LG Electronics Inc.’s latest flagship smartphone, the G6, has sold more than 30,000 units in the first two days since its home debut Friday, raising expectations that the latest handheld innovation may help improve its reputation and income for the country’s second largest smartphone maker.

According to LG Electronics on Sunday, the G6 sold over 20,000 units on the first day of its release and 10,000 units the following day to show early signs of a big seller The industry regards a phone a “hit” if it sells over 10,000 units in early days of release. Successful pre-release marketing events, favorable market response both at home and abroad, as well as large pre-order volume have resulted in brisk sales, said a company official.

LG Electronics, whose wireless phone division incurred an operating loss of 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion) for full-year 2016, has placed high hopes on the new phone to re-position itself in the playing field of premium phones.

Pre-order volumes of the G6 from Mar. 2 to 9 amounted to 82,000 counts, as daily counts averaged 10,000 during the eight days. Typically for a high-end smartphone, about 40 percent to 60 percent of pre-ordered products are actually bought, and sales of the G6 over the next two weeks or so would be critical to determine its success, said an industry official.

Its sales will also be swayed by Samsung Electronic Co.’s new upscale smartphone Galaxy S8 slated for launch mid-April, as the two high-end phones target similar customers.

Industry experts credited the phone’s popularity to LG Electronics’ decision to put more weight on consumer convenience than innovative designs. The G6 sports a 5.7-inch quad high definition+ (QHD+, 2,880 x 1,440 resolution) Full Vision display with an 18:9 screen ratio. The gigantic screen size makes the phone suitable for split-screen applications for multitasking and movie-watching in cinematic formats. The phone, however, didn’t compromise handiness, fitting comfortably in one hand.

The G6 is water- and dust-proof and features high-function cameras on both front and back.

By Shin Hyun-kyu

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