Galaxy Note 8 sales reach 1 million

The combined sales of Samsung Electronics’s Galaxy Note 8 smartphone in Korea have reached 1 million units, industry data showed Thursday, a little over a month after the device hit local shelves.

The Korean tech giant started official sales of the 6.3-inch jumbo phone on Sept. 21, selling 850,000 units through pre-orders, which kicked off a week earlier. The figure eclipsed numbers for the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, which managed to draw in 380,000 preorders.

Samsung Electronics said it also plans to add the gold-color edition to the Galaxy Note 8 products starting Friday, which is currently available in black, blue and gray. The release apparently came as its key rival Apple also plans to start local sales of the iPhone 8 this week.

The price tag of the 64-gigabyte Galaxy Note 8 currently stands at 1.09 million won ($979). The 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus with the same capacity is priced at 1.07 million won here.

LG V30-Android Oreo

LG Electronics said Thursday it will preview Google’s Android Oreo operating system to V30 smartphone users and reflect feedback ahead of the official update.

The Korean tech giant said users of the V30 smartphone released in September can apply to update their operating system into Oreo for testing ahead of the official upgrade slated for next month.

LG said the program aims to thoroughly reflect users’ opinions and provide more optimized services in the future.

Currently, the only smartphone running on Android Oreo released in Korea is the Xperia XZ1 by Sony Corp.

Devices running on Android Oreo boast improved battery life as it minimizes power consumption when applications are not used, LG said.

Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest maker of smartphones and LG Electronics is Korea’s No. 2 player after Samsung Electronics.