What you need to know
- Early reports claim that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is capturing audiences overseas, as pre-orders are shattering expectations.
- The device is seemingly outpacing Samsung's Fold 8 Ultra and Flip 8, as inventory sells out online, forcing shipping delays.
- The Galaxy Z Fold 8 features a 5.4-inch cover display with a 16:10 aspect ratio in a more comfortable and pocketable form factor.
It's been almost a week since Galaxy Unpacked, and almost a week since pre-orders began for its next-gen foldables like the (wide) Galaxy Z Fold 8. Early reports claim this device is seeing popularity that's stunning Samsung.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8's popularity is reportedly shattering Samsung's expectations. Rumors about its performance started appearing on X, courtesy of tipster Ice Universe (via 9to5Google). The tipster alleges that the "pre-order volume" of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has "far exceeded the Fold 8 Ultra." This information reportedly comes from early numbers out of South Korea. Users in the thread commented, offering their experience.
One user states that as soon as the pre-order period began in South Korea, "the site crashed, and within less than 30 minutes, the dates got pushed back from August 4 to 28." They added that the device was seemingly sold out (or pushed back due to severe popularity) on Samsung's official website. The Flip 8 and the Fold 8 Ultra are reportedly still on schedule to ship/arrive by August 4.
Similarly, a report by another tipster, Lanzuk, on Naver suggests more of the same. They state sales for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 are "exceeding expectations," reportedly based on a "preliminary tally" of the first round of pre-orders. Online stock is apparently sold out, and many offline channels for procuring the device are backlogged. Users in the comments seemed to agree with the Fold 8's purported popularity.
Don't jump to conclusions
Some people were understandably skeptical about the Galaxy Z Fold 8, like Android Central's Derrek Lee. The Fold 8 is the wide addition to the foldable lineup, which means the Fold 8 Ultra is actually the successor to the Fold 7. These two look pretty much identical; however, the bigger story here is the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Samsung went smaller to go wider. The Fold 8 offers a 5.4-inch cover display with a 16:10 aspect ratio.
In Derrek's experience, the Fold 8 fits very well in the palm of his hand, and its thin profile (9.7mm) makes it quite a pocketable phone. One concern was how apps would react to a phone of this size, but they resize well on the Fold 8. Long-form videos look a bit better on the taller Fold 8 Ultra, due to its size, but if you flip the device sideways, it's all gravy. Multitasking also took a step up, as the Fold 8 can fit three apps side-by-side.
What's also caught our attention is the S Pen, or rather the lack thereof. Neither the Fold 8 nor the Fold 8 Ultra features Samsung's stylus. If you consider how multitasking-heavy these phones are, and how Samsung pushes users to take advantage of it, you'd imagine the stylus would be there. Other tools on the phones probably make the lack of a stylus sting less, so it's not a huge problem.
Android Central's Take
I feel that the main thing consumers will have trouble with is their choice. Which decision will you make? Are you more interested in a taller, "bigger" foldable or something a bit smaller and wider? A more pocketable phone. I like the wide Galaxy Z Fold 8. And this is where things get interesting because I mentioned this during the live blog. We see how popular the Fold 8 is and how the Flip 8 is supposedly sliding back. The Fold 8 seems to nail what consumers are looking for out of a foldable. I'm still curious on specific numbers if these reports are true.
