iPhone loyalists are turning to Galaxy devices. Among customers who upgraded to Samsung Electronics' new foldable Galaxy Z Fold8 series, the share of former iPhone users roughly doubled from the previous model.
iPhone-to-Galaxy Switching Doubles
About 680,000 mobile subscribers changed carriers in August, according to the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) on the 7th. The figure rose from both the previous month and a year earlier, marking the highest level so far this year.
Telecom industry officials attribute the increase to demand for handset upgrades spurred by the Galaxy Z Fold8 series, released in August. Among customers who switched to the eighth-generation Galaxy foldable lineup, the proportion of previous iPhone users roughly doubled compared with the earlier Z Fold7 and Flip7 series.
Response was especially strong among people in their teens through their 30s. When folded, the Fold8 is wider than earlier foldables, with a screen ratio similar to a passport, and it is thinner. Unfolded, it offers a large 4:3 display, which reviewers say makes it well suited for e-books, webtoons and YouTube, as well as multitasking.
On online communities and social media, some users say that after getting used to the Fold8's wide screen, conventional smartphones feel excessively tall and narrow.
Lowering the Barrier to Switching
A simpler data transfer process, long a pain point for users moving from an iPhone to an Android phone, is also seen as a factor.
Samsung Electronics' Smart Switch feature lets users scan a QR code during initial Galaxy setup to move data from an existing iPhone wirelessly, without a cable. The number of transferable data categories has expanded to 20 from five, covering photos, contacts, messages, passwords, call logs and eSIM information.
Concerns about difficulty sharing photos and videos with iPhone users have also eased. Galaxy's Quick Share file-sharing feature now supports compatibility with Apple's AirDrop, allowing Fold8 users to send full-resolution photos and videos to iPhone users without a separate login.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at 2.816 million won for the 512GB model and 3.168 million won for the 1TB version. The Galaxy Z Flip8 starts at 1.496 million won for 256GB and 1.6478 million won for 512GB.
Apple Prepares Its First Foldable
Interest among younger consumers was evident before launch. Preorders for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8, taken from July 28 to Aug. 3, totaled 1.44 million units, surpassing the 1.38 million recorded by the Galaxy Note10 in 2019 for the highest preorder tally of any Galaxy smartphone.
People in their teens through their 30s accounted for more than half of preorder customers on Samsung.com, and female buyers in that age range for the Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra more than doubled from the previous model. The Fold8 alone accounted for about 70% of total preorders, or 1 million units. Online, it has picked up the nickname "passport phone" because of its size when folded.
Apple is set to unveil its first foldable iPhone on the 9th. The device, referred to as the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra, is expected to fold like a book, as the Galaxy Z Fold8 does. Industry watchers expect a price of $2,000 to $2,500, or about 2.69 million to 3.36 million won. At that price, it would be the most expensive iPhone ever released.
Competition between Samsung Electronics, which has begun drawing in iPhone users, and Apple, entering the foldable market for the first time, is expected to be a key storyline in the premium smartphone market in the second half.
