Samsung Foldable Surpasses 1 Million Units Sold in Korea Within 39 Days of Launch... Third Highest Record Ever

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] Samsung Electronics' 3rd generation foldable phones, the 'Galaxy Z Flip3' and 'Galaxy Z Fold3,' have set a record-breaking sales milestone by surpassing 1 million units sold domestically just 39 days after their launch.

According to Samsung Electronics on the 6th, the domestic sales of the Z Flip3 and Z Fold3 exceeded 1 million units as of the 4th, which was 39 days after their official release. This is the third fastest record in the entire Galaxy series, following the 'Galaxy Note10 (25 days)' and 'Galaxy S8 (37 days)'.

Notably, this achievement is considered even more significant because the Z Flip3 and Z Fold3 are not part of the traditional bar-type flagship lineup but represent a new form factor. This success validates Samsung's "foldable all-in strategy," which the company pushed forward even at the cost of not releasing a new Note series model this year, a series that had been a consistent "cash cow" with cumulative sales reaching 1 million units per series.

Among the two models, the Flip3 accounts for about 70% of sales, leading the popularization of foldable phones. The Z Flip3, which maximizes usability with a front display four times larger than its predecessor, was released in seven colors including Cream, Lavender, and Pink, receiving strong responses mainly from female consumers in their 20s and 30s. Approximately 54% of buyers were analyzed to be from the MZ generation, with Cream and Lavender being the most popular colors. The concurrently released Z Fold3 saw the Phantom Black color, which exudes a premium feel, as the best-selling option. Additionally, the 512GB internal memory model accounted for about 40% of sales.

Furthermore, about 20% of total sales were from unlocked (self-paid) purchases. Among these unlocked sales, online sales accounted for approximately 58%.

On the first day of activation for pre-order customers, 270,000 units of the Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 were activated, setting a new record for the first-day smartphone activations in South Korea. Approximately 920,000 people participated in the pre-orders, leading to the unprecedented extension of the pre-activation period twice.

Industry insiders attribute this success mainly to Samsung Electronics significantly reducing the price burden by lowering the launch price of the 3rd generation foldable phones by 400,000 KRW compared to their predecessors, as well as enhancing durability. Additionally, various participatory marketing targeting the MZ generation also proved effective. Samsung Electronics launched practical genuine cases and collaborated with about 40 brands favored by the MZ generation, such as Cafe Knotted and Jeximix, to introduce collaborative accessories, leading the 'phone customization' trend. Online, the 'Production Z' program, which brands itself as a real variety show, has surpassed 34 million cumulative views since its release in August, maintaining its popularity.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics has extended its 'Used Phone Additional Compensation Program' until the 31st, which offers extra compensation on top of the used phone market price when customers purchase the latest Z series and trade in their old phones. Apple smartphones such as the iPhone XS and iPhone XR have been newly included among the eligible devices for additional compensation upon trade-in.

Since the 27th of last month, Samsung Electronics has been running a consumer participation event called 'My Foldable Story,' where participants share their more special daily lives with foldable phones, and winning stories will be produced into advertisements in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.