Samsung Electronics Makes Inroads into Japan with Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab

Korean electronics giant’s smartphones enjoy explosive popularity around the world

Korean electronics makers, including Samsung Electronics, are accelerating their bids to make inroads into the Japanese electronics market, once dubbed “an impregnable fortress.”
Samsung Electronics and NTT DOCOMO announced a plan to release the former’s smartphone, Galaxy S, and smart media device, Galaxy Tab, on the Japanese market during a news conference held at the Tokyo Hyatt Hotel on Oct. 5. Among 300 people on hand at the session were Shin Jong-kyun, president of Samsung Electronics’ mobile business, and his NTT DOCOMO counterpart Ryuji Yamada.
It is the first time Samsung Electronics will release mobile phones in collaboration with NTT DOCOMO, Japan’s biggest telecom operator. In late September, LG Electronics held a similar session to announce its bid to reenter the Japanese market.
Japanese-market versions of the Galaxy S employ the Android 2.2 operating system, allowing users to choose from a large variety of applications available at the mobile portal Android Market as well as a 4-inch super AMOLED screen and a 1GHz processor. Galaxy Tab also features the Android 2.2 operating system, a 7-inch LCD display panel and a 1GHz processor.
NTT DOCOMO plans to release Japanese-market versions of Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab with the Samsung logo.
NTT DOCOMO President Yamada said, “I expect Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab to be the success stories in the smartphone era, and we will offer to Japanese customers a variety of mobile contents through the excellent performances of the two products and NTT DOCOMO’s mobile network.”
Samsung Electronics President Shin said, “I’m pleased to feature the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab at a joint event with NTT DOCOMO, and I expect Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab to offer new kinds of mobile experiences to Japanese clients.” Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab are to be released on the Japanese market in late October and late November, respectively.
Galaxy S Becomes Global 5 million Unit Seller
Samsung Electronics’ strategic smartphone, Galaxy S, is enjoying explosive popularity around the world, surpassing the 5 million unit sales record. Samsung Electronics said on Oct. 3 that more than 5 million Galaxy S units were sold globally in four months since its debut this past June ― the equivalent of selling more than 40,000 units each day or one unit every two seconds.
The 5 million Galaxy S units Samsung Electronics sold around the world during that four-month period are closer to the cumulative annual sales of smartphones the Korean electronics giant sold during the whole of 2009. Galaxy S is Samsung Electronics’ biggest smartphone seller, and Samsung Electronics expects Galaxy S to become a 10 million-unit seller within this year, Samsung Electronics officials said.
Samsung Electronics sold 530,000 Galaxy S units in June, the month of its debut, 1.34 million units in August and 1.8 million units in September.
By area, 1.3 million units were sold in Korea while 2.1 million units and more than 1 million units were sold in the United States and Europe, respectively, to show a balanced selling trend.
Galaxy S’s success is owed to the excellent Super AMOLED, a 4-inch display screen, a 1GHz CPU, an intuitive user interface, a touch screen and a super-slim 9.9mm design that Samsung Electronics has employed along with rich applications and efforts to meet district-specific demands.
Samsung Electronics officials said the feat of the Galaxy S will likely serve as an opportunity for the Korean electronics maker to evolve into a global smartphone powerhouse and it will devote itself to making Galaxy S a 10 million-unit seller. nw

(from left) Samsung Electronics President Shin Dong-kyung shakes hands with his NTT DOCOMO counterpart Ryuji Yamada in Tokyo on Oct. 5 after announcing a plan to release Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab on the Japanese market.; the Galaxy Tab,; the Galaxy S.