Back in late 2019 it was reported that Samsung had shifted one million units of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, a figure the company quickly retracted, claiming this was a sales target rather than the actual sales. We now know what the actual sales figure is – and it’s a lot less impressive.

Speaking to the press at CES 2020, Koh Dong-jin, President and CEO of Samsung’s mobile division, said “I think we’ve sold 400,000 to 500,000 Galaxy Fold smartphones”, according to Yonhap News Agency.

While that’s a massive step down from original reports, and also seemingly from Samsung’s sales targets, it’s still a very respectable number for a device as expensive as the Samsung Galaxy Fold.

At $1,980 / £1,900 / AU$2,900, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is twice the price of a top-end flagship, and with its neovel form factor it could also be seen as a risky purchase, since buyers wouldn’t be sure they’d get on with it.

Rise of the foldables

So with all that in mind, coupled with the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Fold only properly went on sale in September and has been known to sell out in some regions (thereby limiting the ability for people to buy it), selling around half a million units sounds good to us, and suggests there’s an appetite for foldable phones, even if they’re still far from mainstream.

And Samsung could soon take a big step towards making them mainstream, as the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 – which we might see on February 11 alongside the Samsung Galaxy S11 range – is rumored to be a smaller, cheaper handset than its predecessor, which should make it more appealing to potential buyers.

Foldables got off to a rough start, with the Galaxy Fold getting partially redesigned after its announcement to address durability issues. But if Samsung can keep this momentum going with a smooth Fold 2 launch at a lower price, then, on the basis of these sales numbers, it might not be long before foldable phones are a common sight.

Source: techradar.com