Samsung claims its newest book-style foldable is luring customers away from its mightiest slab phone. About 30% of Galaxy Z Fold 7 buyers in the US are coming from Galaxy S Ultra models, the company said, and sales of the new Fold 7 are about 50% higher than those for its predecessor.
That migration is significant because the Ultra line has long been the brand’s flagship for camera skills, speed and battery life. If a sizable portion of that audience now considers the Fold 7 as the culmination of the “Ultra experience,” it’s an indication that there has been a shift in how mainstream buyers perceive foldables: no longer just an experiment, but rather high-end daily drivers.
Samsung also claims that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is converting rival brand users at a high level in the US, indicating momentum for both of its foldable form factors.
Ultra Users Are Going To Cross The Foldable Rubicon
So why would Ultra users switch to this foldable? The appeal of the Fold 7 depends on maturity. It’s thinner and lighter than previous Folds; the hinge and display layers feel beefier, and you’re sacrificing less while gaining a tablet-size canvas that changes how we work and play.
Per Samsung’s pitch, the Fold 7 provides Ultra-grade speed, flexible cameras and years of software support, with the added bonus of a screen that expands when you want more viewing space. The multitasking features, including persistent taskbars and the ability to drag and drop elements between apps, lend it some utility beyond novelty.
Price is a continuing issue, and aggressive trade-in programs and US carrier subsidies have offset the impact for years. For a good chunk of would-be switchers, the calculus is no longer “can a foldable replace an Ultra,” but more like “I don’t know how to justify not doubling my screen real estate.”
Sales Momentum Is Faster Than the Predecessor
Samsung claims the Fold 7 is outselling the Fold 6 by about 50 percent over equivalent launch periods. The company has also ramped up the number of units being manufactured in response to demand, which is higher than expected, indicating that foldables are now a core part of its flagship planning.
Third-party trackers also help to accelerate momentum. Counterpoint Research noted the Fold 7 as the fastest-selling Galaxy foldable in Western Europe, signaling stronger early adoption outside of Samsung’s home market. Analysts have said a thinner design, increased durability and better software may make the phone more palatable to consumers.
Industry experts at companies like Display Supply Chain Consultants have also documented better foldable panel yields and cost structures over recent cycles, reducing cost complexity so OEMs can get hot hardware to market in size, more efficiently and reliably.
Cannibalization or Smart Segmentation for Samsung’s Portfolio
The Fold 7 sucking in Ultra buyers on paper looks like cannibalization. In practice, it’s inventory management and strategic portfolio management. If the switch keeps customers within Samsung’s ecosystem — and nudges people into high-margin devices that attach to accessories or services — the brand is still successful.
The Ultra is still the pretty obvious choice for those camera purists who just want a big slab. The Fold 7 and similar devices tease power users with an emphasis on multitasking, split-screen work and a bigger canvas for reading, gaming and editing. By presenting the Fold as offering that same “Ultra experience” in a form factor of their choosing, it’s encouraging the buyer to make a style choice rather than a compromise on capability.
Implications for Rivals and What It Means for the Flip
With Samsung’s claim that the Flip 7 is converting “the most new-to-brand users ever in a US launch” of late, it sounds like there has been competitive pressure on both foldables and premium slabs from rivals. “If the switching continues at this rate, Samsung is well poised to gain share in the high-end, particularly because they’ve got some help with carriers in promotional trade-ins,” he said.
For rivals, one thing is clear: foldables have to match flagship expectations on performance, camera consistency, battery life and update longevity. Products like the Pixel Fold and other book-style entrants helped legitimize the category, but with its early traction and adoption, the Fold 7 marks new standard-setting polish and ecosystem completeness.
The Bottom Line: Foldables Are Becoming the New Flagship
Samsung’s data does seem to offer a turning point. If around three in ten Fold 7 owners really do hail from Ultra, and sales are indeed “far outpacing” last year’s devices (according to the company), its long bet on foldables is paying off. The Fold 7 doesn’t require enthusiasts to compromise, as previous foldable iterations did; instead, it will prompt them to upgrade their idea of what a phone can be.
