The Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 are the latest additions to Samsung’s foldable lineup. The Galaxy Z Folds remain the premium and flagship phones in Samsung’s foldable lineup, while the Galaxy Z Flips have proven themselves to be highly fun phones for those who dip their toes into the world of foldable devices. The $999 price tag — compared to the $1,800 price tag for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 — makes it even more accessible. Add some kick-up deals at the top to make it easier to buy your new flip phone than many other foldable products on the market right now.
But that doesn’t mean the Galaxy Z Flip 4 isn’t expensive (unless you pick up Samsung’s great trade-in deals during pre-orders). Standalone, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 still starts at $999 which might be affordable by foldable standards but belongs largely to the higher echelons of smartphone pricing. The company may have no choice but to keep its prices fixed. However, a relatively affordable “fan edition” phone should convert more buyers to foldable devices. Hear me on this!
Samsung’s ‘entry device’ to foldable devices should be cheaper
The Samsung Galaxy S20 “Fan Edition” has arrived during the unfortunate times of a global pandemic. But it is arguably the time for a phone with differentiated features for the price people were looking to pay during a pandemic with less purchasing power. None of the Samsung “Fan Edition” phones have established themselves as one of the best phones you can buy, but they offered a lot for the money. A similar approach to the foldable space could turn the tide for Samsung and attract a lot of new customers.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 carries a high price tag of $1,800, making it one of the most expensive smartphones you can buy right now. Only those with deep pockets can afford the Galaxy Z Fold 4, an exclusive feature that makes it even more exciting in the smartphone space. It’s generating a lot of buzz and attracting eyeballs towards its foldable lineup, which can then be converted into potential customers. So what Samsung is cooking up behind the scenes now seems ideal – use the most expensive and most specialized device out of reach of all but wealthy consumers to spur interest and sell the exciting proposal of using a unique device to lure people into buying an entry-level foldable.
Having an “entrepreneurial device” in consumers’ hands now will likely turn them into foldable units that will eventually be upgraded to more premium options in the range. Samsung is dominating the foldable space right now, and getting as many people as possible into its ecosystem will help it establish itself in a category that others will find hard to break into. But this “entry device” should be more achievable than the Galaxy Z Flip 4, especially in markets where Chinese phone makers are offering premium phones at a much lower price point.
That’s why the Galaxy Z Flip FE makes more sense to enter the foldable scene with cheaper parts. The affordable foldable Galaxy A series may mean the world to budget shoppers, but it seems too early to anticipate the possibility of an “affordable” foldable as most OEMs are still playing catch-up with Samsung’s dominance in the field. But how do you go from a $1,000 Flip FE to a $600, say, or even a $700 Flip FE?
Cut right angles on the folds
The supply chain plays a huge role in adding numbers to the price tag. You can’t make a cheaper phone if the parts that go into making that phone aren’t cheaper themselves. If you know anything about supply chains, you probably already know that parts can’t get cheaper until they are manufactured on a large scale. Samsung sells more foldable devices than it did before, but it certainly doesn’t sell nearly as many foldable devices as, say, the regular Galaxy S series. This is one of the reasons why he could not reduce the price of existing folds.
However, Samsung could build a new foldable device by cutting right angles. It’s one of those things that’s easier said than done, but I’d just rely on a big player like Samsung to get the job done. Lots of Android OEMs are leading by example when it comes to making quality phones without asking for a lot of money. This includes almost all smartphone manufacturers in China with a laundry list of phones that are able to offer an amazing experience for a fraction of the price. Samsung itself makes a lot of great phones that don’t cost you an arm or a leg, so it’s not uncommon to cut corners when a product demands it.
Reusing old smartphone chips
Judging by what Samsung has been able to achieve with their “Fan Edition” phones, they don’t necessarily have to compromise on the chipset. All “Fan Edition” phones in the past were powered by the same chipset as their flagship counterpart. However, there is no shortage of reliable chips in 2022. Old chips may not get as much attention as the new Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 or the latest Exynos processors, but there is still a lot of value to be found in these chips.
Old chips may not get the same attention as new chips, but there is still a lot of value to be found in those chips.
The Snapdragon 778G or a slightly modified version of it that powers Nothing Phone 1 is a great example to consider. Qualcomm has also repurposed many of its older chips in the past. The Snapdragon 870 SoC, for example, is really just an improved version of the Snapdragon 865 SoC. Many of these chips are up front, powering some solid hardware in the Android space in 2022. Samsung could also turn to some older Exynos chips to clear its inventory, something we’ve already seen a lot of manufacturers do.
cheaper building materials
Rumors of Samsung making a cheaper foldable design could go back to 2020 when the company was said to be working on the Galaxy Fold Lite. It was said to have a non-UTG foldable screen, which costs less. This cheaper foldable hasn’t become a reality, but Samsung can always use cheaper materials for the other parts of its phone. The plastic back of the Galaxy S20 FE with its matte finish mimics the look and feel of premium devices, and the same gaming notebook can be applied here as well.
The Galaxy S21 is also an excellent phone to mention here which I think looks as good as its siblings with a glass back. There’s also the Pixel 6a, which easily ranks among the best-looking phones of 2022 in my books. There are many other phones I can think of with a plastic back that looks more expensive than its price might suggest.
Get rid of less important features
Ditching less important features like wireless charging to lower the price is a clerical move that Samsung has used in the past. It’s a trade-off that I think a lot of users would be willing to make in exchange for more significant features. Samsung hasn’t made any strides in the field of batteries, so it doesn’t have some huge expectations to meet, especially on a cheaper phone. In fact, I wouldn’t mind going back to the 15W charging speeds of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 if I didn’t have to spend that much money. It would be easier to swallow the pill if there was a relatively cheaper phone.
While this doesn’t seem like an exhaustive list of changes to make to the existing folds to make them more accessible, it’s enough for Samsung to get things started. The truth is – Samsung doesn’t have to put a lot of effort into making it an affordable foldable. They already have some affordable flagship and rugged budget phones, and it’s only a matter of time until we see something similar in the foldable space. Perhaps the global competition in the folding space is just what they need to make some moves. Not only would it allow Samsung to get a bigger piece of the pie, but it might just help generate more demand and make more expensive parts for foldable devices on a large scale.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is Samsung’s latest foldable phone, and it’s now upgraded with a better camera, better battery life, and a new chipset.
What are your thoughts on Samsung potentially making a cheaper foldable? Let us know by dropping a line in the comments below.
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