Samsung Electronics’ eighth-generation foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, has made South Korea’s mobile number portability market the hottest it has been all year. In particular, the scale of “iPhone escapes” \u2014 customers moving from iOS to Android \u2014 has roughly doubled compared with the previous generation, signaling a meaningful shift in customer migration patterns within the premium smartphone market.<\/p>\n
According to the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) on the 7th, mobile number portability in August totaled 680,346. That is up approximately 5.5% from 644,618 a year earlier and up roughly 7.1% from 635,361 in July \u2014 the highest monthly figure so far this year.<\/p>\n
The industry attributes the surge in number porting to the strong performance of Samsung Electronics’ new devices launched on the 7th of last month: the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8. According to telecom industry tallies, among customers who replaced their devices with the eighth-generation Galaxy foldable series, the proportion who were previously iPhone users roughly doubled compared with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 series.<\/p>\n
‘Passport-Ratio’ Form Factor Moved Younger Users<\/p>\n
The biggest factor driving iPhone defections is the Fold 8’s design overhaul. When folded, the device features a screen ratio similar to a passport \u2014 wider than previous foldables \u2014 along with a significantly reduced thickness, which has resonated strongly with users in their teens through thirties. When unfolded, the 4:3 aspect ratio large screen is well suited to e-books, webtoons, YouTube, and multitasking.<\/p>\n
In fact, customers in their teens through thirties accounted for more than half of pre-orders placed on Samsung.com. The number of female customers in that age group who purchased the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Fold 8 Ultra more than doubled compared with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Online communities have nicknamed the device the “passport phone” because of its passport-like size when folded.<\/p>\n
Some users report a so-called “reverse adjustment” effect: after getting used to the wide screen, conventional smartphones feel excessively tall and narrow. This suggests the Fold 8’s form factor is changing usage habits themselves, beyond merely attracting passing interest.<\/p>\n
OS Barriers Have Come Down<\/p>\n
The data transfer hurdle \u2014 long the biggest obstacle to switching from iPhone to Galaxy \u2014 has also been substantially eased. Samsung Electronics’ data transfer feature, Smart Switch, now allows users to wirelessly move data from their existing iPhone during initial Galaxy setup by scanning a QR code, with no separate cable required. The types of transferable data have expanded from five to twenty, covering photos, contacts, messages, passwords, call logs, and even eSIM information.<\/p>\n
File sharing has changed as well. Galaxy’s Quick Share now supports compatibility with the iPhone’s AirDrop, allowing Galaxy users to send original-quality photos and videos to iPhone users without a separate login. Analysts note that as the inconveniences once associated with differing operating systems have diminished, consumers now have a wider range of device choices.<\/p>\n
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at \u20a92.816 million (approximately $2,100) for the 512GB model and \u20a93.168 million (approximately $2,400) for the 1TB model. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 starts at \u20a91.496 million (approximately $1,100) for 256GB and \u20a91.6478 million (approximately $1,200) for 512GB.<\/p>\n
Pre-Orders Hit 1.44 Million \u2014 An All-Time Galaxy Record<\/p>\n
The Fold 8 series’ success was foreshadowed before launch. Samsung Electronics’ domestic pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8, and Flip 8, conducted from July 28 to August 3, totaled 1.44 million units. That surpasses the 1.38 million units set by the Galaxy Note 10 in 2019, marking the largest pre-order figure in Galaxy smartphone history. The Fold 8 alone accounted for roughly 70% of total pre-orders \u2014 about 1 million units \u2014 leading the charge.<\/p>\n
Apple Prepares Counterattack with First Foldable iPhone<\/p>\n
Apple is moving quickly to strike back. On the 9th (local time), Apple will hold its “Surprise and Shine” event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, where it is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone. It will also be the first iPhone launch event for John Ternus, who took office as CEO on the 1st.<\/p>\n
The device \u2014 referred to as the “iPhone Ultra” (tentative name) or “iPhone Fold” \u2014 is widely expected to use an in-folding design that opens like a book, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold. It is anticipated to feature a roughly 7.8-inch display when unfolded and about 5.5 inches when folded. Observers suggest that a display with virtually no visible crease when opened will be Apple’s key differentiator.<\/p>\n
Thickness is expected to be around 4.5mm when unfolded \u2014 the same figure as the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The rear is expected to house a dual camera handling wide and ultra-wide shots, and there is talk that Touch ID may be integrated into the side power button instead of Face ID.<\/p>\n
The key variable is price. Market consensus leans toward a foldable iPhone priced between $2,000 and $2,500 (approximately \u20a92.7 million to \u20a93.4 million). If it launches at that level, it would be the most expensive iPhone ever. Given that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 already approaches $2,000, analysts expect Apple to set a high consumer price reflecting rising costs for memory, semiconductors, and other key components.<\/p>\n
Some observers are also watching the possibility that initial supply of the foldable iPhone may be constrained due to its complex structure and high costs. How Apple presents actual pricing, launch timing, and supply scale at this event will be a key focus for the market.<\/p>\n
Market research firm Counterpoint Research forecasts that if Apple enters the foldable phone market this year, it will capture a 25% global share in its first year. With Apple joining a foldable market that Samsung Electronics and Chinese manufacturers have cultivated for years, the potential demand base could expand significantly \u2014 and competition in the premium smartphone market is expected to intensify further.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Samsung Electronics’ eighth-generation foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, has made South Korea’s mobile number portability…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146104,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[3628,11446,562,6255,71731,74347,23140,127,276,23143],"class_list":["post-146103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-samsung-electronics","tag-apple","tag-counterpoint-research","tag-galaxy-z-fold-8","tag-iphone","tag-john-ternus","tag-korea-telecommunications-operators-association","tag-quick-share","tag-samsung","tag-samsung-electronics","tag-smart-switch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}