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The Galaxy S21 series broke pre-order records in the UK
July 31, 2025
You might not be thrilled that Samsung dropped the microSD slot and bundled charger from theGalaxy S21, but that apparently hasn’t dampened enthusiasm for the company’s latest flagships. According toSamMobile, Samsung UK says the Galaxy S21 family broke pre-order sales records and eclipsed demand for the S10 and S20.
The company didn’t provide specific sales numbers for the Galaxy S21 lineup, but it made clear that the high-endS21 Ultrawas the star attraction. The top-tier phone represented more than half of pre-orders. That’s not completely surprising when these customers are more likely to be fans, but it’s a sharp contrast from theS20 Plusdominating in the first half of 2020.
Read more:The best Galaxy S21 alternatives
Samsung’s results are somewhat unexpected. While there were hints of strong demand in the country’s home territory of South Korea, there were claims the company hadset conservative sales estimatesfor the Galaxy S21 due to both the pandemic and premium competition.
It’s unclear whether or not Samsung can maintain the Galaxy S21’s sales momentum, or whether this translates to other countries. The audience that pre-orders a phone isn’t the same as the one that buys that phone during its main lifecycle — you may see more people buying the ordinary S21 models, or springing for one of its alternatives. Samsung has fiercer competition in places like North America and China, where rivals likeAppleandXiaomihave more sway.
If this is reflective of Samsung’s overall performance, though, it’s promising for the company. It suggests that Samsung addressed complaints about the S20 series, and that some of its more controversial design choices weren’t enough to hurt Galaxy S21 sales.
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