Samsung reportedly aiming to ship 60 million Galaxy S8 units

Following the Note 7 fiasco, Samsung has quite a lot to make up for. Of course, its best shot at regaining customers’ trust will be the forthcoming Galaxy S8, and if it wasn’t clear enough, the Korean giant is aiming high. Here is the latest proof…

As per a report from The Investor, the electronics firm “has requested its partners to supply (parts) based on [Samsung’s] 60 million shipment goal.” These are the words of an unnamed industry source, who also told the paper that the release schedule has changed…

While initial reports stated the S8 would come out as early as possible, it looks like Samsung opted for an almost complete 180, with a mid-April release window (which is about a month later than usual).

To give a little context, the generally successful Galaxy S7 (and its S7 edge sibling) is estimated to have shipped just short of 50 million units, while the best Galaxy S performer, the 2013 Galaxy S4, topped at a quite staggering 70 million, up 5 million from 2012’s S3. Evidently, Samsung is eager to return to the success of those years.

And while, despite everything, the company has managed to project record earnings for the last quarter of 2016, it will be difficult to prove naysayers wrong. Whether consumers or analysts, skeptics are concerned, both because of the big iPhone redesign seemingly due at the end of the year and the looming, expanding presence of brands like Huawei from China.

One thing, however, seems certain: the Galaxy S8 is happening soon, and it will be massive. Whether Samsung will manage to actually hit its rather ambitious target remains to be seen — and the generally saturated, slowing smartphone market won’t be of help, either. However, our hope is for Samsung to come out with a genuinely exciting, forward-looking device. Oh, and a safe one, of course.