Samsung reportedly falls short of Galaxy S5 sales estimates

Looks like there was some justification behind Samsung's decision to streamline its smartphone portfolio in 2015, as the Wall Street Journal reports that the Galaxy S5 failed to sell nearly as well as its predecessor, the Galaxy S4. According to the WSJ, Samsung sold 12 million units of the Galaxy S5 in the first three months, four million units less than what the Galaxy S4 achieved last year.

The publication states that while the Galaxy S5 had a strong showing in the US market, the device failed to garner enough attention in China, where sales were down by over 50 percent. Further cause for concern is the fact that Samsung estimated sales to be 20 percent more than what the Galaxy S4 managed, which led to an increased production. It is believed that the vendor had to increase advertising to clear inventory of unsold devices that were piling up in its warehouses.

The vendor is also said to be mulling a senior management restructuring that may see J.K. Shin hand over the reins of the mobile division to co-CEO B.K. Yoon, who handles Samsung's home appliance and television business.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Harish Jonnalagadda
Senior Editor - Asia

Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor overseeing Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, contributing to reviews, features, and buying guides. He also writes about storage servers, audio products, and the semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.