A report from South Korea claims that Samsung is not too sure about the sales prospects of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, which are expected to be introduced in 2023. The company expects Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 sales to be lower than their predecessors.
Global challenges may reduce demand for Samsung’s foldable products scheduled for release in 2023
Previous reports had suggested that Samsung believed the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 would perform very well in the market. The company expects to ship 15 million units of the new foldable smartphones that it will introduce next month. That’s double the target it set for the outgoing Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 models last year.
However, Samsung is reportedly significantly reducing its shipping target for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5. The company expects to ship a total of 10 million units of both devices when it launches the devices in the second half of 2023.
It’s unusual for Samsung to set such a low target for its next-gen premium devices. Because the expectation from each new generation is that shipments will increase significantly compared to last year. Industry analysts believe Samsung’s reduced shipment target may have something to do with the uncertainty in demand for smartphones. The rise in raw material prices due to the conflict in Ukraine and a possible re-emergence of the COVID19 outbreak could further reduce demand for premium phones.
The report also states that both devices will use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Samsung continues to use Snapdragon chips only in its foldable models, and this trend is expected to continue next year.