Sole UAE distributor of Samsung Galaxy S6 runs out of sought-after phone

A Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone sits on display during a launch event in Hong Kong. Jerome Favre / Bloomberg

Retailers are selling out of Samsung’s latest Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge handsets, raising questions over whether phone companies are dialling up the hype.

Eros Group, the phones’ sole UAE distributor, says it has sold all of its allocation of 22,000 units.

The phone launched globally last Friday and was treated to a midnight launch in the UAE.

Eros received 16,000 S6 models and 6,000 of the higher-specification Edge.

Demand for the Edge has outstripped expectations locally and globally, with Samsung’s mobile chief JK Shin last week voicing suggestions of a near-term supply shortage for the curved-screen phone.

“Our first allotment of 22,000 units has been completely sold out and we are waiting for the second lot,” said Deepak Babani, the chief executive of Eros. “The second allotment is expected to arrive in the next couple of days. We saw 65 per cent of inquiries for the S6 Edge and 35 per cent for the S6 model. If the same ratio continues in the UAE, we may face shortages for the S6 Edge model.”

The new phone is important for Samsung’s perception as a market leader.

Apple, the iPhone maker, overtook Samsung to sell the most smartphones in the fourth quarter of last year, selling nearly 75 million devices compared to Samsung’s 73 million.

While the margin may not seem particularly wide, it is a significant reversal for the two.

While the sold-out signs may disappoint some would-be buyers, they also create a buzz around handsets not lost on marketers, say analysts.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the sold-out sign is a tactic for marketing purposes,” said Nabila Popal, the regional research manager for the telecoms consultancy IDC.

While demand for the new Samsung smartphones in the UAE has been robust, there are still pockets of supply in Samsung-branded outlets.

“We have sufficient stocks of the Samsung Galaxy S6 to hopefully take us through this weekend and slightly less than that for the S6 edge,” said Ashish Panjabi, the chief operating officer of Jacky’s Retail. Electronic retailers said that while the Edge was in high demand, the relatively small amount of supply meant that it was likely to be sold out.

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