Western consumers may have to wait another few weeks to get their hands on the LG G6, but the new phone is already on sale in LG's home market of South Korea — and, according to report from the local press, doing rather well.
The Korea Herald reports that the G6 sold more than 30,000 units across the country over its launch weekend, with pre-orders exceeding 82,000 since they opened on March 2. Analyst Kim Dong-won of KB Securities is quoted as saying 20,000 units were shifted during the first day alone, "a record high compared to its predecessors."
The G6's long-term success depends as much on Samsung as anything.
All of that bodes well for LG's mobile business, which suffered heavy losses in 2016 off the back of weak G5 sales. Should the G6 continue to sell well, Kim says, "LG's mobile business is likely to see a reduction of more than 1 trillion won [$872 million U.S.] in operating losses from the previous year."
The G6's long-term success depends on how major rival Samsung's Galaxy S8 is received. The company took the unusual step of teasing the GS8 during a 15-second TV spot in Korea over the weekend, a move intended to take some of the wind out of LG's sails. The Galaxy S8 will be unveiled at a launch event in New York City on March 29, with sales expected to begin globally on April 28. And while history suggests the phone may go on sale in Korea a little earlier than this, LG still has a vital few weeks to establish momentum.
