According to SamMobile, Samsung is already planning for its Galaxy S26 lineup to outsell the upcoming Galaxy S25 generation. The company’s mobile revenue peaked back in 2013 at KRW 133 trillion from Galaxy phones and tablets. After that peak, revenue stagnated around KRW 100 trillion for many consecutive years. This year, Samsung expects mobile revenue to reach approximately KRW 120 trillion. The S26 sales target represents a significant strategic shift for the company’s flagship smartphone planning.
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<h2 id="market-shift“>What This Tells Us About Samsung‘s Strategy
Here’s the thing – planning to sell more S26 units than S25 before either phone even exists? That’s either incredibly confident or reveals something deeper about Samsung’s product roadmap. Basically, they’re betting big on whatever comes after the S25 being a major leap forward. Maybe they’ve got some killer feature planned, or perhaps they’re anticipating market conditions will improve dramatically by 2026.
And let’s talk about that revenue trajectory. KRW 133 trillion in 2013, then years stuck around KRW 100 trillion? That’s a pretty brutal plateau for what should be Samsung’s growth engine. The fact they’re finally climbing back toward KRW 120 trillion suggests something’s working again. But is it sustainable, or just temporary recovery from pandemic-era supply chain issues?
The Broader Smartphone Battle
This move puts pressure on everyone – Apple, Google, the Chinese manufacturers. If Samsung’s planning aggressive growth targets two years out, they must see weakness somewhere in the competitive landscape. Or maybe they’re counting on AI features becoming so compelling that people will upgrade more frequently. Remember when smartphone upgrades were annual events? Those days are long gone for most consumers.
So what does this mean for pricing? If Samsung wants to sell more premium devices, they’ll need to either make them more affordable or so compelling that people justify the cost. Given recent trends, I’m leaning toward the latter. We’ve seen prices creep up across the board, and Samsung isn’t likely to reverse that trend.
The real question is whether the smartphone market even has room for this kind of growth anymore. Most people are holding onto devices longer, and the innovation cycle has slowed considerably. For Samsung to hit these targets, they’ll need to either steal market share from competitors or somehow reignite upgrade fever. Neither sounds easy in today’s market.
