This Amazon Prime Day deal on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is better than waiting for the Galaxy Z Fold 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 front and back on top of TechRadar lowest price banner in green

(Image credit: Future)

Amazon Prime Day has knocked the Galaxy Z Fold 4 to its lowest price ever, and its a much lower price than we expected on this big foldable phone. Foldables are expensive, especially folding tablet phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 4. While Samsung asks $1,599.99 for this phone, Amazon cuts almost 40% off the retail price, bringing this phone close to affordable.

At only $1,099.99, this Amazon price is much closer to what we'd expect to pay for a compact flip-style foldable phone like the Galaxy Z Flip 4. In fact, that phone is usually more expensive than this price, but Amazon also has a Prime Day deal on the Z Flip 4 for $849.99. Of course, we kind of prefer the Motorola Razr Plus 2023 for the same price on Prime Day, but all of these foldables are worth buying, especially on sale.

The cheapest we'd seen the Galaxy Z Fold 4 was almost $300 more than this Prime Day price. Samsung has already announced its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event where we expect it will launch the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 to replace its current foldable lineup. We still think this is a great deal on the Z Fold 4 worth buying now.

Don't bother waiting for the next big thing

Conventional wisdom might make you believe that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will get cheaper after the next phone launches, but that isn't exactly how phone companies price their devices. For one thing, Samsung and other phone makers know this wisdom and work against it.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 will be cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 when the latter phone launches, but it won't be cheaper than you can find it right now on Amazon for Prime Day. Instead, Samsung will probably keep the Fold 4 and Flip 4 phones around at a slightly reduced price. Not enough to make you want one. Samsung still needs to sell more new phones than older phones.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 partial fold — That's a lot of phone for not as much money (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

For this price, you can have a Galaxy Z Fold 4 brand new for just a bit more than a new Galaxy S23 Ultra. With the Z Fold 4, you can still you a Samsung S Pen (you'll want the softer pen made special for this display), and it's also water resistant, just like the S23 Ultra. It may not have the superzoom camera, but there's little else the Galaxy Z Fold 4 can't do.

Plus, you get more than two smartphones in one when you buy the Galaxy Z Fold 4. You get a big screen on the outside, tall and a bit more narrow than a normal smartphone display.

Open it up and you get a massive 7.6-inch display to run multiple apps side-by-side or just play your favorite games on a bit, tablet-sized screen. All in a device that fits in your pocket.

We're not expecting major upgrades for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, so if you've had your eye on Samsung's foldable phones, this is probably a better buy than the next big thing.

Amazon Prime Day deals on Samsung's foldable phones and more

Phil Berne is a preeminent voice in consumer electronics reviews, starting more than 20 years ago at eTown.com. Phil has written for Engadget, The Verge, PC Mag, Digital Trends, Slashgear, TechRadar, AndroidCentral, and was Editor-in-Chief of the sadly-defunct infoSync. Phil holds an entirely useful M.A. in Cultural Theory from Carnegie Mellon University. He sang in numerous college a cappella groups.

Phil did a stint at Samsung Mobile, leading reviews for the PR team and writing crisis communications until he left in 2017. He worked at an Apple Store near Boston, MA, at the height of iPod popularity. Phil is certified in Google AI Essentials. He has a High School English teaching license (and years of teaching experience) and is a Red Cross certified Lifeguard. His passion is the democratizing power of mobile technology. Before AI came along he was totally sure the next big thing would be something we wear on our faces.