Samsung's new foldable phones set pre-order record
What's the story
Samsung's latest foldable smartphone lineup, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Flip 8, has set a new record in South Korea. The trio racked up an impressive 1.44 million pre-orders within just seven days from July 28 to August 3. This is a significant improvement over the previous record of 1.38 million units set by the Galaxy Note 10 in 2019.
Model popularity
Galaxy Z Fold 8 most popular model
The Galaxy Z Fold 8, with its innovative 4:3 aspect ratio and sleek design, has emerged as the most popular model in Samsung's new lineup. It accounts for nearly 70% of all pre-orders.
The company also revealed that half of those who pre-ordered through its official online store were in their teens to early thirties, indicating a strong appeal among younger consumers.
Market shift
Shift toward foldable devices
The pre-order data from South Korea's three mobile carriers, SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+, further underscores the growing popularity of foldable phones.
A whopping 62% of SK Telecom customers who pre-ordered were upgrading from traditional bar-type smartphones. This marks a major shift toward foldable devices among consumers in the country.
Delivery challenges
Shipping delays for Galaxy Z Fold 8 series
The unprecedented demand for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series has led to shipping delays. The standard model's delivery dates have been pushed back to October, while the Ultra model is only delayed by a few days up to about three weeks.
Despite these challenges, Best Buy still lists the devices as available for pickup/shipping on time for August 7, and Amazon has no delays listed either.