keep trying tiger, you'll get the hang of it soon.

    Looks like a Samsung affiliate again - must be as they don't provide any evidence for the numbers just like Samsung.
  • Reply 19 of 136

    OK, lets take this really slow....

     

    If Samsung sold 10 million Note 3 units and 'it's only been on sale for 2 months', and Samsung has stated that they will sell a combined 100 million Note and Galaxy S devices in all of 2013 (all directly from this article)....

     

    This author concludes that "Galaxy Note 3 phablet accounts for just 1/10 of Samsung's 2013 premium phone sales".   The Note 3 was released on Sept. 25th, 2013.    He then concludes that phablets aren't as popular as thought.

     

    Anyone see the obvious math error?

    Anyone see the other obvious error with his conclusion? 

     

    Another poor article on Apple Insider.

  • Reply 20 of 136
    gwmacgwmac Posts: 1,807member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Michael Scrip View Post



    I don't know why everyone is poo-pooing Samsung's numbers. There clearly is a market for large and even giant phones.



    Yes... Apple sells a metric-fuckton of phones already. No argument there.



    But imagine how many more iPhones Apple would sell if they had equivalents to the screen sizes of the Galaxy S4 or Note 3.



    Samsung just sold 10 million Note 3s in 2 months. Call it a hunch... but I bet sales of the Note 3 would be a lot lower if Apple sold their own "iNote" or whatever.



    Let's face it... larger phones are here to stay. And there are plenty of people who consider Apple's 4" phone too small.



    So they buy 4.3" 4.5" 4.7" 5.0" and larger instead.



    Yes... 150 million iPhones a year is great... but wouldn't 200 million be better? image

     

    Great post and right on the money. I wonder how many of current iPhone 5s owners are like me that bought the iPhone for a variety reasons but are extremely unhappy with the display size. I was really on the fence about whether to stay with an iPhone or move to an Android to get the display I wanted but chose to stay mostly because of the ecosystem. If Apple were to make a larger iPhone I would trade up the first day it went on sell. There simply is no way to tell how popular a larger iPhone would be since none exist. Some people go with Android and many more like me stay with an iPhone but would far prefer a larger display. 

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