Over half of Samsung Galaxy Z series pre-order customers are in their teens to 30s

Pre-order window nears close as double storage, Smart Switch draw younger buyers

Visitors browse Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z series at Samsung Store The Hyundai Seoul ahead of pre-orders. [Samsung Electronics]

More than half of customers who pre-ordered Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z series are in their teens to 30s, the company said Friday, crediting the passport-sized foldable phones' appeal for short-form content, webtoons and gaming as a key draw for younger buyers.

Samsung Electronics said the pre-sale of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 — which began Tuesday — is entering its final stretch, with customers in their teens to 30s accounting for more than half of all reservations.

The pre-order period is set to close Monday. Samsung Electronics expects demand through both online and offline channels to peak this weekend as the window nears its end.

According to Samsung Electronics, the most popular model among younger pre-order customers is the Galaxy Z Fold8 in KREAM. The Samsung.com exclusive color Pistachio and the signature color Lavender also proved popular.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, optimized for large-screen multitasking, and the compact Galaxy Z Flip8 have also drawn strong interest.

For the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Graphite and the Samsung.com exclusive Green Shadow were the top color choices, while the Flip8 saw the strongest demand for the Samsung.com exclusive Mint alongside Cream and Pink.

Samsung Electronics attributed the Galaxy Z series' popularity among younger customers to pre-order benefits tailored to their preferences.

The company said a storage upgrade offer proved particularly effective for teens-to-30s customers, who tend to take photos and videos frequently. During the pre-order period, customers who purchase a 256GB model of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 or Flip8 receive a free upgrade to the 512GB model, a benefit valued at 253,000 won ($174).

In addition, customers who pre-order the 512GB Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra or Fold8 can upgrade to the 1TB model by paying roughly half the price difference — 310,700 won — reducing the cost burden by more than 300,000 won. Samsung said the benefit is even more significant for customers who prefer higher storage capacity.

Samsung Electronics also identified stronger compatibility with non-Galaxy devices as a factor driving pre-orders among younger customers. iOS users can transfer existing data wirelessly to a Galaxy device by scanning a QR code through Smart Switch, with no separate app installation required, enabling quick initial setup. A Quick Share feature further improves the convenience of moving data and sharing files between iOS and Galaxy devices.

Visitors browse Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z series at Samsung Store Hongdae ahead of pre-orders. [Samsung Electronics]

Samsung Electronics also highlighted growing attention to Samsung Wallet, which received a recent update adding support for American Express card overseas payments, Millipass and travel services.

Additional pre-order benefits include a six-month Google AI Pro subscription, a three-month Willa subscription, 11 special game themes from Galaxy Store, a 10 percent discount coupon for the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy Watch9, and a 30 percent discount coupon on accessories such as cases.

Samsung is also running the New Galaxy AI Subscription Club for the new lineup, offering benefits including up to 50 percent residual value compensation upon device return, Samsung Care Plus coverage and accessory package discounts. A Flip Youth Subscription plan aimed at customers in their teens and 20s has also been added.

"From the very start of this pre-sale, we saw strong responses from younger customers in their teens to 30s, confirming their excitement about a new mobile form factor experience," a Samsung Electronics official said. "With benefits including double storage set to expire Monday, we recommend that customers considering a purchase complete their order before the pre-sale window closes."

chami@heraldcorp.com