Samsung's Foldable Pre-orders Exceed Expectations, Fold 8 Accounts for 55%, White Model Unexpectedly Popular! Nearly 30% of Online Buyers Come from iOS

Samsung's next-generation foldable flagship pre-orders have exceeded initial expectations, with the real surprise not being the top-tier Ultra model, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 featuring a new screen aspect ratio. Chen Qimeng, General Manager of Samsung Electronics Taiwan's Mobile Communications Division, announced today (11th) that pre-orders for the new Galaxy Z series in Taiwan have grown over 30% compared to the previous generation, with the Fold 8 accounting for approximately 55% of total units—surpassing the initially projected 40%. Data from Samsung's official online store further reveals that nearly 30% of buyers came from the iOS ecosystem, indicating that the new foldable form factor is not only driving upgrades among existing users but also attracting Apple users to switch platforms.

Today, Samsung Taiwan held a pre-order pickup event for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8, and Flip 8 flagship foldable series. In a post-event media briefing, Chen Qimeng stated that overall foldable pre-orders in Taiwan have increased by more than 30% year-on-year, with similarly strong results overseas: Europe saw about a 25% year-on-year increase in pre-orders, while South Korea set a new record with 1.44 million pre-orders—the highest in foldable history.

Chen revealed that Samsung Taiwan originally planned a sales mix of 4:4:2 for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8, and Flip 8. However, the latest pre-order data shows an actual ratio of approximately 3.5:5.5:1, with the Fold 8 significantly outperforming expectations.

Why is the Fold 8 selling faster than Samsung anticipated? Beyond its new device aspect ratio, pricing played a crucial role. Chen explained that because the Fold 8 adopts a different form factor from previous book-style foldables, initial sales forecasts were conservative due to uncertainty about market acceptance. However, after the official pricing was announced, media and market feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with one direct reaction being: "It's actually under 60,000 NTD."

In other words, amid rising memory and component costs—and consumer expectations of flagship price hikes—the Fold 8's actual price stayed below the psychological threshold of many buyers, leading to higher-than-expected adoption.

This has created two key demand drivers for the Fold 8. First, internal upgrades among Samsung's existing foldable users. Chen noted that Flip 8 pre-orders have room for improvement, showing no significant growth compared to the previous generation. Conversely, some users who previously preferred compact flip models have upgraded to the Fold 8 this generation, significantly increasing its share within the product lineup.

Second, external user migration from competing platforms. Since today (11th) marks the first official pre-order pickup day, Samsung cannot yet capture full nationwide data on user migration sources. However, data from Samsung's official online store already shows a clear cross-platform shift. Chen disclosed that about 28%—nearly 30%—of online store buyers switched from iOS.

Given that Apple currently lacks a foldable smartphone, this group represents new customers drawn from the traditional upright smartphone market, not just Samsung's existing Fold series users upgrading.

Historically, about 20% of Samsung Fold series buyers came from the Galaxy S series. While the full user profile will only be confirmed after sustained deliveries, Chen believes Samsung is already seeing a clear "upselling" effect toward the Fold 8.

Another factor lowering the barrier to cross-platform switching is data transfer. Chen pointed out that in the past, some iPhone users were hesitant to switch to Android due to concerns about transferring data, accounts, passwords, or settings. With the Smart Switch feature continuously improving—now supporting account passwords and partial settings transfer—the system-switching barrier is much lower than before.

Samsung Taiwan has also enhanced the iOS-to-Android transition process, enabling users to wirelessly transfer data via QR code and offering cross-system LINE data migration services to further reduce switching friction.

Another unexpected trend emerged around color. Chen revealed that Samsung globally emphasized purple, initially allocating about 50% of inventory to it. Black, a traditionally safe color, accounted for nearly 30%, with the remaining 20% split between white and Samsung online store-exclusive colors.

However, actual pre-orders completely disrupted this plan. Chen disclosed that nearly 30% of Fold 8 buyers chose the white model—far exceeding expectations—leading to rapid stockouts. "White is currently sold out," he said, with the next shipment expected to arrive by early September at the earliest.

In terms of consumer demographics, Chen observed that white is particularly popular among female users. Beyond white, other colors are also running low across certain channels, making it difficult to meet all pre-order demands in the short term.

The Fold 8's overperformance reflects a rapid shift in Taiwan's foldable smartphone market structure. Chen noted that from the first to sixth generations, Samsung's foldable sales in Taiwan maintained a 30% book-style Fold and 70% compact Flip split. With the seventh generation, the significantly lighter and thinner Fold 7 began attracting upright smartphone users, shifting the ratio closer to 50:50.

With the addition of the Fold 8, the market structure may flip further. Chen forecasts that long-term, the combined sales of the book-style Fold 8 Ultra and Fold 8 could reach 80% of Samsung's total foldable sales, with Flip models accounting for only about 20%. This shift is driven both by compact flip users upgrading and by the new form factor attracting novelty-seeking users.

"Previously, we asked consumers, 'Why buy a foldable?'" Chen said. "Now, with Ultra, Fold, and Flip forming distinct user segments, the question has become, 'Which foldable is right for you?'"

In other words, Samsung aims to transition foldable phones from being niche, education-requiring products to mainstream flagship devices chosen based on usage needs.

Despite pre-orders growing over 30%, Chen refrained from raising annual sales targets. He explained that the pre-order period included strong short-term incentives like 'pain-free' storage upgrades, channel-specific discounts, and K-Pop and Korean drama celebrity promotions. As these promotions normalize post-launch, Samsung maintains its annual Galaxy Z series sales growth target at around 20%. However, due to a shift toward higher-priced models, revenue could grow by over 40%.

Another challenge Samsung aims to overcome is the long-standing "first three months effect" in foldables. Chen noted that foldable phones have traditionally seen peak sales in the first three months after launch, lacking the long-tail sales seen in Galaxy S or A series. This time, Samsung hopes to extend the product lifecycle's long-tail effect by introducing new use cases and form factors with the Fold 8, ensuring demand extends beyond early adopters.