The Galaxy Fold 4 and the Flip 4 are expected to be officially unveiled on the 10th of this month, and as the date approaches, various information regarding the two devices has been received from South Korea, the latest being the pricing which has definitely caught the eye.
Et News a Korean-based publication reports that Samsung has decided against raising the price of the Galaxy Fold 4, opting for the premium handset to retail at the same price of 1,998,700 won (Kshs 180,000) its predecessor had at launch last year.
The publication states that Samsung considered raising the price, especially since the price of raw materials has gone up and the inflation that is facing large parts of the world, however, they decided against it in order to prioritize getting the phone to as many people as possible and increasing the adoption of foldable devices from the company.
It is important to note that this pricing is for the local Korean market, however, international pricing should be more or less the same. However, there is always the possibility of a different taxing system for a particular country to drive the price upwards. You can also enjoy a lower price when you trade in your existing Samsung smartphone.
The Kshs 180,000 price is for the 256 GB version, while the 512 GB version has also retained the same price of 2,097,700 won (Kshs 191,000) as the 2021 counterpart.
The Galaxy Flip 4 on the other hand will see a slight increase in price compared to last year’s Flip 3. For the 256 GB version, the price has been set at 1,299,000 won (Kshs 118,000) which is a slight increase of 45,000 won (Kshs 4,000) from the Flip 3.
The publication explains that a price increase in the Flip 4 was inevitable since the Flip 3 was the best-selling foldable compared to the Fold 3. Maintaining the same price as last year given this year’s inflation and an increase in the cost of materials would have meant that Samsung takes a big financial hit.
While the Flip 3 had a single 256 GB configuration last year, this year it will also get a 512 GB variant that will start at 1,398,000 won (Ksh 127,000). For pre-order gifts in Korea, buyers will get the Galaxy Buds 2, a genuine case and a 1- year Samsung Care Plus pass. It will be interesting to see whether the same gifts make their way to Kenya.
Given the recent messaging of the foldables becoming main stream devices. It seems like Samsung are willing to take a small hit on their profits to get new users on this form factor, who will hopefully keep buying the next iterations in the years to come.
It is definitely a useful tactic as Samsung currently dominates this space given that they are on the fourth generation while Apple who are usually the company’s biggest challengers in the flagship market do not have a competing device. However, there are reports that Apple is working on a foldable smartphone that should be ready in 2025.
Should Samsung release a foldable with a middle range or entry-level price in the next year or so, they will definitely get the desired market share that they want before other manufacturers come into play.
