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Going into 2021, Samsung had a lot riding on the foldable smartphone market. The company decided to semi-officially hedge its bets on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 by confirming the Galaxy Note 21 would be pushed into 2022.
Of course, there were some concerns about how well Samsung’s 2021 foldable lineup would perform sales-wise. This had a lot to do with the biggest qualms that potential buyers had with last year’s models. The Z Fold 2 and Z Flip 5G were not only expensive, but they had no IP rating.
With the Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3, both of those concerns were answered. The Z Flip 3 was announced with a starting price of just $999, coming in $450 cheaper than its predecessor. Plus the Flip 3 offers IPX8 water resistance, along with improved display durability, larger cover screen, and a 120Hz refresh rate.
As for the Z Fold 3, the price difference compared to the Fold 2 is not as drastic, as it’s only $200 cheaper. But the Fold 3 also offers IPX8 water resistance, 120Hz cover screen, and S Pen support. This was the key for Samsung, as it attempted to lure Galaxy Note fans over to the foldable lifestyle.
Even without providing a drastic design overhaul, and continuing to re-use outdated camera hardware, it seems that Samsung’s decisions have paid off better than expected. In addition to a blog post detailing how the company went through testing for the Fold 3 and Flip 3, we have also learned an interesting tidbit.
Over the course of the first month after launch, Samsung has sold more Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 units than all of its previous foldable phones combined. These figures only account for U.S. sales, but to put this in perspective, here are some crazy numbers:
- The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has sold more than 5 times as many units as the Z Fold 2.
- The Galaxy Z Flip 3 has sold more than 40 times as many units as the Z Flip 5G.
These don’t account for global sales, but we’ve already seen reports that Samsung is blowing past expectations in other regions of the world. One of the most recent reports suggests that Samsung has already surpassed the one million units sold in the company’s home country of South Korea.
The problem is that it’s rather difficult to gauge exactly how well both units are selling, because we haven’t been provided with any specific figures. But no matter which way you look at it, Samsung is proving that foldable phones can be popularized. It’s just a matter of bringing similar features from flagship devices, such as water resistance, to these unique form-factors.
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