Samsung: Galaxy Z Fold 8 sales in Europe up 45% over Fold 7

Samsung says its Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is outselling the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in Europe. In a post on its UK Newsroom, the company reports a 45% rise in European sales over the first nine weeks after launch, compared with the previous generation.

Samsung also cited search interest. Over September, searches for the Fold 8 series jumped by 260%. Between September 6 and 12, the increase reached 460%, which 9to5Google notes is the same period in which Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo. Samsung had previously said the iPhone Duo lifted both interest in and sales of the Fold 8 series.

9to5Google points out that Europe’s smartphone market is more mixed than the US, where Apple dominates, so the rise in interest there stands out.

Why it matters

Samsung’s numbers suggest Apple’s entry is pulling shoppers toward foldables in general, not only toward Apple’s own device. Ars Technica notes that the iPhone Duo relies on many of the same components as other foldables, including Samsung displays.

Price is part of the picture. Ars lists the iPhone Duo at $2,000 and Samsung’s wide foldable at $1,900, with some retailers discounting the Samsung model since launch. Ars argues that after recent price hikes, top-end flat phones from Samsung, Google and Apple sit only a few hundred dollars below their foldable counterparts, and that foldable prices have risen by less.

Another factor is the wider screen shape. Ars says the wider layout suits video, documents and apps not optimized for square foldable screens, and expects other manufacturers to follow in the coming months. Ars also says Samsung added the non-Ultra model just in time, likely based on leaks of Apple’s device.

Software is the other contest. SamMobile argues that, for now, Android apps adapt better to the Fold 8’s screens than iOS apps do to the iPhone Duo’s. It says the Duo’s cover screen is closer to 14.5:10 than a true 16:10, and that the right side of its displays holds a new iOS control surface, a taskbar-like area. According to SamMobile, apps not updated for it leave a blank strip and do not run full-screen, on both the cover screen and the foldable panel. Apple’s own apps support the design, the outlet says, and it expects third-party support to improve over the coming weeks and months.

What we don’t know yet

Samsung’s post gives percentages, not unit figures, so the size of the European sales gain is unclear. The company’s comparison also covers only the first nine weeks after launch, and its figures cover Europe rather than other regions.