Samsung introduced its two new foldables — the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 — earlier this year. The smartphones, though priced expensively, have seen a demand Samsung had not thought of. But now, it seems that Samsung is already preparing for the surge in demand for its next-gen foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
According to a report from the Korean website The Elec, Samsung is already looking to step up the production of its 2022 foldables, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Z Flip 4. According to the report, Samsung has ordered to manufacture 2.9 million units of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and 6.9 million units of the Galaxy Z Flip 4. For comparison, Samsung has ordered to manufacture 6 to 7 million units of the 2021 Galaxy foldables. In simple terms, the total shipment volume for the 2022 Samsung foldables would be significantly higher than 2021, if the figures are accurate.
The report also cites that Samsung is looking to headstart the Galaxy S22 FE production. It claims that the smartphone will be manufactured from Q3 2022, and will be released in the same quarter. Samsung is looking to sell around 5.7 million units of the Galaxy S22 FE smartphone, according to the report.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G is the latest foldable flagship from Samsung. It has an IPX8 certificate, supports the S Pen, and comes with the powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset.
Keeping the demand and chip shortage in mind, Samsung is also taking the help of third-party chip suppliers, such as Qualcomm and MediaTek, to supply chips for its 2022 smartphones. According to the report, at least 31 Samsung smartphones in 2022 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform. Other than that, 20 models will be powered by its own Exynos chipsets while 13 models will come with MediaTek chips.
These numbers suggest nothing else but the fact that the companies are prepared for the shortage to last till the end of 2022.