Is a cheaper Galaxy Fold all that would take to convince you to get a foldable?

As you may know, the world of Samsung foldable devices is a pretty expensive place. The latest Galaxy Z Fold 5, announced last summer, starts at $1,800, just like its predecessor, the Z Fold 4. Samsung's foldable devices started at an even higher price, with the OG Fold starting at $2 000 $. in 2019. But the tides are now turning, and a recent rumor indicates that Samsung is working on a cheaper Fold, intended to compete with Huawei, OnePlus and Oppo in the Chinese market. Can a cheaper Fold from Samsung really launch foldable phones into the mainstream market? Could you be persuaded to buy a foldable if it came at a more affordable price?

Let's talk about it!

Samsung foldables, prices, competition

Samsung began its foldable era in 2019, when it first introduced the OG Galaxy Fold. It was a rather experimental device, prone to inconsistencies in durability, but nonetheless an exciting innovation. Samsung's first foldable was, as I mentioned before, a real purchase. Starting at $1980, it was a very exquisite device… and since the foldable market was still fairly new at the time, it didn't really transform smartphone sales figures.

Prices dropped with the introduction of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Instead of $2,000, the foldable now started at $1,799. In 2021, Samsung said (without giving numbers though) that in the first month after the introduction of the Fold 3 and Flip 3, it sold more foldables in the United States than in the previous two years. In fact, the company said that US consumers purchased five times more Z Fold 3 units than Z Fold 2 units in the previous year! (via CNET).

Even without the actual numbers provided by Samsung, five times more Fold 3 purchases than Fold 2 purchases means something, right? The elephant in the room: a $200 reduction.

But prices have remained the same since then, and it looks like Samsung might face some challenges in the foldable market.

Foldable Smartphone Market Growth by Major Regions

This pretty much means the competition is getting intense.

A report of DSCC from July last year shows that Samsung still had 72% market share (in Europe) in foldables, followed by Huawei. But this percentage is down from 86% in 2022.

Overall, Samsung seems to be in deep waters, and to fight against companies like Huawei, Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, Honor or Xiaomi, the company should probably offer an entry-level Fold.

Theoretical $1,200 Samsung Galaxy Fold as First Foldable: What Could It Be?

It is quite understandable that not everyone has opted for a foldable phone just now. Since foldable technology costs more to produce, the price of foldable is naturally higher. Not everyone is willing to spend $1,799 on a phone.

In fact, what we see in the DSCC report shows that the Z Flip 5 has taken 45% of Samsung's foldable market share as of July 2023. Could this be because the Flip 5 costs $999? Of course other reasons such as the more compact form factor come into play, I'm not dismissing them completely, but just focusing on the possibility that… as with anything in life, price plays a factor. role.

Now imagine being able to use the convenience of a 2-in-1 tablet and phone (like the Fold 5), but for, say, $1,200, as rumored. It's still expensive, but it's more competitive with the Honors and Oppos.

Playing two tabs on the Galaxy Z Fold 4

Of course, reducing costs would require some compromises. You should still benefit from the multitasking capabilities thanks to that big unfolded screen and all that foldable form factor fancyness like Flex mode and the like.

Thinking about a Fan Edition option (like the Galaxy S23 FE for example), at $1,200 the cheaper Fold 6 could receive a year-old flagship processor (which should still be very capable!)

Perhaps we would also see compromises in terms of camera or probably build quality (perhaps a less durable glass back, like on the Galaxy S23 FE?).

But when you think about it, we all know that processors are nonetheless incredibly fast these days (the flagship processor of yesteryear is still extremely capable today), you really don't buy a foldable for its computing prowess. camera, and it might still have pretty good durability. (THE Galaxy S23 FE still has an IP68 rating, for example).

Are you ready to buy a possible Fold 5 FE, if Samsung decides to manufacture such a product outside of China? Would you be interested in spending $1,200 to get that 2-in-1 tablet and phone experience, great work and play capabilities, and endless creative possibilities (without having to carry around a tablet)? A lot of people, I think, would say yes, or at least I would, for one.