Samsung launches Z Fold3, Flip3 folding phones with huge price cuts, predicting sales will triple

Your next phone could fold in two, according to Samsung, which just unveiled two new flexible handsets at much cheaper prices.

Consumers are expected to buy three times as many folding smartphones this year, according to a bold new prediction made by Samsung as it unveiled two new flexible handsets overnight.

The world’s biggest smartphone maker confirmed rumours about the new devices in its Galaxy Unpacked launch, showing off the Galaxy Z Fold3 and smaller Galaxy Z Flip3 with slimmer bodies, stronger screens, and water-resistance for the first time.

Plus, the company’s biggest folding smartphone will take a $500 price cut in Australia this year that analysts say is likely to improve its popularity with Australian buyers.

Samsung's third flagship folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, features a slimmer body, stronger screens, and water resistance.

Samsung Electronics Australia mobile vice-president Garry McGregor said the company’s first two generations of folding smartphones had enticed many consumers to try something new already, including former Apple iPhone users.

But improvements to the latest generation of folding phones had the potential to entice more smartphone buyers to a different kind of handset, he said.

“We know this foldable form factor is incredibly intriguing to Australians, but at the same time we’ve been listening. And the two main areas of concern that have come back is affordability and durability,” Mr McGregor said. “We approached both of these head on.”

The Galaxy Z Fold3 will again fold open like a book to reveal a 7.6-inch screen but that screen will feature greater brightness, a faster refresh rate, and promises to be more scratch-resistant than the previous model.

Samsung’s flagship folding phone will also be slightly lighter, slimmer when folded, will feature a smaller camera bump, and will be able to resist being dunked in 1m of water for the first time.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold3 5G will be compatible with a stylus when it launches in Australia on September 10. Picture: Supplied

The big-screen phone will also be compatible with a stylus — the first time the feature has been launched outside Samsung’s Note series.

The company’s smaller folding phone, the Z Flip3, will also add water-resistance, along with a larger external screen, stronger glass, slimmer body, and better cameras.

Both folding phones will launch in Australia on September 10 — two weeks after their US release — starting at $2499 and $1499 respectively.

Samsung strategy marketing head Bryan Choi predicted folding smartphones would “become the new standard in mobile devices” in future, with figures from Strategy Analytics forecasting sales of 117 million flexible phones by 2025.

“Many surveys have shown that market demand for foldable smartphone is growing, and is up to 6.5 million units in 2021, which is triple last year,” he said.

Samsung Z Flip3 smartphone comes in more colours, with better cameras and a bigger external screen this year. Picture: Supplied

Telsyte managing director Foad Fadaghi said the high price and limited availability of folding phones had stunted their popularity in Australia, with last year’s Z Fold2 costing more than any other handset at $3000.

This year’s $500 price cut for the Fold3 could be a tipping point for curious buyers, Mr Fadaghi said, even though the technology was still reasonably new.

“The smartphone form factor is over a decade old now and consumers are potentially looking for the next generation of products, something different, and these folding phones are starting to mature,” he said.

“Whether everyone will have them is debatable but they do have good potential.”

Samsung also unveiled two new smartwatches at its Galaxy Unpacked event — the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic — with new health sensors and prices starting at $399.