We should see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 arrive this month, and one of the general questions we’ll be thinking about leading up to the Galaxy Unpacked event is how much Samsung might charge for the new Z Fold. And how much would we be willing to pay for it.
For context, the current Galaxy Z Fold 4 costs $1,800 / £1,600. This has been the price of a new Z Fold since the Galaxy Z Fold 2, with the previous year’s original Galaxy Fold costing $2,000. Three years later, it seems about time for Samsung to change the price, but with increased competition, few alleged updates and specific rumors of a Galaxy Z Fold 5 price drop, there are more signs of this happening than ours. impression.
So, considering all these factors, how much cheaper could Samsung cost its new most expensive smartphone? We’ll explore possible reasons below, before trying to figure out what Samsung could/should rate the Galaxy Z Fold 5 at.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 possible price drop
A major reason we think the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 might go down is because leakers have been hinting at it. We’ve already heard that it could be cheaper, though not exactly by how much, and with the proviso that this wasn’t confirmed at the time the leak was published.
Slashing foldable phone prices, even by a few hundred dollars, has proven to work for Samsung in the past, as we saw when the Galaxy Z Flip 3 dropped from $1,400 to $999 a couple of years ago.
Additionally, Samsung has been talking about making foldable phones mainstream with its Galaxy Z models. However, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series currently sits between $800 and $1,200. If Samsung is serious about getting more foldables into users’ hands, it needs to close the price gap between regular phones and foldable phones.
More foldable competition
The clearest possible cause for a Galaxy Z Fold 5 price drop is the fact that competition in the foldable phone segment has exploded this year. And the biggest competitor right now for the Z Fold family is the Google Pixel Fold.
The Pixel Fold costs as much as the Z Fold 4, but it quickly established itself as the best new foldable phone based on our tests. As the newcomer on the block and offering superior hardware and software in key areas, the Pixel Fold could be a key factor in a Z Fold price drop, as we’ve previously explored.
Further pressure could be brought to bear on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 by OnePlus V Fold, confirmed to arrive this year but with no specs or pricing provided. Looking at OnePlus’ usual pricing strategy, we imagine it will be priced lower than existing competition, including the Z Fold series. It may not be as direct a competitor as the Pixel Fold, but it could still steal some potential Z Fold buyers when it eventually arrives.
There are also region-specific foldouts like the Oppo Find N2 and Honor Magic Vs to consider. The Honor retails in the UK for £1,400, which undercuts the £1,600 UK price of the Z Fold 4. Honor doesn’t sell its phones in the US, but is looking to be a big player in Europe and beyond. And while the Oppo Find N2 is exclusive to China, China is one of the biggest markets in the world for foldable phones. Samsung will have to consider these markets when determining the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, although in theory it could rely on its existing dominance in the US and Korea.
A possible lack of updates of Galaxy Z Fold 5
With only minimal changes planned for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, it would make sense for Samsung to reduce the price slightly to improve the new foldable’s appeal.
A new chipset in the form of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is a good update, but it’s hardly revolutionary. We’ve also heard several hints about a new hinge design, although we’ve also heard that this hinge won’t improve the large crease in the internal display or add dust resistance as some sources have claimed. And who can forget the alleged comment from Samsung’s own employees that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 barely deserves to be called the Galaxy Z Fold 4S due to its lack of updates?
None of the rumors covered what software features the Galaxy Z Fold 5 could add, and perhaps that’s where the core of the Z Fold 5 could lie. But as it stands, Samsung would be doing its customers a disservice by charging the same hefty price for a folding that is mostly the same as the previous year’s model.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 price: how much could it cost?
Taking all of this into consideration, it seems that a price drop for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is inevitable. It’s unlikely to be huge, but we predict Samsung could end up dropping the Z Fold 5 to $1,600 from $1,800. That’s still a lot of money, especially compared to typical flagship phones, but it could help Samsung fend off the competition as it works on more substantial updates planned for the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
However, there may still be a significant chance that Samsung won’t change the price at all. That wouldn’t detract too much from the overall quality of the Z Fold 5, but it would mean Samsung could lose its place at the top of the foldable world. Unless there are more updates than expected, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 would be a disappointment if it sticks to Samsung’s set Z Fold price point.
We won’t have an answer on the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 until the end of Galaxy Unpacked. But fingers crossed for a real price cut!
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