Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a smash hit; shipping dates slip, 3x higher pre-orders than Fold 7

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 8 series has turned out to be an absolute smash hit for the company, with the new foldables now delayed across the board in shipping amid demand that’s apparently 3x higher than initial Fold 7 demand.

Last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 was already a big success for Samsung, taking the company’s foldable series out of a long-running slump. In the US alone, Samsung confirmed the device saw roughly a 50% jump compared to the prior generation.

It sounds like things are a lot better than even that this year.

Korean media reports that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is seeing roughly 3x the pre-order demand compared to Fold 7, though it’s unclear whether that encompasses both the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra.

It’s abundantly clear that this demand is beyond Samsung’s own expectations, as the company is communicating to customers that there is a delay on “popular combinations” of both the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra through Samsung.com:

Due to high demand, we are experiencing a delay in delivery on popular combinations

While the Ultra is mostly just delayed by a few days up to about 3 weeks, the base Galaxy Z Fold 8 – the wide one – is seeing shipping dates that have slipped all the way back into October. Both of these devices are technically available for shipping as of August 7.

Here’s a quick overview of what we’re seeing as of today on just a few configurations:

Other retailers do not appear to be as heavily delayed.

Best Buy still lists the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra as available for pickup/shipping in time for August 7, and Amazon has no delays listed either. Samsung arguably has the best pre-order perks, but there are good deals elsewhere especially if you want to get this new foldable sooner rather than later.

More on Galaxy Z Fold 8:

• Review: Fold 8’s new shape isn’t for you – it’s for everyone
• Review: Fold 8 Ultra ticks every box, but it’s the boring option now
• The best Fold 8 deal is at Amazon — boosted trade-in plus $350 gift card

Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram