TL;DR
- Samsung says global preorders for the Galaxy Z8 series increased by more than 30% over the previous generation.
- The Galaxy Z8 lineup is on pace to set a new US preorder record for Samsung foldables.
- The regular Galaxy Z Fold 8 accounts for nearly half of US Z8 preorders across carriers and retailers.
Foldable phones have often been described as a niche market, always hovering somewhere between exciting technology and expensive curiosity. However, the latest generation of Samsung foldables appears to be finding a bigger audience. Samsung says global preorders for the Galaxy Z8 series are up more than 30% over last year’s lineup, while the phones are also on pace to set a new Galaxy Z preorder record in the US.
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The company says combined US preorders for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra are running 30% ahead of its previous record-holding Fold generation after the first 12 days. That follows the Z8 series setting an all-time preorder record for Samsung foldables in South Korea, so the enthusiasm clearly isn’t confined to one particularly foldable-friendly market.
The regular Galaxy Z Fold 8 is doing much of the heavy lifting. It accounts for nearly half of all Z8 series preorders across US carriers and retailers, and demand has been such that the Lavender model has already sold out on the Samsung US online store. Earlier reports claimed the Fold 8 was beating Samsung’s expectations and outselling the Fold 8 Ultra in multiple markets, suggesting Samsung’s gamble on splitting the Fold line is already paying off.
It’s not obvious whether Samsung expected the $2,099 Fold 8 Ultra to be the star attraction, but the manufacturer is unlikely to care either way. The cheaper Fold 8 takes a more unconventional approach, with a squat design, wider cover screen, and a 4:3 folding display that’s better suited to watching video without surrounding it with acres of black space. It also weighs just 201g, making it Samsung’s lightest Galaxy Z Fold yet.
Samsung also says that more than three times as many Galaxy Z Flip owners are upgrading to a Fold as in the previous generation. The phones are pulling some watches along for the ride, too, as nearly one in four US customers who preordered a Z8 device also ordered one of the latest Galaxy Watches. Globally, Graphite was the most popular shade for both Fold models, while Pink led preorders for the Galaxy Z Flip 8.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8 go on general sale on Friday, alongside the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2. Samsung might have risked making its foldable lineup more complicated, but the preorder numbers suggest it finally gave buyers what they wanted.
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