5G Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3 pre-orders reportedly show strong demand in Sammy's hometown
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It's been a little more than a week and a half since Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 on August 11th. Pre-orders started the same day, and according toThe Korea Herald (via SamMobile), both models are selling like the proverbial hotcakes. In Samsung's home market of South Korea, unnamed industry sources estimated that 450,000 units of the two foldable phones were pre-ordered.
Pre-orders in South Korea show heavier demand for Samsung's foldable phones
The report says that as many as 600,000 units of the Fold 3 and Flip 3 could be pre-ordered by the time the pre-order period comes to an end. This estimate is based on pre-orders of carrier-locked phones and could reach 800,000 when all advance orders are counted. While the handsets officially are due to launch on August 27th, some consumers have already received their new devices.
Samsung compares the Galaxy Z Fold 3 with last year's Galaxy Note 20
The number of pre-orders in South Korea for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 have grown sharply on a year-over-year basis. Last year, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 was able to generate pre-orders for only 80,000 units in the country. And advance orders for the latest Galaxy foldables have doubled those for this year's Galaxy S21 line and are 1.5 times higher than the pre-orders made for the Galaxy Note 20 last year.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 appeal more to younger consumers as 49% of pre-orders for the former came from those in their 20s and 30s. 57% of pre-orders for the clamshell Flip 3 were made by those in the same age group. Those in their 40s made up 42% of the advance orders for both models while 39% of these orders came from those in their 50s.
Pre-order your Fold 3, Flip 3 now!
The price of the two phones remains prohibitive for many consumers. In Korea, the 256GB version of the Fold 3 is priced at KRW 1,987,000 (U.S. price is $1,799.99) and costs KRW 2,097,700 for the 512GB variant (priced at $1,899.99 in the states). The Flip 3 carries a price of KRW 1,650,000 ($999.99 in the states). Eventually, as component prices start to drop, retail prices will come down too allowing the foldable sector to become mainstream.
Prices start to drop but there is a long way to go before foldable phones become mainstream
In Korea, Samsung did drop the price of the 256GB Galaxy Z Fold 3 by 16.6% compared to the lowest-priced version of last year's Galaxy Z Fold 2. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 had an even larger decline compared to its predecessor. In the U.S. the Fold 3 price has dropped $200 year-over-year while the Flip 3 is approximately $400 cheaper than the cost of the original model.
Prior to the Unpacked event earlier this month, Samsung Electronics America vice president of mobile product management, Drew Blackard, addressed the pricing of the new phones and the goal of making its foldables mainstream. The executive said, "We really do think we're finally at that price point ... with the foldable Z series that we can take these mainstream...we wanted to make sure that there's no compromising...including durability."
Despite the lower prices, Samsung did make the two phones sturdier and added IPX8 water-resistance to the pair. Both phones can now be submerged in water to a depth of 1.5 meters (4.92 feet) for up to 30 minutes and emerge unscathed. The Fold 3 sports an aluminum frame that is 10% stronger and the device now supports the S Pen.
As for the Galaxy Flip 3, the phone's display is protected by Corning's most protective version of Gorilla Glass. Gorilla Glass Victus is 50% stronger than the Gorilla Glass 6 used on the Galaxy Z Flip. And the hinge is now made using Armor Aluminum which is the strongest aluminum used by Samsung on a handset to date. And we shouldn't forget that the Flip 3 delivers stereo sound which is something that the original Flip did not.
One change that Samsung didn't make to the Flip 3 that users are going to wish was made is a increase in battery capacity. Both the original model and the new unit are powered by a 3300mAh battery.
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