Samsung Electronics will roll out all its latest Galaxy gadgets including the foldable model within the first half of this year, a move seen as a strategy to restore its smartphone business revenue, according to industry sources Thursday.
Preorders for the three models of the Galaxy S10 edition -- Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ -- will begin Monday for two weeks through the country’s three mobile carriers.
The 5G model will be available for preorder starting March 22.
Visitors look at Galaxy S10 phones at an experience zone at the Unpacked event in San Francisco on Wednesday. (Samsung Electronics)
The 128-gigabyte Galaxy S10e offers the lowest price tag of 890,000 won ($791). The flagship S10 versions offer 1.05 million won for 128GB storage and 1.29 million won for 512GB.
The most expensive model is the 1-terabyte Galaxy S10+ that will be available for individual purchase without any subsidy from mobile operators.
The Galaxy Fold, which was highly praised by global tech fans at the Unpacked event on Wednesday, will go on sale April 26 starting in the United States with a price tag of $1,980 -- earlier than expected by industry officials due to marketability of the new form factor.
The release date for the Korean market has not been confirmed.
“Samsung is getting it right on the sales mode after an upbeat mood following the unpacking event, adding momentum to restoring revenue of its smartphone business,” an industry official said. “It was widely expected to see the foldable model roll out in the second half of the year.
Such a change in sales strategy could help Samsung preoccupy the market leadership this year ahead of Apple and other rivals, according to analysts.
By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)
