Galaxy Note 8 pre-orders surpass 800,000 in South Korea

The Galaxy Note 8 appears to be defying all odds in South Korea. More than 800,000 people have pre-ordered the handset since reservations opened on Thursday, September 7, far outpacing its predecessor, which received 380,000 pre-orders over a 13-day period.

Even though the Galaxy Note 8 is—dare we say it—the best Android smartphone on the market, it was near-impossible to predict whether it was going to be a hit amongst consumers, because let’s face it: there’s a reason people may have decided to pass on the device.

Related: Follow these five tips to get the most out of your shiny new Galaxy Note 8

You know exactly what we’re talking about… the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. It wasn’t clear whether recalling a smartphone (twice) because it had a tendency to burst into flames would permanently tarnish the Galaxy Note brand, but it’s looking like that wasn’t the case.

Customers who pre-ordered a Galaxy Note 8 in Asia, Europe, North America and South America will receive it at some point later today, while those hoping to stroll into their local brick-and-mortar store to pick one up will need to wait until Thursday, September 21.