Samsung Electronics said Tuesday sales of new flagship Galaxy S8 series topped 5 million units in the first three weeks, falling far short of expectations and underperforming the previous series that had sold 10 million units in the first 20 days a year ago.

Galaxy S8 series were released on April 21 with much fanfare and anticipation as they follow the disgraceful recall and discontinuation of Galaxy Note7 due to fire-prone battery defect. Enhanced with digital assistant and multiple protections as well as other cutting-edge technology, the phones faced consumer complaints about tints in the display.

The phone currently sold in Korea, North America, and Europe would be available in China later this month and elsewhere in the world. English and other languages would be added to voice-activated personal assistant Bixby.

Industry watchers expect Samsung Electronics to sell nearly 20 million units of Galaxy S8 phones in the April-June period and 60 million units by the end of the year.

By Lee Dong-in

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