Samsung has promised to launch more affordable foldable phones this year. The first step in that direction includes a phone that you may be familiar with.
The phone maker started this week by cutting the price of the Galaxy Z Flip 5G by $ 250, which reduces the cost of the Samsung flip to $ 1,199. That’s the lowest price Samsung has ever set for a foldable device.
More significantly, it is also the same price that Samsung charges for the new Galaxy S21 Ultra, the core device of the new Galaxy S21 line. Not that you should mistake a $ 1,200 device for a low-cost device, but the Galaxy Z Flip 5G’s price cut is clearly a step toward Samsung by making its folding devices more affordable.
To that end, as part of a current promotion, you can save up to $ 1,000 on your Galaxy Z Flip 5G by changing your current phone. Samsung usually offers discounts of $ 450.
Galaxy Z Flip 5G: What you need to know
The Galaxy Z Flip debuted a year ago and was the first foldable Samsung to arrive fully polished. The device had the flip-phone design of yesteryear and added a 6.7-inch folding screen that was reinforced by the addition of a layer of ultra-thin glass. This gave the Z Flip a durable feel that escaped previous Flip models.
The Z Flip also had a strong hinge that allowed the phone to be opened in different positions, enabling a feature called Flex Mode.
When you open the Z Flip at a 90-degree angle, you can split the screen in certain applications to handle different functions – a viewing area for YouTube, for example, enlarged by an area where you can control playback and add comments . The feature was so successful that Samsung adapted Flex Mode for the Galaxy Z Fold 2.
In announcing the new $ 1,199 price of the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Samsung also highlighted some of the special features it incorporated into the folding flip phone. This includes multitasking, which allows you to run two applications at the same time on the Z Flip’s main screen, as well as the ability to use the phone’s 1.1-inch external screen as a view finder for selfies.
In addition, by double tapping the Z Flip home button, you can activate one-handed mode, which reduces what is on the screen so you can reach it with one hand.
Galaxy Z Flip 5G: Should you buy it?
The Galaxy Z Flip 5G is certainly a more tempting option today than it was for $ 1,449. But there are a few things to consider before hitting the “Buy” button.
To begin with, price cuts like this generally signal that the company hopes to get rid of inventory before new products are launched. And we’ve heard rumors that Samsung has a Galaxy Z Flip sequel in progress. Although there is no immediate deadline for the launch of this phone, there are rumors about the Galaxy Z Fold 3, a new foldable version from Samsung that may arrive as early as May, if not in the second half of this year.
Samsung did not hide its desire to make more foldable. Samsung Electronics President TM Roh said in late 2020 that the company was seeing “growing momentum” from its foldable businesses and promised to keep it in the new year.
“We will be expanding our folding portfolio, so that this innovative category is more accessible to everyone,” said Roh at the time.
It remains to be seen whether a cheaper Galaxy Z Flip is the right option for more affordable foldables or whether Samsung has even lower cost devices. Other reports claim that Samsung’s efforts include mobile and slider phones, as well as folding phones, so it is likely that we have not heard anything from the phone manufacturer on this front.