The lineup keeps growing
Following the February 25 announcement, the Galaxy S26 experienced record-high pre-order sales. The Galaxy S26 Ultra got the biggest slice of the pie, accounting for over 70% of the 1.35 million units pre-ordered in South Korea.
It’s hard to imagine the momentum would keep growing, but apparently, it did. According to a Counterpoint report, sales have been growing.
This has to be one of Samsung’s best-selling phones! | Image by Counterpoint
Counterpoint estimates that S26 sales have increased by about 2% compared to the S25 series in the first three weeks after the global launch on March 11. The technology market research company has used data from 10 major countries.
Strong competition
In its report, Counterpoint identifies an interesting trend in Samsung’s influence in key markets this year: even introducing new technologies like Privacy Display isn’t enough to take some competitors out of the equation. Surprise: I’m not referring to Apple here. Galaxy S26 sales have been particularly strong in the US, with the series growing by 29% over the previous generation. A similar tendency was observed in Samsung’s home market, though no concrete figures have been identified.
The Vivo X300 Pro is one of the best camera phones from the brand. | Image by PhoneArena
However, Samsung didn’t achieve dominance in India and China with its latest non-foldable flagships. Sales have been moderate, meaning no dramatic increases over the Galaxy S25. Brands like Vivo, Xiaomi, and Oppo continue to dominate in these regions.
A broader look shows something else
Clearly, Samsung hasn’t experienced ‘continuous success’ this year. | Image by Counterpoint
By week 10, Samsung experienced its lowest sales period, with demand significantly below 2025 levels. While the decrease was 21% year-on-year, the market shifted in the first week after launch, marking a 6% increase, followed by 2% in the second week and 5% in the third.
In simple terms, that shows how important new product launches are. If Samsung took even longer to release the S26 series, it might have faced an even steeper YoY decline.
What’s next?
Regardless of the later announcement (compared to previous Galaxy S models), the Galaxy S26 has been another success story for Samsung.
Now, with rumors suggesting the Galaxy S27 Ultra might adopt a variable aperture for the main camera and, finally, a larger battery, expectations for the next lineup are already building.
Of course, it’s too early to avoid being skeptical. In my opinion, however, even if one of these leaks turns out to be true, the current upward trend is very likely to continue into next year.
Expectations are already high for the Galaxy S26 Ultra successor. | Image by PhoneArena
