Signs of Life in a New Galaxy

Investors are betting that Samsung Electronics is poised to recoup its title as the world’s top maker of smartphones. For evidence, look no further than the $12 billion increase in the company’s market value since March 1, when it unveiled a pair of new handsets at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The Korean giant is counting on the sixth generation of its flagship Galaxy phone, plus the second edition of the Edge, a phone with a screen that curves along its length, to put it back in the lead after it slipped into a tie with Apple in the fourth quarter. “We expect Samsung to regain its position as the world’s clear No. 1 by volume” in the first quarter of 2015, says Neil Mawston, executive director of Strategy Analytics.

Both Samsung devices have generated positive buzz among reviewers, many of whom panned the Galaxy’s previous iteration. Tech-focused website CNET tags the S6 a “stunner,” while the influential review site Wirecutter deems it the best Android premium handset. “The market, carriers, and even consumers are all on the same page that Samsung’s new phone is different from the past models,” says Keon Han, an analyst at Credit Suisse Group in Seoul.