Samsung must think foldable devices are for dummies

Samsung spent a few million dollars to prove Some of their new products this weekIt was a typical tech event where executives told us how cool the new product would be, how much we would love it, and why the company is important enough for us to spend an hour listening to it. What they didn’t tell us is that the company thinks we’re dumb.

That was my first thought when the dust settled, because Samsung thinks you’ll spend almost two thousand dollars on a phone, and it’s right. At least some Some of us will. I won’t, and you shouldn’t either.

I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t pay more money for a phone that folds in half or how you should spend your money in general. Everyone spends money on things they don’t need. including meI’m telling you, you should not be buying your flip phone from Samsung because if you don’t, nothing will change. Especially the price.

I’m not actually blaming the company for… adding $100 to the priceEverything is more expensive and the 5% increase was predictable, but it turns out to be 5% on top of a price that was already too high.

Analysts and tech writers have been saying for five years that foldable devices will become more accessible and less expensive. I can’t find anywhere where Samsung has said this will definitely happen, but the company is happy to embrace the idea and has never said it will do so. No It’s going to happen. Samsung has gone so far as to say that it is trying for this to happenbut he just hasn’t done it.

I understand that making a fancy hinge and a glass and plastic display that folds in half will increase costs, but look at what other companies are doing. Do you really think Samsung doesn’t have a stronger supply chain or better access to materials than Samsung? OnePlus? EITHER Google? EITHER Honor? Of course they do, if only because many of the components come directly from Samsung itself. Why are Samsung’s foldables so expensive (or more expensive) than those offered by other companies?

Maybe every single part inside the Z Fold 6 is better than anything the competition offers. Or maybe Samsung knows it can charge whatever it wants because people who were going to buy it will do so regardless of price. I think that’s what Samsung is counting on.

Samsung knows that almost no one buys foldable phones and has even admitted that “most” people who buy one They are people who already have oneThe company also knows that no longer sells the lion’s share of foldable phones. But do you care?

One way to gain market share is to streamline manufacturing and sell cheaper phones. A 10% profit margin on millions more products is just as lucrative as higher margins on things that don’t sell. This would fit perfectly with Samsung’s message that everyone should want a foldable phone because they’re cool, and it’s exactly how Samsung beats Apple in selling the most smartphones year after year. Offer more, sell it for less, and people will buy it.

An alternative plan is to not care about market share at all, charge as much as you can, and rely on the repeat customers who you think are going to buy your expensive products anyway. And yes, there are people who will buy a new Z Fold, no matter the price. Too many, in fact.

The only thing we can do as consumers is not to buy overpriced products and stop being fools. If enough people vote with their wallets, we will get more for our money.

I know I’m not going to change anyone’s mind by writing this. If you think Samsung is charging too much for a Fold 6, I don’t need to tell you. On the other hand, if you were going to buy one anyway, you’d think I was a fool and might even take the time to let me know.

I know I’m not a fool and I won’t let Samsung treat me like one.