Samsung’s new foldables are doing surprisingly well in this price sensitive market

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are not cheap phones by any stretch of the imagination. Although Samsung’s foldables are a tad more affordable than their predecessors, not everyone can fork out $999, let alone $1,800, for a smartphone in several markets. Nonetheless, that hasn’t stopped the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 from being a resounding success in one of the world’s most price-conscious regions: India.

Bloomberg analyst Sohee Kim says that the day one pre-order numbers for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 in India were nearly 2.7 times more than that of the Galaxy Note 20 launched last year. This is quite an interesting anecdote, given that the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra sits squarely between the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 in terms of price, while the base Galaxy Note 20 is cheaper than both foldables.

The Galaxy Z Flip 3’s relatively affordable price tag could be the reason for its success in India

While the pre-order figures do not break down the individual Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 pre-order figures, we can reasonably assume that the latter did better due to its more affordable price tag of Rs 84,999. On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs an eye-watering Rs 149,999 in India. Both phones technically fall in the ‘premium’ segment of the Indian market, and it’ll be interesting to see which phone sold more, once — and if — the data becomes available.

We found the Galaxy Z Flip 3 to be near-impeccable in our review, although it could do with a few quality-of-life improvements. Similarly, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is an excellent device in its own right, but its prohibitively high price still puts it beyond the reach of most consumers. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the closest thing we have to an ‘affordable foldable’ right now, and that probably won’t change anytime soon.

Galaxy Z Flip 3 review | Galaxy Z Fold 3 review

• Model: SM-F711B
• Dimensions: Folded: 86.4 x 72.2 x 15.9~17.1 mm
  Unfolded: 166 x 72.2 x 6.9 mm
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Dynamic AMOLED Display
• CPU: Snapdragon 888
• Camera: 12MP

• Model: SM-F926B
• Dimensions: Unfolded: 158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4 mm
  Folded: 158.2 x 67.1 x 14.4~16 mm
• Display: 7.6 inch / mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Snapdragon 888
• Camera: 12MP