Pre-orders for Galaxy S9 pip S8's in UAE

Chung Lyong Lee, president of Samsung Gulf Electronics, during the UAE unveiling of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ in Dubai.

Samsung Electronics Gulf says pre-orders for its latest flagships, the Galaxy S9 and S9+, outpaced those of its predecessors.

The company revealed that the S9+ is the more popular choice in the country; until March 7, pre-orders for the 5.8-inch S9 comprised 40 per cent of the demand, while the 6.2-inch S9+ got the lion's share with 60 per cent.

Demand was so high that pre-orders were exhausted at some retailers in the UAE. Samsung, however, has guaranteed that more supplies will come to cater to all customers.

For the S9 and S9+, Samsung focused on upgrading the camera and, so far, initial reviews have been favourable.

DxOMark, a website dedicated to testing and ranking cameras on mobile phones, placed the Galaxy S9+'s on top of its latest list with 99 points, besting the Google Pixel 2 (98), Apple iPhone X and Huawei Mate 10 Pro (97), and iPhone 8 Plus (94).

"The way we use our smartphones has changed as communication and self-expression have evolved," Tarek Sabbagh, head of Samsung Electronics Gulf's IT and mobile division, said in a statement to Khaleej Times. "We have reimagined the smartphone camera for today's generation and the way they communicate."

While the UAE's smartphone market grew 2 per cent in 2017, Samsung says its growth was double at 4 per cent, quoting figures from research firm GfK.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ also come with the new built-in Samsung Members app, which provides its users with exclusive rewards that are regularly updated. Among the companies who have tied up with Samsung are Apparel Group and Marriott International Hotels. Galaxy Entertainer, which provides buy-one-take-one offers, is also back.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be on UAE shelves starting March 16. Both will come in 3 storage options - 64GB, 128GB and 256GB - and will range from Dh3,099 to Dh3,899.

- alvin@khaleejtimes.com