Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 pre-orders outperforming both Note 20 and S21 in Samsung's home market

Samsung recently confirmed strong pre-order demand around the world for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3. Now, the South Korean brand has shed some light on how its new devices are performing in its home market.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 pre-orders are almost twice as high as S21 orders in South Korea

Speaking to Bloomberg’s Sohee Kim, Samsung revealed that domestic pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 reached an incredible 920,000 units in the first seven days of availability (August 17 to August 23).

The $999 Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the most popular model thus far in South Korea, accounting for around 70% of orders or 644,000 units. The $1,799 Galaxy Z Fold 3 is responsible for the remaining demand.

These numbers are particularly impressive when compared to previous flagship launches. Samsung says that Fold 3 and Flip 3 pre-orders in its home market are currently 30% higher than those of last year’s Galaxy Note 20 line.

Even more impressive is the fact that Fold and Flip pre-orders are performing 80% better than those of the Galaxy S21, which is positioned as the brand’s mainstream flagship lineup and should technically appeal to a wider audience.

Samsung may have underestimated demand for the Fold 3 and Flip 3

Ultimately only time will tell how Samsung’s latest foldable smartphones perform in the long term. But reports from customers around the world indicate that demand isn’t only strong in South Korea.

In fact, our own readers have reported delays in the US and Spain. While other customers on social media have spoken out about supply issues in France, Germany, and the UK too.

Samsung seems to have drastically underestimated demand. That’s a good thing for the long-term appeal of foldable devices, but could negatively impact the brand in the second half of 2021, especially as other brands are due to enter the segment.

Past reports have suggested that Samsung could ship as many as 7 million combined Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 units by the end of 2021. That was before news broke of the extremely high pre-order demand, though, so perhaps these numbers will be revised if demand can be met.