SEOUL: Samsung rolled out its new Smartphone Galaxy S6 and its curved-edge variant, the Galaxy S6 Edge in South Korea and 20 other countries on Friday in a bid to restore its role as market leader.
Both went on sale in South Korea, home of the electronic giant, as well as Europe, the United States and markets in the Asia-Pacific such as Australia, Singapore and India.
Samsung, labouring under the burden of successive quarters of plunging profits and booming sales of arch-rival Apple’s iPhone 6, is hoping that new phone will reverse the company’s fortunes.
First unveiled in March, the two new phones have received rave reviews and fuelled Samsung’s hopes of a market comeback after the Galaxy S5 failed to make a significant impact.
Joo Seung-Bin was one of the first in line to buy an S6 in Seoul on Friday morning.
“It’s a great design, and it’s just got a great feel,” the 23-year-old said.
“It’s not cheap, but then I’m not one of those people who upgrades their phone every year. There’s been a lot of buzz about this model, so I thought I’d check it out,” Joo said.
The S6 retails at around 858,000 won (US$800) in South Korea, while the S6 Edge comes in at 979,000 won.
Both models are powered by Google’s Android operating platform and, in a break from their-plastic-backed predecessors, feature metal and glass bodies.
