Samsung blames Coronavirus for the depressing Galaxy S20 sales numbers

The Novel Coronavirus outbreak has taken the world by storm and as countries scramble to fight the virus, the tech giants are fighting a totally different battle. While Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Twitter are off to fight fake news and misinformation, companies like Samsung are fighting to get their products shipped out on time.

We reported last week that Samsung’s Gumi smartphone factory was shut down for the weekend after a case of Coronavirus at the plant. Earlier today, the company confirmed that another worker has got infected and the company has decided to shut down the factory.

Now, Samsung is blaming Coronavirus for the depressing Galaxy S20 sales numbers in South Korea. According to 9to5Google, the company sold 70,800 units on the first day which is a lot less than Galaxy S10 which sold 140,000 units and kind of bleak compared to the 220,000 units of Galaxy Note 10.

Sales were affected by sharp declines in discounts for new phones and the number of visitors to offline stores due to coronavirus infection fears.

– Samsung spokesperson

Samsung is not the first company that has been impacted by the outbreak. Earlier this week, we reported that Microsoft has revised it’s revenue targets as the company expects fewer PC sales this quarter. The company, however, has started shipping out Galaxy S20 devices to those who pre-ordered them.

The devices are still available for pre-order can you can get them from multiple retailers. We recommend heading to your nearest Microsoft Store as they are offering a free gift card up to $200 with the purchase. Amazon, on the other hand, is offering free Galaxy Buds and Duo Wireless Charger. Lastly, you can head to Samsung’s store if you’re interested in trading-off your old phone for a shiny new S20. With the maximum trade-in discount, the Galaxy S20 will cost you $399, the Galaxy S20 Plus will cost you $599 and Galaxy S20 Ultra will cost you $799.

In its Saturday Situation Report, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that there were 85,403 confirmed cases of coronavirus globally. Of those, 3,150 are in South Korea, which is the worst affected region affected outside China. Globally, 2,924 people have died from the disease.