Samsung’s victory selfies at Paris Olympics spark sales rise for foldable phones

The “victory selfies” being captured by athletes on the podium at the Paris Olympics have sparked a spike in sales of the foldable phone being used to take them, phone maker Samsung said.

The technology giant is a long-term Olympic partner, and for this year’s Games is offering those on the podium the opportunity to take a selfie with their fellow medallists using its new foldable Galaxy Z Flip6 smartphone.

The company said it saw a 23% spike in Flip6 sales on July 30, compared with an average day at the Olympics so far, with the day before marking Team GB’s best day for podium placements at the Games so far, which Samsung said could have caused the spike in interest.

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

As well as being used for the victory selfies on the podium, a special Olympic edition of the Z Flip6 has been given to all of the athletes taking part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

James Kitto, vice president and head of the mobile division at Samsung UK and Ireland, said the company was seeing a “continued drive” for foldable phones, and he revealed pre-order figures for a range of the firm’s new phones and wearables – announced last month – were up on last year.

“Just a few short weeks ago we launched a new frontier of Galaxy AI devices, including the Galaxy Z Series of foldable smartphones, a new host of wearable offerings and our smallest form of innovation yet, in the Galaxy Ring,” he said.

“We’ve seen a positive start to sales captured within pre-order phase, which gives us the confidence our customers are as excited for these devices as we are.

“For our new wearable offerings, which includes the Galaxy Watch Ultra, in the UK we’re seeing an increase in demand year-on-year, up 37%; with health and wellness top of people’s mind as we find ourselves mid-way through the summer of sports with the Olympic and Paralympic Games well under way.

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

“We’re also seeing a continued drive for foldables, with Samsung UK taking top spot for Galaxy Z Series sales in Europe.

“Galaxy Z Fold6 has jumped in popularity by 15%, which demonstrates a local demand for that larger screen experience, accelerated by the unique user cases of Galaxy AI designed specifically for Fold.

“There’s also a positive story for Galaxy Z Flip6, where the 2024 Olympic Edition Z Flip6 can be found in the hands of nearly 17,000 athletes as part of Samsung’s partnership with Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 contributing to a continued increase in consideration and purchase intent for our unique foldable smartphones.”