Eric Zeman / Android Authority
TL; DR
- According to reports, Samsung expects to sell a lot more foldable phones with its new models – up to 7 million.
- Lower prices for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 would be key to the strategy.
- Whether customers bite or not is a different matter.
Samsung’s foldable phones have long been considered a niche device, but the company appears to want to bring them into the mainstream. South Korea Digital daily newspaper claims that Samsung expects sales of $ 6 million to $ 7 million for the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 in the second half of 2021.
As context, unconfirmed reports suggested that Samsung only wanted to make 800,000 Galaxy Z Fold 2 units in 2020, and that doesn’t include units reaching actual customers. If the forecast figures are correct, Samsung could sell foldable phones many times more in 2021 – still a long way from traditional phones (which sell in the tens of millions each quarter), but enough to make them a significant part of the company’s device mix close .
See also: The best foldable phones you can get
That boost would come from a combination of lower prices and timing, according to combination DD. While the Fold 3 would be only slightly cheaper at 1.99 million won (approx. 1,725 US dollars), the Flip 3 would cost “only” 1.26 million won (approx. 1,092 US dollars) less than the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Both foldable phones will also hit the market without the Galaxy Note in the second half of the year to steal the spotlight, giving them a chance to stand out where the 2020 models vied for attention with the Galaxy S20 and Note 20.
It is not certain that Samsung will achieve these reported goals. Lower prices and a brighter spotlight might help, but the company still needs to convince people to accept the limitations of foldable phones – they still tend to cost more than comparable traditional models, and their displays are still fragile. It could be a long time before devices like the Z Fold and Z Flip are practical enough to sell in Galaxy S-class quantities.
