Fun With Data – Foldable Prices
Foldable devices are here and continue to become more commonplace, with Samsung Electronics (013570.KS) leading the charge. Using foldables as the high-end tier in its smartphone lineup and having direct access to the leader in foldable OLED display panel production, Samsung Display (pvt), it is easy to see why Samsung has taken the reins on this device type and pushed it into the forefront of the smartphone world, especially given the premium pricing the category maintains. But there are worries in the industry that premium pricing for foldable smartphones is already beginning to decline and some fear that the premium will be quickly washed away as competitors, particularly those in China, begin to fill out the category.
Not to take things at face value, we decided to check to see whether foldable smartphone pricing had moved significantly over the last year or so by looking at pricing on Amazon (AMZN), although we are limited to Samsung’s line in most cases as most Chinese brands are not offered on Amazon. In each case we tried to find the lowest priced model (least memory in most cases) and an unlocked phone (no carrier) as the representative for that brand. We do note that currently Wal-Mart (WMT) is offering the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G for $1,500 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G for $800, both at discounts to the current price on Amazon, but both are limited time deals and not permanent prices.
Based on the data below, there has been relative little change in foldable smartphone prices, with the low point for most being during the November and December holiday season, with only the almost two year old Galaxy Z Flip seeing a substantial price drop. The most recent releases from Samsung, the Z Fold 3 5G and the Z Flip 5G are down 11.1% and 7.0% from their original prices, but are still considerably above their lows set in December of 2021. While we have seen recent headlines stating that “Foldable smartphone prices are falling rapidly”, at least for now, the data disagrees.
Not to take things at face value, we decided to check to see whether foldable smartphone pricing had moved significantly over the last year or so by looking at pricing on Amazon (AMZN), although we are limited to Samsung’s line in most cases as most Chinese brands are not offered on Amazon. In each case we tried to find the lowest priced model (least memory in most cases) and an unlocked phone (no carrier) as the representative for that brand. We do note that currently Wal-Mart (WMT) is offering the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G for $1,500 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G for $800, both at discounts to the current price on Amazon, but both are limited time deals and not permanent prices.
Based on the data below, there has been relative little change in foldable smartphone prices, with the low point for most being during the November and December holiday season, with only the almost two year old Galaxy Z Flip seeing a substantial price drop. The most recent releases from Samsung, the Z Fold 3 5G and the Z Flip 5G are down 11.1% and 7.0% from their original prices, but are still considerably above their lows set in December of 2021. While we have seen recent headlines stating that “Foldable smartphone prices are falling rapidly”, at least for now, the data disagrees.
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