Apple might just be Samsung's best foldable salesperson yet

There’s no denying that Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is having its moment. The South Korean tech giant’s decision to split the book-style segment into two — regular and widescreen — seems to be paying off. We reported that despite an overall decline in global smartphone shipments, strong demand for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series has softened the blow for Samsung, and while the credit does go to Samsung for refining its lineup, there also appear to be some outside forces at play.

Interestingly, one of those outside forces is Samsung’s biggest rival.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8’s sales outpaced even Samsung’s own expectations, forcing it to use parts that it had reserved for future devices to quench demand. Some of that demand can be attributed to Apple and its entry into the foldable market. Of course, Apple is expected to take some foldable market share away from Samsung, but its arrival is also bringing a new subset of buyers to Samsung, as pointed out by Forbes.

According to Samsung executive Richard Chang, the company has seen an uptick in customer demand and overall interest in its foldables since the iPhone Duo was announced.”Samsung’s foldable momentum is undeniable,” said Chang. He added:

Customer demand for the Galaxy Z Fold8 family has increased 16% since launch, and with a 300% increase in active Google searches for Samsung foldables in the last month alone, our market leadership is stronger than ever.

The increase in sales is interesting, but the 300% uptick in Google searches is more telling. It’s likely that potential buyers who have never cared about foldables before are now in awe of what the form factor can offer, thanks to the iPhone Duo sparking their curiosity and finally making foldables “cool.”

Naturally, those users would then explore all options, and Samsung, with years of foldable experience, would top that list.

That, plus the fact that you can get the Z Fold 8 for less than the Duo, even before adding in discounts and trade-ins, could make Samsung’s offering an attractive option for those looking to get away from Apple’s ecosystem.

Of course, a 300% increase in Google searches doesn’t equal a 300% increase in sales, and the 16% uptick in sales is measured from the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series’ launch (compared to the Z Fold 7), and not from the iPhone Duo’s announcement. We’ll have to wait for new sales data to get a better picture of just how much the iPhone Duo’s arrival has contributed to Samsung’s month-to-month success.