Samsung Electronics (Samsung) has made pre-ordering for the Galaxy S25 series available in Taiwan. According to Jacob Chen, president of Samsung Taiwan's Mobile Communications Division, the Galaxy S25 is expected to achieve a 20% increase in overall sales and an over 25% increase in revenue compared to the Galaxy S24, driven by advancements in generative AI (GenAI) and enhanced marketing strategies.
Chen noted that 2024 marks the inaugural year of Galaxy AI. Despite challenges including inflation and high smartphone penetration rates leading to stagnant sales across most IT products in Taiwan, Samsung's mobile business—including smartphones, tablets, and wearables—has continued to show positive growth thanks to AI support.
While the Taiwanese smartphone market remained stable in 2024, Samsung outperformed in smartphones over US$600, achieving the highest record since 2015. Its smartphones priced around US$300 also saw double-digit growth.
Furthermore, Samsung's tablet sales grew by over 15% in 2024, aided by Galaxy AI. Although the overall market in Taiwan declined by 15%, Samsung still achieved more than 15% growth in the wearables sector.
In 2025, Samsung plans to continue enhancing GenAI functions through human-like AI agents, an integrated AI platform, and personalized AI features, which will serve as key drivers for surpassing the sales figures of the Galaxy S24. The company aims for a 20% growth target in sales for 2025.
To improve consumer awareness of Galaxy AI, Samsung will increase its marketing budget for promoting GenAI experiences in 2025 while expanding the breadth of its product line. Chen also stated that the market penetration rate for GenAI smartphones reached approximately 17% in 2024.
With the launch of the S25, Samsung plans to extend Galaxy AI to its A-series smartphones, potentially raising the overall penetration rate of AI smartphones to around 25% in 2025. Samsung projects that its own AI smartphone sales could account for up to 30% market share.
Additionally, external forecasts suggest that the overall smartphone sales in Taiwan may see a 5% increase in 2025. However, with an expanded product lineup and intensified promotion of smartphones priced above US$1,000, Samsung hopes to achieve double-digit revenue growth in Taiwan through comprehensive product placement and increased marketing investments.
According to Chosun Biz, the Galaxy S25 series was available for pre-order in South Korea from January 24 to February 3, 2025, and total pre-orders reached 1.3 million units. The Galaxy S25 Ultra (flagship model) accounted for 52%, the Galaxy S25 (standard model) accounted for 26%, and the Galaxy S25 Plus (large-screen model) accounted for 22%.
The most popular color choices were Titanium White Silver and Titanium Silver Blue for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, while Silver Shadow and Icy Blue were favored for the standard and Plus models.
Customers who pre-ordered can start picking up and activating their devices from February 4, 2025. The series will then officially launch in over 120 countries, including South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom, starting February 7, 2025.