Editor's note [June 20]: This article originally featured images from MySmartPrice that have now been removed. We have removed the images accordingly. The copy remains unchanged.
We've now got a sense of how much the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 could cost, thanks to leaks from Twitter user Revegnus.
Though they clarify in a second tweet that this is only "an initial plan" that could still change, Revegnus claims that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 "will see a slight reduction in price," while the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will stay at the same price as its predecessor.
Samsung would be quite cunning to drop the price of its foldable, even if only by $100 to $200. For the first time, the Galaxy Z Fold series has a competitor in the U.S. market in the form of the Google Pixel Fold, which sells for $1,799 like the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Undercutting the newcomer would help draw users interested in buying a foldable to Samsung.
The current plan for the pricing of the Samsung Galaxy Z5 series is as follows:The price of the Z Flip 5 will be maintained at the same level as its predecessor.The Z Fold 5 will see a slight reduction in price compared to its predecessor.June 16, 2023
Lowering the base price would also help offset what's otherwise looking like a rather small upgrade for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 compared to last year. The biggest rumored changes are updated camera sensors (but no size or resolution change), and a lighter and dust-resistant hinge that will reduce the inner display crease and fold the phone without leaving a gap in the middle. These sound like good upgrades to make, but it would probably be hard to sell the Z Fold 5 on these alone.
Galaxy Z Flip 5: No price drop but more changes
Now back to the claim of no price cut for the Galaxy Z Flip 5. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is already relatively cheap for a foldable, retailing for $1,000. Even though there's a new competitor for Samsung in this segment too, thanks to the Motorola Razr+, Samsung's perhaps reluctant to drop the price since the rumor mill says it's making a major upgrade to the Z Flip 5's outer screen.
This new cover display has been shown by various leaks to be much more expansive than previous Z Flips. This should increase how many tasks you can do without opening the phone up, as we see on the Razr+ and other flip foldables like the Oppo Find N2 Flip.
A previous rumor claimed Samsung may cut the price of the Galaxy S23 Plus instead of the Galaxy Z Flip 5, since both would otherwise sell for the same $1,000 price. So while you may not get Samsung's newest Z Flip for cheaper, you could benefit if you decide you want to buy the extra cameras and larger battery of the Galaxy S23 Plus after the Z Flip 5 arrives.
Samsung has partially announced the next Galaxy Unpacked event at the end of July, giving us a rough time and location, but not an exact date just yet. Ideally, we'll see not just the Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 launch, but also the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6.