"Even If You Pre-Order Now, Delivery in a Month"... Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Pre-Orders Surge

Galaxy Z Fold8 Unlocked Models Available for Pickup in Late August
Longer Wait Times Compared to Fold8 Ultra and Flip8

As Samsung Electronics has begun pre-orders for its new foldable smartphone Galaxy Z series, the Galaxy Z Fold8—featuring a new form factor—has proven so popular that even if you place a pre-order now, you can only expect to receive the device a month later.

According to industry sources on July 28, as of 3:00 p.m. that day, if you pre-order the unlocked model of the Galaxy Z Fold8 on Samsung.com, you can collect your device starting August 28, which is one month later. Due to heavy pre-order demand for the Fold8 model, supply of the devices is unable to keep up with pre-order volumes.

On the 28th, when pre-orders for Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z8 series began, citizens were examining new products such as the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Flip8 at Samsung Gangnam in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Starting at midnight that day, Samsung Electronics opened pre-orders for unlocked models of its new devices, including the Galaxy Z Fold8, Fold8 Ultra, and Flip8, with the majority of reservations focused on the Fold8 model. The estimated delivery dates for other models are relatively earlier. The Fold8 Ultra is scheduled for pickup from August 7, and the Flip8 from August 11.

Other retailers besides Samsung.com are also seeing pre-order demand concentrate around the Fold8. As of the afternoon of the same day, purchases of the unlocked Fold8 model at e-commerce sites such as Coupang, Naver Plus Store, and 11st indicate delivery by August 31. Pre-orders managed by the three major mobile carriers are reportedly also seeing a rush for the Fold8. Some carriers launched a special promotion in which customers who bought the 512GB model could upgrade to the 1TB model for free on a first-come, first-served basis, leading to a surge in demand and making the 1TB model sold out.

Samsung Electronics is offering a "Double Storage" promotion that doubles device storage for customers who pre-order its flagship Galaxy S and Z series. As a result of this, demand for device replacements surges at the beginning of the pre-order period; however, industry insiders point out that it is unusual for the waiting period for pre-ordering new Galaxy devices to extend to over a month. An industry official remarked, "Even last year's Galaxy Z Fold7, which became popular after reducing weight and thickness, did not have a month-long waiting period during pre-orders."

Samsung Electronics' official store, Samsung.com, currently guides the delivery date for pre-orders of the Galaxy Z Fold8 to be August 28, one month later. Screenshot from Samsung.com

The pre-order concentration on the Fold8 is seen as a result of its introduction of a new display ratio not found in previous models, as well as reduced weight and size, which enhance portability. Some have commented that its 4:3 screen ratio when unfolded is optimized for viewing content such as videos and documents.

An official from the smartphone industry stated, "While last year's Fold7 achieved hardware perfection by reducing both weight and thickness, the Fold8 has adopted a new form factor optimized for content consumption. The appeal of this new form factor appears to be driving the pre-order boom."

Samsung Electronics will continue pre-sales for its new foldable models as well as for the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 until August 3. Customers who pre-ordered will be able to receive and activate their devices starting August 4. The official release date is set for August 7.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.