Samsung has no plans to release a more affordable foldable smartphone, a company official recently confirmed. The Korean giant is prioritizing enhancing the user experience over competing on price. This statement follows the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, which debuted with a price tag of over $2,000. The new model goes on sale later this week with limited availability.
Don’t expect an affordable Samsung foldable anytime soon
Samsung has been making foldable smartphones since 2019. The first-gen Galaxy Fold was priced at $2,000. The company has since released new models every year, expanding to the clamshell form factor with the Flip lineup in 2020. However, its foldables remain quite pricey compared to many Chinese brands that entered the market later, when the demand spiked.
The latest models — Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 — start at $1,900 and $1,100, respectively. Some brands offer foldable phones at half these prices, including booky-style models. In the meantime, Samsung recently launched a more expensive Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition with premium specs. This comes amid rumors that the company is exploring more affordable foldable phones.
It turns out those rumors are unfounded. Samsung currently has no plans to make entry-level foldables for the masses. According to a company official, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition was released to offer users more choices. It was never meant to be a premium foldable, though it looks like that. This suggests it wants to offer quality products, even if they cost more.
“At the moment, we are not planning to launch a separate product with a lower price,” the official added. Samsung must have already started working on its next-gen foldables, the Fold 7 and Flip 7. Fans expect the company to make the new models slimmer, more so after the launch of the super-slim Special Edition. Leaks about the 2025 foldables should start coming in soon.
