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Android and relaxation
One of the web’s longest-running tech columns, Android & Chill is your Saturday discussion of Android, Google, and all things tech.
Samsung spent a few million dollars to show off some of its new products this week. It was a typical tech event with executives telling us how great the new products were going to be, how much we were going to love them, and why the company was important enough for you to spend an hour listening to them. What they didn’t tell you is that the company thinks you’re an idiot.
That’s the first thing I thought when the dust settled, because Samsung thinks you’ll spend close to two grand on a phone, and it’s true. At least a few None of us will. I won’t, and neither should you.
I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t pay more 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 tell you that you should not Buy your foldable phone from Samsung, because if you do nothing, nothing will change. Especially in terms of price.
I don’t really blame the company for adding $100 to the price. Everything is more expensive, and the 5% increase should have been expected. It’s just 5% on a price that was already too high to begin with.
Analysts and tech writers have been saying for about five years that foldable devices will become more accessible and cheaper. I can’t find anywhere where Samsung has actually said that this will happen, but the company happily embraces the idea and has never come out and said that this is the case. not will happen. Samsung has gone so far as to say that it is trying to succeedbut it just didn’t work.
I understand that making a fancy hinge and a glass-plastic display that folds in half will add 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 OnePlus? Or Google? Or Honor? Of course it does, if only because many of the components come directly from Samsung itself. Why are Samsung’s foldables as expensive, or even more expensive, than those offered by other companies?
Maybe every single thing inside a Z Fold 6 is better than anything a competitor offers. Or maybe Samsung knows it can charge whatever it wants because the people who were going to buy one will buy it no matter the price. I think that’s what Samsung is banking on.
Samsung knows that almost no one buys foldable phones and has even admitted that “most” people who do buy one are people who already have oneThe company also knows that it no longer sells the lion’s share foldable phones. But is he interested?
One way to gain market share is to streamline manufacturing and sell phones for less. A 10% profit margin on millions of additional products is just as lucrative as higher margins on products that don’t sell. This would fit perfectly with Samsung’s message that everyone should want a foldable device because it’s cool, and that’s exactly how Samsung beats Apple to sell the most smartphones year after year. Offer more, sell for less, and people will buy it.
Another solution is to not worry about market share, charge as much as possible, and rely on repeat customers who you think will buy your overpriced products anyway. And yes, there are people who will buy a new Z Fold no matter the price. There are too many of them.
The only thing we can do as consumers is to stop buying overpriced products, to stop being fooled. If enough people vote with their wallets, we will get more bang for our buck.
I know I’m not going to change your mind by writing this. If you think Samsung is charging too much for a Fold 6, you don’t need me to tell you that. On the other hand, if you were going to buy one anyway, you’d think I was an idiot 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.