Samsung sees 30% rise in latest foldable pre-orders
The company says the passport-shaped Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra are outpacing last year's pre-order numbers, with the wide-format Fold 8 alone making up nearly half of orders.
Samsung says pre-orders for its newest foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra, are running 30% ahead of last year's numbers.
In a statement on Wednesday, the company said the passport-shaped Fold 8 — squat and wide-format — accounts for nearly half of all pre-orders, indicating that the new design style has already broken through with consumers even before it arrives in stores.
"It's incredibly encouraging to see such strong early momentum for our new Galaxy Z series, driven by our new form factor," Drew Blackard, senior vice-president of mobile product management at Samsung Electronics America, told Bloomberg News. "We're proud to see the category continue to grow."
All of the latest Galaxy Z devices go on sale from Aug 7.
Samsung is hyping its pre-order performance just weeks before it must contend with competition from Apple, which will unveil its long-awaited folding iPhone in September. That device will have a similar shape to Samsung's Fold 8.
Meanwhile, Alphabet's Google plans to introduce its Pixel 11 Pro Fold on Aug 12, though it will feature a taller, narrower design in line with the Fold 8 Ultra. Samsung is marketing the newer style as better suited for entertainment and reading e-books, among other advantages of the wider, shorter inner display.
Apple's entry into foldables could give the category a substantial sales boost. Folding phones still represent a tiny sliver of the smartphone market compared with traditional, less expensive handsets such as the Galaxy S26 Ultra or iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Until now, Samsung has dominated the US foldable segment, easily outperforming rivals like Google and Lenovo Group's Motorola. But Apple's marketing muscle and iPhone install base will make for a much tougher challenge.
Samsung said buzz around the Fold 8 also appears to be drawing some customers away from its flip-style models: more than three times as many Flip owners have pre-ordered a Fold 8 or Fold 8 Ultra compared with previous generations.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
