Samsung's cheaper Z Fold 8 is crushing the Ultra in pre-orders

Published Jul 28, 2026, 10:33 AM EDT I've been covering Android and other mobile technology for close to ten years now, with a specific interest in phone accessories, e-readers, and what makes each individual phone different from another. I delight in looking at the phone market from as many angles as possible, and while my opinions may be odd, at times, they're always from the heart as much as the head. I have a background in the mobile accessories world, which explains my odd enthusiasm for cases and things that clip onto smartphones. I worked for Digital Trends from 2017 to 2025. Sign in to your Android Police account Two well-respected leakers have claimed the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is beating pre-order expectations, and is largely outselling its more expensive sibling. According to one leaker, the is outselling the Z Fold 8 Ultra in Samsung's home market of Korea. Not only that, but another is also expecting the Z Fold 8 to become Samsung's best-selling foldable device of all time. The people yearn for passport-sized phones Is this the start of a move away from tall phones? Anyone who follows phone sales numbers (i.e., people who are the most fun at parties) knows that Samsung's "Ultra" name is generally a sales driver. The Galaxy S Ultra model outsells both other models in its stable put together, and so, many of us were expecting to see the same happen with the recently-revealed Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. However, leaks and rumors are saying the opposite is true, and it's actually the wider and cheaper Z Fold 8 that's winning the pre-order war. According to Korean tipster Lanzuk, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is exceeding Samsung's pre-order expectations and heavily outselling the Z Fold 8 Ultra. Apparently, the Z Fold 8 had 40% more stock ordered for production than the Z Fold 8 Ultra, but Samsung is still running into problems getting enough stock to fulfill the pre-orders. The specific market this information applies to isn't mentioned, but based on Ice Universe's separate tweet, it's likely to be Korea. Ice's tweet effectively confirms Lanzuk's statement, and states outright that the Fold 8 is outselling the Ultra quite strongly. If true, this has to be a relief for Samsung. Making such an enormous change to an established phone line is quite a gamble, even for a company like Samsung. However, neither leaker seems to think the Z Fold 8 was going to be a gamble. Both Lanzuk and Ice Universe clearly believe in the wider foldable's popularity, with Ice going so far as to predict it as the best-selling Samsung foldable device. That's not the highest bar by any means, but it would be an enormous boon for the phone, and a sign that people are perhaps ready for phones that aren't so tall. However, these are just early sales numbers, and nothing is confirmed until Samsung reveals its own numbers. But even with that in mind, it seems the Z Fold 8 is off to an excellent start.