Samsung’s Olympic-winning selfies drive foldable phone sales

LONDON: Phone maker Samsung said the “victory selfies” taken by athletes on the podium at the Paris Olympics have boosted sales of foldable phones that can take them.

The tech giant is a long-time Olympic partner and at this year’s Games is offering podium finishers the opportunity to take a selfie with other medalists using its new foldable Galaxy Z Flip6 smartphone.

The company said it saw a 23 percent increase in Flip6 sales on July 30 compared to the average daytime sales at the Olympics. The day before, Team GB recorded its best podium finishes at the Games, which Samsung said could have been a factor in the surge in interest.

Team GB won its first round of medals last Monday, including gold in team eventing and gold for Tom Pidcock in mountain biking, and silver for Tom Daley and Noah Williams in the men’s 10m synchronised diving.

In addition to being used for winning podium selfies, a special Olympic edition of the Z Flip6 was given to all athletes competing in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

James Kitto, vice president and head of mobile phones at Samsung UK and Ireland, said the company was seeing “continued demand” for foldable phones and revealed that pre-orders for a range of the company’s new phones and wearables – announced last month – had increased compared to last year.

“Just a few weeks ago, we launched a new segment of Galaxy AI devices, including the Galaxy Z series foldable smartphones, a new range of wearable devices, and our smallest form of innovation yet with the Galaxy Ring,” he said.

“We have seen a positive start to sales already in the pre-sale phase, which confirms that our customers are as excited about these devices as we are.

“For our new wearables offering, including the Galaxy Watch Ultra, we’re seeing demand grow by 37% year-on-year in the UK. People are increasingly focused on health and wellbeing as we’re halfway into summer for sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games are underway.

“Our wearables play an integral role in our ecosystem, historically driving both loyalty and retention rates – more than half of our smartphone users own more than one Samsung device, and our data tells us these customers are more likely to stay with us.

“We are also seeing continued demand for foldable devices, with Samsung UK taking the top spot for Galaxy Z series sales in Europe.

“Galaxy Z Fold6 popularity increased by 15%, demonstrating local demand for a larger screen, further accelerated by unique user cases for the Galaxy AI designed specifically for the Fold.

“There is also a positive story for the Galaxy Z Flip6, with the 2024 Olympic Edition of the Z Flip6 now in the hands of almost 17,000 athletes as part of Samsung’s partnership with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, contributing to the continued growth in interest and purchase intention for our unique foldable smartphones.” – PA Media/dpa