Samsung’s best foldable phones so far, the 2024 Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, are currently on preorder in the US along with a number of sweet deals to be had prior to launch, but in Korea they are being released today.
To mark the occasion, Samsung has let out some preorder numbers for the June 12-June 18 period – 910,000 units, to be precise – or about 10% less than for their predecessors Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 in a similar period last year.
This is in contrast with a Samsung exec’s expectations that the two will outsell their predecessors by the same percentage points, but they were talking about overall sales, not just the preorders in Korea.
Samsung also informs about the demographics of the person that buys a Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 and most of them are in their 20s or their 30s, indicating a high amount of interest in foldable phones among the younger generation.
The cool factor that phones with bendy displays bring is undeniable, but they are also very practical, with the Z Fold 6 lending a huge display when needed, while the clamshell Flip 6 folding in half to fit in even the narrowest jeans pocket.
The 10% drop in Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 units during the preorder period might be explained with the comparatively small design and hardware upgrades in a transitional for Samsung’s foldable phones‘ year.
Samsung reportedly hasn’t given up on releasing a Z Fold Slim version, and we might see something announced as soon as October, so people might have read the rumors and decided to wait.
A lot of the buyers at Samsung’s flagship store in the posh Gangnam district already owned a foldable phone and just came to pick up the upgrade they ordered, jumping from, say, the Z Flip 4 to a Z Flip 6, while Z Flip 5 owners are seemingly in no rush to trade it for a speedier chipset.
The Z Fold 6 got more design upgrades, though, so the ratio in the Fold/Flip mix increased to 40% from 30% for the Z Flip 5 last year, and the most preferred color for both 2024 foldables by Samsung was Silver Shadow, at least in its home turf.
