Samsung raises foldable phone prices as Apple entry looms
Samsung lifted the price of its newest foldables as it unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8, pressing its premium bet before Apple enters.
Samsung raised the stakes on foldables as it introduced the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8 at its July 2026 Unpacked event, widening the category even as prices climbed and Apple’s expected entry drew closer. The move turns Samsung’s latest generation into a test of whether foldables can become a mainstream smartphone class, or remain an expensive showcase for early adopters.
A year earlier, Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 at Galaxy Unpacked in New York City and put the Fold7 on its U.S. site starting at $1,999.99 before trade-in. Reuters reported at the time that Samsung’s foldable strategy faced a major challenge from slimmer new models out of China, a reminder that the company was no longer setting the pace alone. Samsung’s latest wider foldable and higher prices, Reuters reported on July 22, 2026, came as chip costs rose.
The market has grown, but it has not settled. Counterpoint Research said global foldable smartphone shipments rose 45% year over year in the second quarter of 2025, and projected worldwide shipments would increase another 10% in 2025 to 20.6 million units. Even with that growth, Counterpoint said in September 2025 that Samsung was not even the second-most popular foldable maker in the second quarter, with Motorola gaining ground. That leaves Samsung trying to defend a premium category without clear dominance in volume.
Apple’s expected entry is adding pressure on that effort. Samsung has been leaning on more ambitious hardware, including the Fold8 Ultra, while the broader foldable market still has to prove that buyers will pay well above standard-phone prices for the extra screen. The basic commercial question is simple: can Samsung make foldables useful enough, portable enough and durable enough to justify the premium before Apple brings its own version to market?
For now, Samsung is betting that the answer is yes. By pushing a wider design and a full trio of new foldables, the company is trying to stretch the market before someone with Apple’s scale walks in and tries to own the category.
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