Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G is proving even more popular than expected

Priced at $2,000 in the US, the 5G-enabled Galaxy Z Fold 2 is not what we’d call widely accessible to the masses. But even though 2020 has been a tough year for high-end, high-priced smartphones in general and Samsung flagships in particular, this foldable beaut is sure shaping up to be a smash hit, at least by early foldable market standards.

Forecasted ahead of its official announcement to rack up around 500,000 unit sales by the end of 2020 and tipped to cross 800,000 units manufactured in that same timeframe just last week, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G is today estimated to reach an “initial volume” of 10,000 copies or so in South Korea.

That may not sound like an impressive number by itself, not to mention when you compare it to the other two figures above, but apparently, it’s triple the initial regional volume of the original Galaxy Fold last year. It’s also important to keep in mind that while Samsung cares a lot about its domestic market, this is only one of many major countries where the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G could sell like hotcakes compared to its predecessor.

In other markets, starting with the US, show a similarly “positive reaction” as the one reported in the tech giant’s homeland, the foldable device may well exceed 500,000 or even 800,000 shipments this year. More importantly, Samsung is proving by allotting three times as many second-gen Z Folds than OG Galaxy Folds to major South Korean carriers and independent stores that it can produce a significantly higher number of foldable smartphones during these challenging times for the mobile industry, contrary to rampant speculation from a few months back.

At least for now, there are no reasons to expect substantial delays or particularly long shipping times for early adopters. That is, as long as you’re not looking to buy the luxury Thom Browne Edition.

Believe it or not, around 230,000 people in Samsung’s homeland applied for a bank-breaking purchase in just two days, which means a lot of potential buyers will end up feeling terribly disappointed at missing their chance to spend the rough equivalent of $3,330 on, well, a phone.

There are only 5,000 copies of this thing prepared to be distributed worldwide, mind you, including a measly 1,000 in South Korea. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne Edition is not up for grabs stateside yet, but as far as the standard version is concerned, you still have until September 18 to pre-order your copy in a Mystic Black or Mystic Bronze color.