Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge: record sales and limited supply expected as phone goes on sale alongside Apple Watch

Korean company hopes its new flagship phone will reverse downward trend in its mobile phone sales

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is presented during the 2015 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on March 1, 2015 (Getty Images)

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge went on sale this morning, with the company hoping that the new phone can rival the iPhone 6. But it may go a little too well, with demand outstripping supply, which has reportedly been limited by the amount of new technology included in the phone.

Sales began this morning, with the phone available from a number of carriers and stockists in the UK. But Samsung has already warned that many looking to get hold of the phone as it comes out might miss out.

The restricted supply is in part because of high demand, and Samsung expects that the phone will break records for a flagship device. But it’s also difficult to make, using screen technology that can’t be made as fast as the company would like.

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The S6 Edge uses a three-sided screen, which curves over the edge of the phone and means that it can display information and alerts even when it is face down. But that technology is difficult to make chief executive JK Shin told the Wall Street Journal.

Samsung expects to sell more of the flat-screen S6, rather than the Edge, and will be able to keep up with demand better for that one. But the Edges are likely to be in short supply for the rest of the year, according to some analysts.

The company hasn’t said exactly how many of either phone it expects to sell, or how many would be needed to break previous records. The Galaxy S3 is thought to be the phone that sold most overall, but the S4 probably sold more in its first year when phones tend to be most profitable, according to Reuters.