Samsung’s newest foldables are right around the corner, with the debut expected as early as next month at the second Galaxy Unpacked event of the year.
Ahead of the unveiling, leaks for the new launches have spiked in intensity; we have seen the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro redesign, the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra leaked in its entirety, and the improvements coming to the new foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.
In the latest episode of this saga, which just shows how badly the company controls leaks, we have full pricing information for the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6 and brace yourselves because the figures are disappointing.
According to a report released by Smartprix, in collaboration with the popular tipster OnLeaks, it seems that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will get a major price increase over its predecessor (Z Flip 5), with the leaked prices being the following:
- The base variant with 256 GB storage: $1099
- Higher-end variant with 512 GB storage: $1219
This represents a significant price hike from the Z Flip 5 (an increase of $100) for the United States.
Meanwhile, another source on X/Twitter has also leaked the pricing for the Z Flip 6 for India, where it is expected to cost INR 1,04,999 for the 256 GB variant. This represents an INR 5,000 price increase from the Z Flip 5 last year (which launched at INR 99,999 in the South Asian country).
For the extra money, Samsung is expected to bring a bigger battery, a less visible crease, and a 90Hz refresh rate for the cover display. In my honest opinion, these improvements are not enough to justify the price increase.
It seems that Samsung is noticing the lack of competition in the clamshell foldable space in the global markets and using it as a pretext to hike prices. It is possible that the company may bring new Galaxy AI features to sweeten the deal, but it is disappointing for many users.
It cannot be denied that the company is ripping off its current fanbase on a largely similar product for another year with the price increases, and this trend is expected to continue until a future competitor shocks Samsung in the clamshell foldable market.
As for the aforementioned competition, perhaps the upcoming Motorola Razr 50 Ultra could do something about it.
