Samsung doesn't seem to think that it's going to see a surge in smartphone sales this year. A new report out of South Korea claims that the company is playing it safe this year and maintaining its sales goal for 2018 at a similar level as 2017. Industry sources cited in the report claim that Samsung is aiming to sell 320 million smartphones in 2018.
Samsung's 2018 smartphone sales
The report claims that Samsung has informed its suppliers about its sales plan for 2018. The company is reportedly aiming to sell 320 million smartphones, 40 million feature phones, 20 million tablets and 5 million wearable devices this year.
The company may not have set a higher target than last year due to saturation in the market, particularly the high-end segment. Nevertheless, Samsung's target is considerably more than that of its rivals Apple and Huawei. They sell around 200 million and 150 million smartphones annually every year.
The company may focus on improving profitability instead through premium handsets. The mobile division can certainly contribute more to the company's bottom line and Samsung is expected to focus on that in 2018.
The new Galaxy A8 handsets are the first new devices that Samsung will sell this year. It will then release the flagship Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in a couple of months.
If all goes according to plan, Samsung is likely going to retain its position as the world's top smartphone vendor this year as well.
