Will the Galaxy S7 Edge outsell the standard S7?

Samsung has, depending on one’s inclinations, (1) done it again, (2) done it right this time, or (3) done nothing substantive whatsoever. Given the out-cry over last year’s controversial decision to mitigate microSD, one might assume the overall reception to this year’s follow up, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, are a panacea for the possible problem. In fact, not only are the devices making use of expandable storage, but they are even water resistant as well!

The question of the moment, however, is not in regards to the devices being a success. No, Samsung has already made it clear to the world it expects to sell mass numbers of the sleek smartphones. But which one turns out to be the bigger breadwinner is another question entirely.

The S6 miscalculation

For all intents and purposes, last year’s Galaxy S6 was apparently perceived by Samsung as being the more popular device when weighed against the S6 Edge, at least in the pre-release stage. Reports were quite clear that the demand was so high for the Galaxy S6 Edge that Samsung had to open a third production facility just to be able to supply enough of them. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S6, proving far less desirable, was largely seen as having a negative effect on Samsung’s Q2 2015 earnings, coupled with the shortage of Edge units.

Technically speaking this “lack” of foresight made perfect sense at the time. The Galaxy S6 Edge was roughly $100 more expensive more expensive than the Galaxy S6 (standard), but it was also, in conception, the follow-up to the questionably received Galaxy Note Edge. While the Korean OEM had always maintained that the Note Edge would be a limited production product, reports that indicated it sold not even 700,000 units certainly didn’t paint a picture of plentiful purchases.

This, coupled with the increasing competition from China, and the Galaxy S5 -which was arguably a comparative flop given the failure to meet sales expectations according to some reports – seemingly made it all the more obvious that the standard Galaxy S6 with its lower price and traditional presentation would be the safer smartphone to push.

And yet, clearly customers took to the unique look of the Galaxy S6 Edge and clearly didn’t mind the pricing difference.

The S7 Question

Now as the world looks to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, the same question is oddly just as valid as before, if not more so. Whereas the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge were, essentially, the same product just with a modified screen (and the latter with a slightly larger battery), this year’s proper pair are not.

The Galaxy S7 is a more standard-sized smartphone with a display of 5.1 inches – the same as last year’s offering – but the Galaxy S7 Edge on the other hand, is clearly in the phablet realm with its 5.5-inch display. While specific pricing is not yet available, it can be assumed the curved variant will once again command a higher price to acquire.

This means customers have a big choice to consider: do they “settle” for the same sized smartphone they may have splurged on last year, or do they go for the larger of the two. While 5.5 inches is not too big per se, the phone is still nonetheless a larger product. To make matters more complicated, the Galaxy S6 Edge+, at 5.7 inches, is also available for purchase, and will quite likely see a price decrease or in-store promotion going for it. This would make the device not only larger but also potentially much cheaper.

Wrap-up and Survey

Suffice to say, the coming weeks will be quite interesting for those who like talking numbers. Samsung obviously, having real vested interests in this whole subject matter, will no doubt also be watching the sales numbers like a hawk. Perhaps the LG G5, which was announced on the same day as Samsung’s selection, will affect purchases to an extent. Or not.

We would like to ask you, however, the reader which model you think will sell better among the two. Please feel free to take the short survey below, and then share your comments and concerns in in the discussion section!