Galaxy S22 Ultra models. Korea Times file

By Lee Kyung-min

Expectations are mounting that Samsung Electronics will be able to report better-than-expected sales in Japan, as indicated by the number of preorders for the new Galaxy S22 series, which increased 50 percent compared to the S21 series.

Whether and how fast the Korean IT giant, with a market share of 9.7 percent, will be able to overtake its second-largest Japanese counterpart, Sharp, which accounts for 10 percent of the market, remains to be seen.

The Korean firm's rise in rank is a notable performance in an increasingly saturated smartphone market dominated by Apple which accounts for more than 60 percent of sales.

According to Strategy Analytics, a U.S. market analysis service provider, Japan's smartphone market shrank 5 percent last year compared to 2020.

Samsung Electronics said the 50 percent increase was for preorders of its latest models received in Japan from April 7 to April 20. Two local carriers, KDDI Corp. and NTT DoCoMo, will provide connection services.

The popularity of the Galaxy S22 Ultra was attributed to its S Pen that features a 0.7-millimeter tip with 4,096 pressure levels enabling both writing and sketching.

Samsung Electronics said it will continue strengthening its marketing efforts in Japan.

It began an exhibition "Catching and Collecting in the Sacred Forest," a joint project with a global media art group teamLab, from April 1.

Visitors can experience about 30 different animals through the smartphone-mediated experience in the new media art.

The firm opened Galaxy Harajuku, an eight-story building where visitors can have a variety of mobile experiences.

Samsung Electronics said early this month that its operating profit in the January-March period is forecast at 14.1 trillion won ($11.3 billion), up 50.3 percent from a year earlier, buoyed largely by robust sales of new smartphones and memory chips. It was the second-highest operating profit for Samsung since 15.6 trillion won logged in 2018.

The company will announce its official first-quarter earnings on April 28.