South Korean Galaxy S22 sales reportedly falter in the wake of the GOS scandal

Samsung enjoyed unprecedented sales of the Galaxy S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra on their launch, particularly in their OEM's native country. However, according to a new report in the Korea Times, they have now started to flag, to the extent that the carriers LG Uplus and KT have stepped the incentives to buy a unit up in order to shift their stock.

The two companies now reportedly subsidize a new S22-series unit by an "increased" 500,000 won (~$412) in some cases. There are hints that these decisions might have been taken in response to the discovery of the GOS performance-regulating settings baked into the flagship smartphones.

Samsung might even now be reversing the measures in its latest software updates; however, they have already gotten the devices perma-banned from Geekbench, and may have also sparked "a view that [they] adversely affect the sales of the S22", according to a carrier representative. On the other hand, there is not enough evidence to conclusively link the controversy to how the phones are selling in South Korea.

If Samsung is indeed selling fewer top-end smartphones in its domestic market, it may be due to smartphone market conditions in general: even without a plan, the phones' full prices have also reportedly dropped in South Korea. Nevertheless, the emergence of the GOS scandal has, according to an industry analyst, "left a big scar on the credibility of the Galaxy and Samsung brands".