Samsung says its 2026 foldable lineup is selling faster in Europe than last year's models, and the timing of the increase lines up with Apple's entrance into the foldable market. In a blog post, Samsung UK reported that combined European sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra are up 45 percent compared with the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Samsung did not discuss Galaxy Z Flip 8 sales in the post. The company has previously said its larger foldables accounted for about 80 percent of foldable purchases, and the absence of Flip 8 figures suggests any gain there was not large enough to highlight. A possible factor is that Apple did not release a flip-style phone.
Samsung's post does not mention Apple or the iPhone Duo. It does state that search volume for the Z8 series across Europe rose 460 percent during the week of September 6 to 12. Apple announced the iPhone Duo on September 9. Search volume for the Z Fold 8 alone was up 260 percent for the full month of September, when the phones launched.
In the US, Samsung said last month that preorders for the Galaxy Z8 series were running 30 percent above last year, but it has not confirmed updated US numbers. That matches third-party reports that Samsung was increasing foldable manufacturing, especially of the wider, iPhone-like Z Fold 8. Samsung has not disclosed the sales split between the Z Fold 8 and the Z Fold 8 Ultra, though the wider model appears to be benefiting from Apple's announcement.
Samsung released its first foldable phone in 2019 and was the only company seriously pursuing the form factor for several years. Early devices were clunky and more notable as engineering feats than as everyday phones, but the hardware improved gradually until Apple could release the product it wanted. The iPhone Duo depends on many of the same components as other foldables, including Samsung displays.
Samsung added the non-Ultra model to its lineup just in time, likely based on leaks of Apple's device. The wider form factor addresses several complaints about foldables: the main display wastes less space when watching video and works better for reading documents and running unoptimized Play Store apps in portrait orientation than square screens do.
Pricing remains a hurdle. The iPhone Duo carries a $2,000 price, which the source article described as competitive for a foldable, while Samsung's wide foldable is $1,900 and has been discounted at some retailers since launch.
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