Early pre-orders for Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z8 foldable phones surpass previous launches by over 30%, signalling a shifting market preference towards wider and more affordable foldable models across major regions worldwide.
Samsung Electronics’ latest foldable phone line has made a stronger opening than its predecessor, with early demand pointing to a wider appetite for the redesigned base model and a sharper split in tastes across major markets. Counterpoint Research said global pre-orders for the Galaxy Z8 series were more than 30% higher than those for the Z7 range, with particularly strong growth in South Korea, Europe and the US.
The most notable shift has been towards the standard Galaxy Z Fold8, which uses a shorter and wider format than earlier generations. According to Counterpoint, that model drew the largest share of orders in South Korea, the US, Europe, Japan, China and south-east Asia. In South Korea, it accounted for about 70% of reservations, while its share was close to half in the US and about 40% in Europe.
The domestic response was especially robust. South Korean pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 reached 1.44 million units in seven days, the highest opening Samsung has recorded for any smartphone line in the country. That was roughly 39% above the previous Fold7 and Flip7 launch. Counterpoint said buyers in their 10s to 30s made up about half of reservations, while women in that group more than doubled from the prior model cycle. SK Telecom data also suggested a broader shift away from conventional slab phones, with about 62% of reserving customers coming from bar-style handsets, up 10 percentage points from the previous series.
In the US and Europe, the same wider Fold8 form appears to be doing most of the work. Counterpoint said US reservations for the Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra together were 30% higher than the previous high for a Fold generation, while Europe saw orders rise by more than 20%. In Britain, the Fold8 starts at £1,699, below the £1,899 Fold8 Ultra, and that price gap, combined with the easier-handling design, appears to be favouring the standard model. Reports from Tom’s Guide and other technology outlets also pointed to trade-in offers and heavy discounts as part of Samsung’s launch push.
Market preference diverged in India, where the premium Fold8 Ultra accounted for around 60% of pre-orders, compared with about 35% for the standard Fold8 and 5% for the Flip8. Counterpoint said most buyers there were aged 35 to 50 and included affluent customers, business users and people already using premium phones. Japan and parts of south-east Asia also leaned towards the base Fold8, while in China it ranked first among Samsung phones on Tmall and JD.com, even as some consumers criticised the absence of a telephoto camera and S Pen support. Counterpoint expects first-year shipments for the Z8 series to rise by double digits versus the Z7 line and by more than 70% versus the Z6 range, although it cautioned that early reservations can be influenced by trade-in deals, instalment plans and bundled gifts.
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