By all accounts, the Samsung Galaxy S24 series is off to a flying start. The company’s new phones broke pre-order records in India and South Korea, and we’ve now had confirmation that European customers proved equally eager to get their hands on the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra in the first week of release.
“Right across Europe, over the first seven days of pre-orders, the Galaxy S24 series surpassed the total pre-order volume we achieved with the Galaxy S23 series,” James Kitto, Samsung’s VP of UK sales, in a recent presentation attended by TechRadar.
“The reaction has been nothing short of absolutely incredible,” Kitto said, adding that “the mobile market has been re-energized by AI,” in reference to the suite of Galaxy AI features now available across all three phones in the Galaxy S24 line.
Kitto didn’t elaborate on the numbers, but we do know that, in South Korea, the Galaxy S24 achieved the highest number of pre-orders in Galaxy S series history. Interestingly, 65% of those pre-orders were for the company’s top-of-the-range Galaxy S24 Ultra model, reflecting a similar demand for Apple’s flagship iPhone 15 Pro Max, which last year outperformed the iPhone 14 Pro Max in terms of first-week sales.
So, can Samsung’s latest smartphone lineup make a meaningful dent in Apple’s continued dominance of the smartphone market? As we reported last year, Android fans are switching to iPhones in record numbers, and popularity breeds more popularity. The more people that use iPhones, the more popular iPhones become – but Samsung will be hoping that its unique take on AI can help stop the bleeding.
“The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the most technically advanced device we’ve ever brought to market,” Kitto explained. “We’ve combined our much-loved hardware with the mind-blowing possibilities of AI [to make] the world’s first AI-capable phone.”
And Samsung is right to toot its own horn. In our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review, we described the company’s latest flagship as “a phone that transcends the smartphone category,” and it now sits pretty at the top of our best phones ranking.
That said, Samsung won’t be able to claim ownership of the AI space for long. Apple is reportedly spending over $1 billion a year on AI development, and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman confirmed last month that several iPhone-specific AI features are on track for a big unveiling at WWDC 2024.
The likes of Siri, Messages, Apple Music and Pages are expected to receive significant AI-based improvements this year, with the former reportedly in line for a ChatGPT-style makeover. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro Max, then, will almost certainly arrive bearing an enviable arsenal of Galaxy-rivalling features.
For now, though, the wind is in Samsung’s favor. If you’re interested in our own, more detailed verdicts on the company’s latest handsets, check out our Samsung Galaxy S24 review, hands-on Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.
