The original Samsung Galaxy Fold cost $1,980 / £1,900 / AU$2,999, which made it a startlingly pricey handset even if it was the first widely available foldable phone. If you wanted a phone with a bendable display but were put off by the price, you might be in luck, because a new rumor suggests the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could cost less than half what its predecessor did.
This comes from South Korean news site iNews24, which suggests the Galaxy Fold 2 will be available from between 1 million South Korean won (roughly $860, £660, AU$1,250) and 1.5 million won (around $1,290, £990, AU$1,875). If the price is closer to the lower, regardless of what currency you’re buying it in, it’ll be available for less than half the cost of the original device.
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If true, this would be great news for people who were hoping for a more affordable phone, though that could be thanks to reduced specs (the original Galaxy Fold had a slightly-unnecessary six cameras) or perhaps thanks to a smaller form factor.
We’re expecting the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 (or Galaxy Bloom, or Galaxy Z Flip, as we’ve heard it alternately named) to be a ‘clamshell’ device like an old flip phone, and if the Motorola Razr is any precedent, this form factor denotes a more affordable price point.
It’s not actually clear where iNews24 got its figures from, as the article states the device’s ‘shipping price is reportedly being discussed with mobile operators' [roughly translated], implying but not explicitly stating one of those mobile operators leaked the information to the press.
The article does suggest the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 will be shown off at Samsung Unpacked alongside the Galaxy S20 series of phones – we’d expected that, but it’s reassuring to hear the idea backed up with this rumor.
Whether the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 turns out to be the most affordable foldable phone yet with those low prices, a more ‘mid-range’ foldable (but still with a price below anything else like it), or just as pricey as its predecessor, we’ll apparently find out come February 11 at Samsung unpacked. Stay tuned to TechRadar in the mean time for all the leaks, rumors and news on the phonemaker's second big foldable handset.
