So far we have seen companies launching new smartphones either at higher prices than their predecessors or increasing prices a few months after launch, of course due to the ongoing memory crisis. However, Samsung has increased the price of a device that will be replaced in a few months.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7, launched in July 2025, has received a quiet but significant price increase in the US. While the base variant with 256GB of storage remains at $2,000, the 512GB variant now costs $2,200, $80 more than the original price of $2,120.
Isn’t the Fold 8 coming onto the market in a few months?
The top 1TB variant has also increased similarly, from $2,420 to $2,500. At the time of writing, the new prices were available on Samsung’s official US website. It is worth noting that the company has not made any formal or polite announcements regarding this.
While at first glance it may not make sense to increase the price of a phone whose successor is due in almost three months, the harsh reality is that rising component costs do not match a product’s launch cycle.
Memory and component costs have risen rapidly across the industry. Most recently, Motorola increased the prices of its entry-level Android phones in the US by up to 50%. Compared to that, Samsung’s increase may seem negligible, but here’s why that’s not the whole picture.
Potential buyers of the Fold 8 should be careful when it comes to pricing
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a premium device with a premium price; It is one of the most expensive consumer smartphones that money can buy. The price increase shows that even premium devices, which generally offer higher margins, are not completely immune to the increasing cost pressures evident across the industry.
At the same time, I’m also worried about the launch price of the Fold 8, as any further increase could limit the pool of buyers even further than it already is.
