Samsung orders a million more Galaxy Z Fold 8s as demand outstrips supply

Samsung has ordered an extra million Galaxy Z Fold 8 units, raising the standard model’s production target to 3.8 million after pre-orders broke company records. The additional run was confirmed by ETNews and picked up by 9to5Google, with tipster Ice Universe putting the new figure at 3.8 million — up from the initial 2.8 million target.

That makes the Fold 8 the biggest single allocation in Samsung’s foldable line-up this year. The Z Fold 8 Ultra was planned at 2 million units and the Z Flip 8 at 1.5 million, which means the standard Fold 8 alone will account for well over 60 per cent of Samsung’s foldable output in 2026.

The extra units follow demand that Samsung says it did not expect. The series recorded 1.44 million pre-orders in South Korea between 28 July and 3 August — the highest pre-order total in Samsung smartphone history — and Ice Universe estimates that around 70 per cent of those were for the standard Fold 8 rather than the Ultra or the Flip. Some variants ran out of stock or slipped into heavy delivery delays before the pre-order window closed.

The wider, passport-style form factor is the obvious culprit. The Fold 8’s near-square 4:3 inner display has sold Samsung’s design bet better than the company planned, and the timing matters: Apple’s own foldable iPhone, in the same 4:3 shape, is expected in September. Forbes notes the rumoured $2,000–$2,400 price for Apple’s device sits well above the Fold 8’s $1,899, and suggests Samsung is racing to lock in buyers before the iPhone Fold lands.

Samsung’s earlier UAE pricing stands — the Fold 8 starts at AED 7,199 here — and the production boost should mean less waiting for anyone who missed launch day. If you were eyeing the foldable iPhone instead, Samsung is doing its best to make sure you don’t.