Foldable Phone

New Delhi: Samsung is likely to increase the prices of its latest foldable smartphones in India, including the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8, as rising memory chip costs put pressure on smartphone makers, leading retailers and industry analysts said. The new Samsung foldables, priced between Rs 1.25 lakh and Rs 2.6 lakh, have received an unprecedented response in India. Samsung India said nearly 2.71 lakh consumers pre-ordered the three devices within just 72 hours of their launch, marking record pre-orders for the company's foldable smartphone portfolio. Retailers now expect the strong demand for memory chips, a critical component in smartphones, to push up device costs further. Analysts also believe Samsung may eventually pass on part of the higher component costs to consumers after absorbing a significant portion of the increase so far. The latest foldables represent Samsung's most advanced foldable lineup yet, with improvements across hinge design, displays, durability and performance, along with purpose-built Galaxy AI features. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra measures just 4.1mm when unfolded, making it the company's thinnest Galaxy Z Fold device, while the Galaxy Z Fold8 weighs 201 grams, making it the lightest Fold model from Samsung. Samsung President and CEO, Southwest Asia, JB Park, recently said the company has been absorbing a substantial portion of the rising smartphone costs to protect consumers from the full impact of price increases. "If you compare how much they (competition) have increased the price, Samsung's increment is relatively lesser than competition because we have been absorbing the cost," Park said in London at the launch of the new Galaxy foldables. He added that the cost burden being absorbed by Samsung in 2026 is "humongous", while stressing that the decision was driven by the company's focus on providing premium devices rather than simply protecting or expanding market share. Samsung has also introduced long-tenure zero-cost EMI options for buyers of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8 in India, potentially helping cushion the impact of higher upfront prices for consumers. Industry analysts expect the broader memory shortage to affect smartphone shipments in the second half of 2026. Abhilash Kumar, Lead Research Advisor (Director) at Smart Analytics Global (SAG), said the Indian smartphone market could see annual shipment declines in the third and fourth quarters as memory shortages drive up component and retail prices. "The smartphone market in India will continue to see annual shipment decline in Q3 and Q4 2026, given the global memory shortage in the smartphone industry leading to prices increase," Kumar said.

Foldable Phone

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