At its Unpacked event on Wednesday, Samsung unveiled its new flagship Galaxy Z Fold 4 phone, which brought better multitasking software, a slimmer style and a more durable body. With Samsung holding constant with the Z Fold 4s cost, its clear the business is content to keep it a niche device readily available just to deep-pocketed tech enthusiasts. The only answer is to gradually develop up the market and interest through a mix of exciting, however less attainable, options like the Z Fold 4, and the relatively cost effective $1,000 Z Flip 4.
Screenshot by CNET.
No cost cuts while parts are costly Though rate cuts would help Samsung make its collapsible phones more mainstream, the business might have little option however to keep its prices fixed. Unlike truly mainstream items, like Samsungs Galaxy S series, which have flat display screens and parts used in numerous other smart devices, the little volume of foldables offered every year have specialty parts. “That suggests the really specialized elements needed … are still just produced in small quantities and for that reason are likely still extremely expensive,” Technalysis Research analyst Bob ODonnell said. That causes a chicken-and-egg issue that affects every specialty device: Parts cant get less expensive until theyre made at scale, and theres no point in making them at scale while consumers buy too few of the costly gadgets using those parts. Thats the factor so few phone-makers are making foldables, including Apple, ODonnell said. “We cant truly ignore the reality that the supply chain is not truly all set for an Apple-level product, and thats part of the reason Apple hasnt [made a foldable] either,” ODonnell said. Samsung is splitting the difference with the Z Flip 4, a clamshell foldable that has half the footprint of a “flat” smart device when its closed, yet unfolds to show an inner screen as big as any routine phones display. Samsung sees the Z Flip 4 as an “entry device” that turns bold purchasers into collapsible lifers, an on-ramp for customers to eventually upgrade to the bigger, pricier Z Fold line. Samsung says the Z Flip is the better-selling series, representing 70% of the companys foldables delivered, however both devices serve different demographics. The Z Flip is stylish but eventually simply a shrinkable variation of a common flat smartphone, not a junior edition of the productivity-enhancing Z Fold gadgets that unfold into tablet-size screens. More foldables are being offered every year, and IDC predicts shipments will grow to 25 million foldables in 2025. Whether thats enough volume to enable less expensive foldables is difficult to forecast. Samsung has actually at least gotten imaginative with providing foldables with more value. Facebook on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Screenshot by CNET.
You can get a Galaxy Z Fold 4 for less than $1,800 through Samsungs generous trade-in worths and numerous carrier offers. Samsungs trade-in offers knock $1,000 off the list price of a Z Fold 4 if you send in your older Z Fold 3, Z Fold 2 or this years Galaxy S22 Ultra. Unlike the Z Flip 3, which got a $150 price cut when its successor was revealed this week, the Z Fold 3 has the same $1,800 price on Samsungs website that it had when it introduced a year back.
With Samsung holding consistent with the Z Fold 4s price, its clear the company is content to keep it a specific niche device available just to deep-pocketed tech enthusiasts. The only answer is to slowly develop up the market and interest through a combination of interesting, but less obtainable, options like the Z Fold 4, and the relatively budget-friendly $1,000 Z Flip 4. The Z Flip is trendy however eventually simply a shrinkable variation of a normal flat smart device, not a junior edition of the productivity-enhancing Z Fold gadgets that unfold into tablet-size screens. Samsungs trade-in offers knock $1,000 off the list cost of a Z Fold 4 if you send out in your older Z Fold 3, Z Fold 2 or this years Galaxy S22 Ultra. Unlike the Z Flip 3, which got a $150 rate cut once its successor was revealed this week, the Z Fold 3 has the exact same $1,800 rate on Samsungs site that it had when it released a year ago.