Samsung's next foldables could be most expensive yet, but more free stuff could be added as a sweetener
Will these extras convince you to invest in Samsung's latest phones?
Quick Summary
The price of Samsung's new phones could increase, but the company is reportedly going to offer more incentives to help you to buy.
That could include the double storage offer, higher trade-in prices and pre-order bundles.
Samsung's forthcoming folding phones – the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 – will come with a higher price than previous years, according to a fresh leak. However, Samsung plans to offset that with more incentives to encourage people to buy.
The details about the increase in price come from Lanzuk on the Naver blog, saying (translated) that "the price increase for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series models is confirmed", citing sources in European and Asian sales channels.
That news is going to come as a blow for those looking to upgrade or move to a folding phone, but shouldn't come as a surprise. The surging demand for hardware to fuel the AI boom has pushed up component prices.
Current estimates suggest that the Galaxy Z Flip 8 could be around $1,200 (the Z Flip 7 is $1,099) while the Z Fold 8 Ultra could be $2,100 (compared to $1,999). Direct exchange to UK prices don't work, because it's already more expensive in the UK, but it could be a 1:1 exchange, ie., £1,200 and £2,100.
To offset this price increase, Samsung will reportedly look at more pre-order perks and bundles, higher trade-in values and repeat the storage upgrades that it's offered before, according to Phone Arena.
The details of those offers aren't specified, but they do have real value: the pre-order offer for double storage on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 meant that a 512GB phone could be had for the price of a 256GB phone – in the UK that's worth about £200.
Trade-in is also a serious consideration, as your existing phone could be worth hundreds, especially if it's a recent model. When it comes to preorders, those things are definitely worth factoring in.
What is Samsung going to launch?
Samsung is expected to host Galaxy Unpacked on 22 July where the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (the new, wider model), Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will likely be launched.
The introduction of a wider folding phone with the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 name suggests that it's going to be cheaper than the replacement for the Z Fold 7, which will get the Ultra name.
There's the suggestion that the Ultra will have a higher capacity battery than the Z Fold 7, with faster charging, and support for the S Pen will return. Otherwise, we're not expecting huge design changes.
The launch of these new Samsung devices is rapidly approaching, and we'll soon have all the answers.
