Samsung said the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 5 proved more popular than the Fold 5, which opens like a book, taking up about 70% of the total pre-orders that ran for one week starting Aug 1. — Reuters
SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co says it has received more than one million pre-orders for its latest foldable phones in South Korea, a record high for the form factor.
The South Korean tech giant said pre-orders amounted to 1.02 million units for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, which were launched two weeks ago, breaking its record of 970,000 units for the previous models.
Samsung said the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 5 proved more popular than the Fold 5, which opens like a book, taking up about 70% of the total pre-orders that ran for one week starting Aug 1.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 accounted for approximately 60% of pre-orders.
On July 26, Samsung unveiled its fifth generation of foldable smartphones, its latest move in the premium segment, where the South Korean tech firm is a trailblazer but is now becoming increasingly crowded with more players.
The biggest change to the next-generation foldables is the new water drop-shaped hinge that allows the phones to close 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. But it is slimmer and lighter, great improvements for those who hesitated to buy one due to its bulky size.
As for the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 5, it is by far the only Samsung Galaxy phone that has had 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% of Galaxy flagship sales worldwide. — The Korea Herald/ANN
