Modern folding phones aren’t going to be affordable anytime soon.
Foldable phones are now a firmly entrenched pillar in Samsung’s smartphone lineup. The Galaxy Z Flip4 and Fold4, just announced, look as amazing as their predecessors. The new phones are more powerful, of course, and represent the moderate type of upgrade we’d expect from any annual phone refresh. They’re also every bit as expensive as last year’s phones, with the Flip4 featuring a $999 price tag and the Fold4 going for $1,799. Ouch.
Sadly, those high dollar figures are going to continue to be the norm for foldable phone pricing. This isn’t necessarily an issue for Samsung’s premium brand, as the Korean giant can charge just about whatever it wants and get away with it. However, the flexible-yet-durable screen technology, which makes foldable phones possible, is still too expensive to incorporate in affordable devices. And that is, simply, a huge bummer.
The 2020 Motorola Razr brought foldable smartphones into the limelight
I was sold on the idea of foldable phones the instant Motorola announced its 2020 Razr. At $1,500, however, and with mediocre specs and a finicky hinge, it wasn’t a real contender for a daily driver. Then Samsung rolled out its finely crafted Fold and Flip phones—and improved them in stages over four generations to the point where they’re actually pretty good now.
Despite these improvements, I’m still waiting. Surely we’ll see a solid foldable phone for well under the $1,000 mark at some point.
