In the last couple of weeks, Samsung leakers and some news reports have indicated that the Z Fold 8 series is proving super popular and already selling better than its predecessor. This could be great news for the iPhone Ultra, which is supposed to launch next month.
Samsung decided to confirm those numbers itself with a new press release asserting that the Z8 series of foldables is breaking records for pre-orders, especially the new wider Galaxy Z Fold 8. According to the Korean company, pre-orders increased more than 30% compared to last year's Galaxy Z Fold 7.
For the series, the wider Z Fold 8 makes up "nearly half of all pre-orders" with the Lavender color already sold out, though Graphite is apparently the most popular hue. Samsung claims 3x as many Flip users are switching to the bigger Fold this year as well.
Per the Korean version of the Samsung website, the company received 1.44 million pre-orders between July 28 and August 3, a record for any Galaxy phone.
Additionally, the release reveals that the Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Flip 8, the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9 will all be available on store shelves starting Friday, August 7.
Why this is good news for Apple
One of the more solid rumors surrounding the forthcoming iPhone Ultra is that Apple has opted for more of a passport-style design that is shorter and wider than traditional foldables like the Z Fold 8. A slew of dummy units and leaked renders have shown off the squatter form factor.
Samsung will likely never confirm this, but allegedly the company redesigned the Z Fold 8 into the new wider format specifically to rival Apple's purported design.
Apple's take on the passport-style foldable is supposed to feature an inner display measuring 7.8 inches in size or just slightly smaller than the iPad mini, but slightly bigger than the 7.6-inch display on the Z Fold 8. This size is supposed to give Apple's foldable an aspect ratio close to 4:3, just like the iPad.
Apple's device was probably going to prove popular since the tech giant claims around 32% of the global smartphone market share.
But despite a starting price of $1,899, Samsung's wider foldable is proving popular. Early estimates tipped the iPhone Ultra to cost around $2,000, though more recent ones have hedged higher, around $2,400, thanks to increased component costs.
If those prices are true, Samsung and Apple could be in for an interesting rivalry as Samsung's lower prices face Apple's popularity.
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