Samsung’s foldables receive over 1 million preorders in South Korea

On Tuesday, Samsung Electronics announced that it had received more than 1 million preorders for its latest foldable phones in South Korea, which is a record-breaking number for this form factor.

The South Korean tech giant revealed that preorders totaled 1.02 million units for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, surpassing the previous record of 970,000 units for the previous models.

Samsung said the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 5 was more popular than the Fold 5, which opens like a book, taking up around 70 percent of the total preorders that lasted for one week from August 1. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 accounted for approximately 60 percent of preorders.

On July 26, Samsung introduced its fifth generation of foldable smartphones, as part of its efforts to remain a leader in the premium segment, which is becoming increasingly competitive.

The biggest change to the next-generation foldables is the new waterdrop-shaped hinge that allows the phones to close up completely. The previous versions had a small gap near the hinge when folded shut, which made the phones feel bulkier, and invited complaints from users.

Except for the upgraded hinge, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has similar specs to the previous model launched last year. However, it is slimmer and lighter, which is great news for those who were hesitant to buy one due to its bulky size.

As for the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 5, it is the only Samsung Galaxy phone that has a significant design change this year: the outer display is twice as large compared with its predecessor, thereby allowing users to do more without flipping open the phone.

At a press briefing, two days after the Galaxy Unpacked event, Roh Tae-moon, president and head of Samsung Electronics’ mobile business, said Samsung aimed to push up the proportion of foldable phones to more than 20 percent of Galaxy flagship sales worldwide.

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
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