Samsung says it sold more Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 phones in their first month than...

[midian182]

In a nutshell: Remember when foldable phones were the target of so much mockery? Despite their disastrous debut in 2019, the form factor has proven very popular since the arrival of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3. Samsung says that it sold more foldables during the devices’ first month alone than the entire previous year.

Foldable phones were still eyed with suspicion when the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 arrived. The designs have certainly improved since the original Galaxy Fold, which saw its launch delayed by months after early review units started breaking within days, but the latest devices’ respective $1,800 and $999 prices ask a lot of faith from consumers—despite being cheaper than previous versions.

It seems Samsung has nothing to fear. The company says that combined sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 in their first month exceeded those of all its foldable devices in 2020.

Interestingly, more people who switched from a non-Samsung phone to one of the Korean firm’s devices opted for a Galaxy Z Flip 3 than the Galaxy S21 Flagship.

Earlier this month, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) reported that shipments of foldable smartphones in the third quarter of 2021 were larger than the previous four quarters combined, growing 215% quarter-over-quarter to 2.6 million units and 480% year-over-year.

With public figures such as YouTube star Linus Sebastian using the Galaxy Z Fold 3, more people are embracing a style of smartphone many expected to fade from existence due to lack of interest. They’ll likely become even more widespread should rumors of Apple releasing its first iPhone flip foldable in 2023 prove accurate.

Smartphone design had been stagnating for years, with each new flagship a slight iteration on its predecessor, which could go some way to explaining foldables’ newfound popularity. The fact they’re a lot more robust and user-friendly than earlier models also helps. As for the next step in phone evolution, it seems several companies, including Microsoft and Samsung, are considering folding devices with three screens.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/92795-samsung-sold-more-galaxy-z-fold-3-z.html

 

[nismo91]

Well price matters. that and the fact that if you're using 2020 flagship such as S20, you'll find that getting a Z-Flip 3 is more exciting than just upgrading to S21.

 

[Dimitriid]

This is well, not impressive at all. See if I sold just 1,000 units the first time around then I manage to sell 10,000 I could say I basically increased my total sales 10x which sounds really impressive...But once you look at my ROI and see that I've sold maybe 2% of the phones I need to sell just to break even well it no longer looks as promising.

The flip is kinda ok but still costs the same as a flagship with heavy compromises, the fold remains too expensive for mass appeal. But if they haven't lowered the costs more it's because the tech isn't there so really, sales do not matter right now: it's just getting people to *want* a folding phone as the new paradigm what's important here.

Samsung can manage quite a bit but I suspect they won't be able to capture everyone's minds into fully committing into foldable phones before Apple sells one and we know Apple won't use em until they're extra sure they can make *a lot of money* with them and evidently, tech is not there yet

 

[kenny loris]

Is is durable and better than the old one?

 

[Nobina]

Brick phones seem more convenient than foldable and flip phones. Foldable phones were made only due to lack of innovation in other areas. These are my initial thoughts since I don't actually own a foldable phone so I could change my mind.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Glass don’t fold…

 

[Aceseven]

I own a fold3, and its the nicest piece of tech I own.

But I do understand that it wont make sense to most people until they can get their hands on one for a few minutes, I thought it was a gimmick until I handled one in a store and then immediately bought it.

 

[Sausagemeat]

I dont see the advantage, the devices are too thick when folded and they are a lot more vulnerable. The bigger one makes a little more sense as you can take a big screen with you. But personally id rather just take an ipad and a regular sized phone. My ipad is so thin I dont even notice it in my bag.

Also Samsung has a dreadful reputation. You know you will get about a year of updates out of them at most. And if you have a failure they will do everything they can to weasle out of replacing it. Or if they do replace it you have to go without your device for weeks whilst you ship it off.

 

[p51d007]

That's like saying you found $100 last year, then saying your found $200 dollars last
year. A 100 PERCENT increase over last year.
If they sold 50 of each device last year, then 100 of each device this year, that would
be a 100 percent increase.
To me, it's a cool thing, but not worth the price, until it comes down...A LOT!
I'll stick with my inexpensive A71 Samsung, or upgrade to the A52 or similar. Better bang
for the buck.

 

[himindedlolife]

I just bought a Fold 3 yesterday. If you spend a lot of time on the go, can't practically carry a laptop or tablet with you, but still need to pull a "larger than the largest smartphone" screen out of your pocket to be productive at a moment's notice, this is the only game in town and it fits the bill quite well. I would never pay this much for an entertainment or media consumption device though.

On another note, I have a Galaxy Tab S7 with a Snapdragon 865 that, being an Android device, still lags next to my iPhone 13 and iPad Pro. However the 888 in the Fold 3 is markedly faster. I realize every generation of SD is supposed to be "the one" that finally reaches parity with the iPhone A series experience and while the 888 isn't quite there on artificial benchmarks, the real world difference between the Fold 3 and the iPhone 13 with the A14 chip is very small, practically non-existent.