Subj : Samsungs Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip price hikes arent a disaster h To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Thu Jul 11 2024 10:45:05 Samsungs Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip price hikes arent a disaster here's why Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2024 09:41:13 +0000 Description: Samsung is "prioritizing the product experience" over price, hence the higher cost of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Samsung unveiled six new devices at its Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris. While wearables like the Galaxy Watch Ultra received the most attention, the heart of the event was Samsung's sixth generation of foldable phones the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 . Both the new Fold and new Flip are lighter and thinner, with more powerful chips under the hood to provide a responsive experience and roll out the carpet for Galaxy AI . The main inner displays are stretched farther to the edges, and Samsung says there are some marked camera improvements. While these new phones are closer to Samsungs vision of perfection, they cost $100 more than the models theyre replacing. According to Samsung, this is necessary to deliver the best possible user experience. Our first goal is always to prioritize product experience and the consumer feedback weve received, Drew Blackard, VP of Mobile Product Management at Samsung Electronics America, told me at an Unpacked event in New York City. He went on to note that for this year, Samsung is improving the camera, stretching the battery life, adding more RAM into the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and rolling out Galaxy AI to both the new Fold and new Flip. For the past several years, we continue to pack innovation in these devices and to deliver the experiences we wanted to this year, that meant an increase. Of course, the saving grace is discounts and promotions, which lets Samsung ensure the Flip and Fold are very accessible to shoppers, but again prioritizing the product experience first, said Blackard. (Image credit: Future) The Galaxy Z Flip 6 starts at $1,099.99, but during the preorder window, Samsung will double the storage from 256GB to 512GB. With a device trade-in, you can take up to $650 off, bringing the cost down to $449.99 in the United States. Similarly, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 starts at $1,899.99, but the storage is doubled to 512GB, and with a device trade-in, the price can drop down to $699.99 for the Fold after up to $1,200 off in the US. You may not notice the price increase if youre trading in your phone, either to Samsung or to a carrier like AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile in the United States. Furthermore, Blackard believes this years improvements and changes were very much about removing all barriers and getting them at parity with traditional bar-type flagship smartphones. The hope is that youll see the flagship specs on both phones the Z Fold 6 is about the same weight as the S24 Ultra and the Z Flip has the same battery size as the standard S24 and decide which form factor suits you best. On the subject of a folding phone, Blackard believes the future is bright because if you think about it, the form factors themselves are getting to the point where theres not really trade-offs anymore. A lot for the money (Image credit: Future) The competition is getting stronger, especially with foldables Motorolas flip phone Razr starts at just $699 , and history suggests it might frequently be found for much less. Still, Samsung would likely point out its playing the long game here and has been at it for much longer, now up to six generations. And I think that is the real point here Samsungs been working towards delivering a Flip or a Fold that doesnt mean youre missing out on a must-have feature or an impressive spec. Sure, I wish the Galaxy Z Fold 6 offered the same crazy powered zoom as the Galaxy S24 Ultra and that the S-Pen was integrated, but aside from that, it still checks off a multitude of other boxes and the latest generation is shaping up to make a powerhouse of a phone even better. Then, the Z Flip 6 feels more on par with the Galaxy S24 or S24 Plus than ever before, especially with Samsungs display tech, which allows the internal crease to be less of an issue. So yes, were stuck with a foldable tax of sorts over the likes of a standard candy bar, but the prices while higher than last year are still close enough to let you potentially pick the form factor you want. Maybe its a massive screen with an integrated S Pen, a compact phone that flips open, or what appears to be a standard phone that opens to the size of a tablet. And if you trade in a modern phone, you can save quite a bit. Suffice it to say, the in our hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review and hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 reivew the phones impressed us, and were keen to thoroughly review them soon. You Might Also Like Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: official price, release date, and new ... Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 hands-on review: Similar looks with a ... Hands on: Samsung Galaxy Ring review: The top smart ring for ... ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/samsungs-galaxy-z-fold-and-z-flip-price-hikes -arent-a-disaster-heres-why --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .