It’s fair to say it was a bit of a debacle when Samsung first attempted to launch its Galaxy Fold — a smartphone with a big, foldable touchscreen — back in April.
Many of the pre-launch test models given to reviewers ended up with broken screens and other issues, leading Samsung to delay the phone’s release “indefinitely” at the time.
Now, Samsung is ready for Round 2, and has announced a release date of sometime in September.
But are Americans ready to fold their smartphones like slices of thin-crust pizza? Only a few, according to a CivicScience survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults in late July and early August.
When the Samsung brand name is removed from the equation, the interest levels bump upward a good bit. Perhaps this has something to do with the phone’s launch troubles.
So Who Wants a Foldable Phone?
While Gen X and Millennials showed appreciable levels of interest in foldable tech, it was clear that Gen Z led the way.
Interestingly enough, income didn’t play too much of a role in determining whether someone was interested in buying the upcoming Galaxy Fold, which clocks in at just under $2,000. Still, the highest-income respondents (earning $150K / year or more) were the most likely to say they were “very interested” in the Galaxy Fold.
Gender, though, was a major factor. Men were 33% more likely than women to say they’re interested in buying a Galaxy Fold, and a whopping 63% more likely to say they’d be interested in buying a foldable-screen smartphone in general.
The Galaxy Fold vs. Foldable Tech In General
All of this begs the question — how many of the respondents who said they’re interested in foldable smartphones also said they’d be interested in the Galaxy Fold? Turns out that it’s a lot, but far from all.
And here’s that rare bit of data that just seems to fit almost like a glove — about 42% of those who are interested in foldable smartphones also have good feelings toward the Apple iPhone, Samsung’s arch-rival in the US.
Digging deeper, it seems that Apple fans are just skeptical of the Galaxy Fold in general.
CivicScience uncovered some other interesting data on Galaxy Fold fans, too. For instance, they’re more likely to be Elon Musk supporters. They’re also more likely to play video games and rent their living spaces. And finally, in what seems like a prime advertising opportunity, people who are interested in buying the Galaxy Fold are nearly three times as likely to listen to Spotify as those who aren’t interested.
While it’s clear that the rollout of the Galaxy Fold didn’t unfold the way Samsung wanted it to, there are some encouraging signs. Gen Z is into it, and it seems to have broad appeal across income brackets. CivicScience will keep an eye on the data when the phone is released this September.