One of the biggest barriers to getting one of the best foldable phones is price. And that doesn’t look set to change with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. Sudhanshu Ambhore (opens in new tab), who has a decent reputation for accurate leaks, has posted prices of Samsung’s next Flip that indicate the foldable phone is getting pricier rather than cheaper. The prices are in Euros, with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 tipped to start at €1,080 for the 128GB version, €1,160 for the 256GB model and €1,280 for the 512GB flip phone. Comparatively, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 started at €1,049. Do bear in mind that with European taxes converting these precise conversions to dollars won’t give accurate prices, but it would indicate that the best Flip 4 could cost $1,097 rather than $999. Although this would be relatively minor price hike — there’s an expectation that iPhone 14 Pro models will jump by $100 over their iPhone 13 equivalents — it’s a price that’s trending in the wrong direction. Foldable phones for less that $1,000 are needed if we are to see a future where they are mainstream devices rather than a niche product; I can probably count on one hand the number of people out in the wild that I’ve seen using foldables. Ambhore doesn’t shed any light into why such a price increase could be on the cards. But with component and manufacturing supply chain issues still rife, going by a variety of reports, that could be leading to higher parts prices and thus more expensive end products. Having said that, this Galaxy Z Flip 4 price increase would seemingly fly in the face of Samsung President TM Roh’s declaration that “the mainstream moment for foldable smartphones is here.” This is based on the industry shipping almost 10 million foldable phones worldwide, which is far from insignificant. But compared to the iPhone 13 and the 85.5 million units it reportedly shipped in the fourth quarter of 2021, Samsung’s foldables are small potatoes. So I’m of the belief that if smartphone makers want to see more foldables in the hands of consumers, then the price of such phones needs to be reduced. That aside, you might be wondering what the Galaxy Z Flip 4 will offer over the Galaxy Z Flip 3 to justify this rumored price increase. It’s set to get the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chip for a performance and efficiency boost, while a larger external display has been tipped alongside a slimer hinge and some camera upgrades. From the rumors so far, it’s set to be an evolution of the Flip 3 rather than Samsung going back to the drawing board. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 could actually be the foldable to see a price decrease, as it’s rumored that Samsung will offer a 128GB model as the entry-level configuration. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 started with 256GB of storage. Although we have not seen any specific price rumors for that higher end foldable. We’ll have to wait until Samsung’s Unpacked event on August 10 to see if the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is worth your consideration and if the price hike is indeed legitimate and justified.
