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Samsung says Galaxy S8 preorders were its best ever and promises software fixes

Samsung says Galaxy S8 preorders were its best ever and promises software fixes

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Samsung Galaxy S8
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Samsung has announced that preorders for its Galaxy S8 smartphone were 30 percent higher year-over-year compared to 2016’s flagship Galaxy S7. That growth is apparently enough to set a new record, with the company saying that the S8 has achieved preorder totals that are Samsung’s “best ever.” Samsung refrained from providing any hard numbers, and I’ve asked whether preorders for the recalled Galaxy Note 7 are being factored into this new record. “The response is humbling, energizing, and points to a great launch week,” Samsung Electronics America president and COO Tim Baxter said in a statement.

From my personal experience over the weekend, the phone seemed to be in solid supply at most carriers and retailers like Best Buy. Being able to adequately meet demand is almost worthy of praise these days. Samsung’s underlying message to the successful preorder campaign is clear: while the Note 7 might’ve damaged the company’s safety reputation, it apparently hasn’t done any damage to consumer excitement over subsequent products.

Even so, Baxter touched on Samsung’s determination to avoid repeating past mishaps earlier in his statement. “At Samsung, we believe it is a privilege to make groundbreaking products that are enjoyed by millions, and have recommitted ourselves to innovate, not only with new products and services, but also in process.” (Emphasis ours.)

Separately, Samsung announced that it will be issuing a software update to give S8 owners more granular control over the display’s appearance; some early buyers have complained of a “red tint” to the OLED screen that they’ve been unable to remove using the phone’s existing white balance controls. The company confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that there’s no hardware defect with the display and the update should be able to resolve any frustrations. But I won’t even try to guess when your particular carrier might issue that update. Samsung also plans to fix some Wi-Fi connectivity issues for S8 users in the Korean market.