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Samsung Launches New, More Expensive Foldable Smartphones
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Technology

Samsung Launches New, More Expensive Foldable Smartphones

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Samsung unveiled new foldable smartphones, including the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Flip8, with higher prices due to increased component costs, particularly for AI-driven memory chips.
  • The new models aim to solidify Samsung's lead in the foldable market and compete with a potential Apple entry.
  • The Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at $1,900, while the Z Flip8 begins at $1,200, reflecting the premium pricing in the foldable segment.

Samsung has launched its latest generation of foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Flip8, in London, aiming to reinforce its dominance in a market it pioneered in 2019. The new devices are sleeker and come with a higher price tag than their predecessors, a move attributed to rising component costs, especially for memory chips crucial for artificial intelligence.

By setting a new standard for foldables, we are once again advancing the premium mobile experience.

— TM RohHead of Samsung's mobile division, describing the company's ambition with the new foldable devices.

The Galaxy Z Fold8, positioned as the "star of the show," unfolds to reveal a 7.6-inch screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, optimized for viewing. It measures a mere 4.5 millimeters thick and starts at $1,900. Technology analyst Paolo Pescatore noted that the Fold8 "underscores Samsung's dominance of the foldable category and its determination to expand the market with a device for almost every type of user."

Galaxy Z Fold8 is the clear star of the show. It underscores Samsung's dominance of the foldable category and its determination to expand the market with a device for almost every type of user.

— Paolo PescatoreA technology analyst for PP Foresight commenting on the significance of the new Galaxy Z Fold8.

Samsung's top-tier model, the Z Fold8 Ultra, successor to the Z Fold7, begins at $2,100. It boasts an even slimmer profile of 4.1 millimeters and weighs 215 grams. The more compact Z Flip8, designed for social media users, is the most affordable option, starting at $1,200.

Apple is about to do for foldables what it has done for every category it has entered, which is legitimize it for the mainstream.

— Francisco JeronimoAn analyst at IDC commenting on the potential impact of Apple entering the foldable market.

These price increases mirror trends seen elsewhere, with Apple also citing soaring memory chip costs when raising prices for its Macs and iPads. The foldable market is heating up, with attention now shifting to Apple's potential entry later this year. Analyst Francisco Jeronimo suggested that Apple's involvement could legitimize foldables for the mainstream market, compelling Samsung to innovate aggressively to defend its created category.

Samsung has to defend the category it created, and that's why it cannot play it safe.

— Francisco JeronimoAn analyst at IDC explaining Samsung's strategic position in the foldable market.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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