Samsung Galaxy Fold. Huawei Mate X. Motorola Razr. Those are the big names in foldable phones right now. While all have very different approaches to the foldable concept, one thing they all have in common is they're all very expensive. Which is to be expected: as with all experimental technology, there's initially a hefty price tag attached. However, one foldable manufacturer is reportedly working to undercut its rivals and bring the price down to more manageable levels.
The Korea Herald has spoken to anonymous industry sources who claim Samsung's second foldable phone will be released at a starting price of less than a thousand US dollars. The price is listed as "one million won", around $840, which would undercut some of Samsung's existing devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S10.
Given the expensive nature of the folding technology, it's likely this would lead to mid-range or underwhelming specs. Motorola Razr, currently the cheapest foldable of the bunch, sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor, 6GB RAM and 2510mAh battery capacity, which is pretty lacklustre.
If Samsung is intending to undercut the Razr, it might opt for similar (or even lesser) specs in order to get the folding technology into the hands of more consumers. This could put some users off, who might not be swayed by the novelty of the folding device and would rather stick to higher-performance, more conventional phones.
As more and more rival companies enter the foldable screen market, Samsung's early attempt to make a wallet-friendly foldable makes a lot of sense. LG are even purported to be entering the mix, with a phone incorporating a unique rollable screen. How successful Samsung's efforts will be to democratise the technology remains to be seen, but it won't be long until foldable phone prices begin to fall.
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