Samsung Electronics pledged Wednesday to maintain competitive foldable pricing despite rising global component costs. Speaking after Galaxy Unpacked, co-CEO Roh Tae-moon emphasized keeping Korean prices among the world’s lowest. This commitment arrives just as memory costs threaten to push smartphone prices upward globally.
Samsung priced the 256GB Galaxy Z Fold8 at 2.28 million won, roughly $1,550 domestically. Meanwhile, the Fold8 Ultra and Flip8 start at higher respective price points locally. Compared with US list prices, Korean pricing runs significantly lower across all three models.
Specifically, the Fold8 costs about 19 percent less in Korea than in America. Similarly, the Fold8 Ultra shows a 17 percent gap, while Flip8 differs by 5 percent. Notably, this pricing gap has widened considerably compared with last year’s foldable lineup.
Roh credited Korean consumers directly for strengthening Samsung’s global mobile business over time. Their continued support, he said, remains foundational to Galaxy’s broader international competitiveness moving forward. However, this pledge faces real pressure from surging memory component costs industrywide.
According to Gartner, combined DRAM and storage prices could surge up to 130 percent. Consequently, analysts expect average smartphone prices to rise nearly 13 percent this year. Despite this, Roh insisted Samsung would absorb much of that pressure internally instead.
Through supply-chain optimization and early supplier collaboration, Samsung aims to limit consumer-facing price increases. Still, Roh acknowledged that extreme cost pressures might eventually influence future launch pricing decisions. Nevertheless, the company maintains its priority remains minimizing financial burden on everyday buyers.
Beyond pricing, Samsung introduced its first three-model foldable lineup, targeting record-breaking annual sales figures. The Fold8, Fold8 Ultra, and Flip8 target different consumers through size and functionality differences.
This expanded lineup arrives as competition intensifies, with Apple and Huawei entering foldable markets aggressively. Samsung’s market share may shrink to 32 percent, though leadership remains within reach. New foldables launch August 7, with Korean preorders opening July 28.
