Dubai: Samsung announced that more people have pre-ordered the Note 8 than its previous generation models, and the first allotment to the UAE is fully pre-booked.
The phone was unveiled globally on August 23 in New York and became available for pre-booking from August 24 to September 10.
The pre-registered customers will start getting the device from September 13 and it will be available at retail stores from September 21.
Tarek Sabbagh, head of IT and mobile division at Samsung Electronics Gulf, told Gulf News after launching the device in the UAE on Sunday evening that pre-order numbers are a benchmark and a good sign to tell how much customers trust the brand.
“The pre-order numbers are above our expectations. As on Saturday, we got four times that of Note 7 and are in neck-to-neck with S8. In South Korea, we got 395,000 pre-orders in one day versus 380,000 for the Note 7 in 13 days,” he said.
Samsung did not reveal exact sales numbers, but this will come to light in its next quarterly financial report.
When asked whether Apple’s new iPhone X, to be launched on September 12, will have an impact on its sales, Sabbagh said technology is not one-size-fits-all. Each brand and every device within the same family has its own uses and specifications, he said.
“Note 8 represents a good innovation for us and we are the only one playing with a pen. Loyal Note users will not make a compromise. There is still more than 300,000 Note 5 users on the UAE network and they will not compromise for any other device. We love competition and will see,” he said.
Daniel Gleeson, senior analyst for consumer technology at research firm Ovum, said the Note 8 is very important for Samsung and the continuation of the Note brand.”
Samsung started the Note series in 2011, the so-called phablet segment, with a 5.1-inch large screen size.
“The Note range is one of Samsung’s most distinct products and of course also serves as its direct competition to the new iPhone launch. The problems faced by the Note last year make this an even more important launch for Samsung as it needs to prove to Note users who remained loyal throughout the last year that the wait was worthwhile,” he said.
He added that reports last year indicated that Samsung had ramped up manufacturing of the Note 7 up to three million units a month before needing to stop; double the initial manufacturing run of the Note 5.
If the Note 8 performs like the Note 7 was expected to, then it should give Samsung at least $7 billion (Dh25.71 billion) in revenues by the end of the year.
Kim Dong-won of financial investment company KB Securities Co, expects Samsung to sell 3.5 million and 7.5 million Note 8s in the third and fourth quarters respectively.
To gain a competitive advantage, Samsung is also offering Note 7 buyers a free screen replacement, if broken, which is worth more than Dh1,000 as a reward.
Sabbagh said that apart from this, Samsung has joined forces with Marriott Middle East and Africa to give exclusive “Galaxy VIP Membership” to Note 8 buyers and offer 20 per cent discount on hotel stays and food, 20 per cent on spa treatment, Dh2,000 on business class ticket and Dh1,000 for economy class with Cleartrip for two people and Dh500 for local transportation with Cleartrip.
