Samsung just won this year's foldable contest, except perhaps in the U.S.
Some time later this year, Samsung will launch the much-awaited Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 foldable smartphones. And if the rumors are true — they very likely are — then Samsung has already won this year's foldable contest. Well…except perhaps in the U.S.
You see, the foldable industry isn't really doing too hot nowadays. Some phone manufacturers are actually considering pulling out of this segment entirely due to poor sales. Samsung is one of the very few smartphone brands that still considers it profitable enough to continue making foldables. And even then, the company has had to massively tone down sales expectations for the upcoming Fold 7 and Flip 7 . So Samsung had to find a way to make sure that this year's stock of Galaxy foldables actually sold out. And it might just have done so, at least in most of the world.
The Fold 6 was great, but the Fold 7 will be much better for the same price. | Image credit — PhoneArena
A very reputable industry insider, especially when it comes to news about the Galaxy phones, has just shared that Samsung is not increasing the prices of its upcoming foldables. To further clarify: the Fold 7 and Flip 7 will cost the same as their predecessors in most regions. This, in my opinion, was a crucial step for Samsung to take. The company is also working on a tri-foldable smartphone that is slated for release later this year. Samsung has already decided that the tri-foldable will see a very limited release in only a select few markets. This is because the company does not expect to sell too many of these phones due to their cost.While the Fold 7 and Flip 7 are going to come with better hardware and larger displays, they don't have enough improvements to necessarily warrant an upgrade for most users. Keeping them at the same price as the Fold 6 and Flip 6 gives consumers more incentive to give the company's new phones a try.
Both Samsung and Apple face threats in the States. | Image credit — PhoneArena While this news is cause for celebration amongst tech enthusiasts, the fact that not all markets will see the same price tags is concerning. It is highly likely that the U.S. will, in fact, see more expensive Galaxy foldables this year compared to most of the world.This is, of course, due to the current ongoing problems that companies are facing due to extremely volatile and ever-changing tariff rates. Samsung has not nearly been affected as badly as its largest rival in the States, Apple, but it is still seeing some disruptions regardless.The company moved all of its production out of China years ago, which has saved it from the most unpredictable tariff rates currently in play. However, its other manufacturing hubs in Vietnam, India, and Indonesia are subject to high tariffs as well.
If there is any region that I would bet is going to see more expensive Flip 7 and Fold 7 models, it's the U.S. Apple is also considering raising prices for the upcoming iPhone 17 series, and certain other products have already been slapped with higher price tags.
The question now is, are consumers in the U.S. willing to pay more for the same product? Samsung has genuinely made some great improvements to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 , including a larger display and a thinner chassis. But the Fold 6 is also still a great choice for a foldable smartphone.We might begin to see older phones skyrocketing in popularity in the States until the whole tariff business has calmed down. Worst case scenario, for the phone manufacturers in particular, is that they'll have to wait four years for the current administration's term to end, so things can go back to normal. It's highly unlikely that any major company is going to seriously consider moving production to the U.S.
I would decide based on just how big the price difference is. If Samsung and Apple go overboard with their prices, then the iPhone 16 and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will be much more viable options. However, if the price increase isn't too hard to stomach — which is a very different threshold for every individual — then it might be worth splurging a little extra anyway.
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