Samsung Electronics Co. touted strong early demand for its latest lineup of folding smartphones, saying that the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 are on pace to break the preorder records of all previous Z-series models.
The passport-shaped Fold 8 and the Fold 8 Ultra are currently outpacing last year’s preorder numbers by 30%, the company said in a statement Wednesday. The squat, wide-format Fold 8 is making up nearly half of all preorders, according to Samsung, 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 will be available starting Aug. 7. Samsung is hyping its preorder performance just weeks before the company will have to contend with formidable competition from Apple Inc., which will unveil its long-awaited folding iPhone in September. That device will have a similar shape to Samsung’s Fold 8.
