Samsung's Galaxy S26 is selling twice as fast as last year's S25 in South Korea, forcing the company to boost production just as it prepares to unveil its next foldables. The Galaxy S26 series crossed 3 million units sold in Samsung's home market in 117 days, according to a report from EInfoMax cited by SamMobile and confirmed by Yonhap. The Galaxy S25 lineup needed roughly six months to hit the same mark.
Pre-orders alone hit 1.35 million units during a seven-day window, beating the S25's 1.3 million over 11 days. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is driving the surge. Around 70% of pre-orders went to the top-tier model, which starts at 256GB of storage, packs the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, and adds a Privacy Display feature that lets users selectively block screen viewing angles at the panel level.
Samsung also kept pricing competitive despite rising component costs, and moved more Galaxy AI processing on-device rather than relying on the cloud.
Demand has outstripped supply. Samsung raised its July production target for the S26 series from 1 million units to 1.5 million, ETNews reported. On Samsung's own online store in South Korea, delivery estimates have slipped to August.
The company offered a 20% refund in Digital Onnuri Gift Certificates during a local sales event, which reportedly tripled sales through retailers like 11th Street and Coupang. The strong numbers extend beyond Korea. Counterpoint Research data showed the S26 series posted 15% higher cumulative sales than the S25 during its first six weeks, with double-digit growth in the US and Europe.
South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy credited the "AI-enhanced Galaxy S26 series" for a 51.9% year-over-year jump in wireless communication device exports to $1.55 billion in June. But there are early warning signs. By week six, weekly sales of the S26 dipped below the S25's comparative figures, according to Counterpoint.
The lineup also struggled in China and Japan. Research analyst Sujeong Lim questioned whether the series can "sustain its initial momentum going forward."
Samsung isn't slowing down. The company will unveil three foldables, the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, at its Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22, with sales starting August 5.
Leaked renders from Android Headlines show the Fold 8 adopting a wider cover display and weighing around 200 grams, while the Fold 8 Ultra keeps a familiar design with a 200MP main camera. Pricing remains unconfirmed as component costs continue to climb.
