Samsung Galaxy S8+ Expected to Outsell the Smaller Galaxy S8 Model: Report

It seems the large-screen smartphone trend is still going strong. Not only are large-screen smartphones - commonly known as phablets - much in demand, but it appears even massive-screen smartphones are very popular. An example of this is seen in the pair of Samsung flagships smartphones launched this year - the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. A report by a securities firm claims Samsung is on track to sell more Galaxy S8+ smartphones this year than Galaxy S8.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 bears a 5.8-inch QHD+ (1440x2960 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity Display, while the Samsung Galaxy S8+ bears a 6.2-inch QHD+ (1440x2960 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity Display. Apart from display sizes, other differences between the two smartphones include battery capacity (3000mAh vs 3500mAh), dimensions (148.9x68.1x8mm vs 159.5x73.4x8.1mm), and weight (155 grams vs 173 grams).

The report by Yuanta Securities Korea Co., cited by The Korea Herald, notes that by the end of this year, Samsung is expected to sell 50.4 million units of its two Samsung Galaxy S8 flagship smartphones, with the larger variant expected to comprise 53.9 percent of the total sales - or 27.1 million.

Yuanta details several reasons for the difference in foreseen demand, apart from the standard USP of phablets - larger screens are better for media consumption and mobile gaming. The Galaxy S8+ in markets like South Korea and China is available in a 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant, making it more appealing than the maximum configuration of 4GB RAM and 64GB storage on the Galaxy S8. It adds that when using the DeX mobile-to-PC transition tool, a larger storage capacity would be more ideal.

Historically as well, Samsung flagship buyers preferred the larger screen model, Yuanta claims, with the 'Edge' version of both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S7 said to sell more - 51.3 percent and 51.9 percent of the total sales, respectively. The report adds that this demand for the larger, more expensive variant will also help the company's bottom line and profit margins.