Samsung's latest foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, have been very well received. They've already broken all sales records for the company's foldable devices. There still appears to be high demand for these phones.
However, it appears that Samsung has a serious problem on its hands. The company is unable to raise supply to match the demand. It's an unfortunate position to be in. Samsung wants to mainstream foldables but right now it's unable to make as many as it needs to.
Samsung just can't make enough foldables
The global chip shortage has seriously impacted Samsung's ability to increase production of the new foldables. It's because of this that the supply of its new foldables is still lagging behind demand.
Samsung has already taken significant steps to work around the chip shortage of its foldables. It didn't launch new Galaxy Note flagships this year. That was a bold move, benching the star Note lineup for the foldables.
The chip shortage is also the reason why Samsung prioritized the foldables over the Galaxy S21 FE. That device's launch has also been delayed. It remains unclear if Samsung even plans on launching it at all.
It took Samsung 39 days after launch to sell more than 1 million units of its new foldables in South Korea. Supply is so constrained that some customers are having to wait for up to one month to get their units. Some retailers in Korea aren't able to sell the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 due to not receiving any inventory.
Local media reports also indicate displeasure over Samsung management's fault to incorrectly forecast demand for the new foldables. The devices have turned out to be a bigger hit than the company may have been expecting. The sustained demand isn't just limited to South Korea. It's being witnessed in other parts of the world as well.
Samsung is leaving money on the table by not having enough units to sell even though customers are waiting with their wallets in hand. Hopefully it will be able to sort this out to realize the full potential of its new foldables.
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