If you're willing to even so much as entertain the idea of paying $2,000 for a smartphone, what's another extra hundred or five of them? That seems to be the train of thought that led to the ultimate variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 – the one Samsung just launched in China earlier today. Officially called the Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, this particular version of the company's second-generation foldable will retail at 16,999 yuan, or just under $2,500.
This 25% price increase compared to the international model is justified with a 100% increase in storage space. That is to say, the Chinese Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G will feature 512GB of flash memory, whereas the rest of the world, bar Taiwan, is “only” getting a 256GB device.
China released the Galaxy Z Fold2, 512GB, priced at 16,999 yuan, equivalent to US$2485. pic.twitter.com/jt9rDXO77i
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 9, 2020
The gap between Samsung's “flagships” deepens
Officially unveiled in early August alongside the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Tab S7 series, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G was only treated to a full-fledged announcement last week. Samsung's third-ever foldable smartphone is scheduled to start shipping to early adopters internationally next Friday, September 18th. And while it's hardly the first ultry-luxurious device from the company, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G continues to widen the gap between Samsung's most affordable flagships and the top end of the price spectrum.
As a reminder, this $2,500 variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 isn't its most expensive form – that honor goes to the elegantly named Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne Edition which sports an eye-watering $3,300 price tag. And judging by the fact some of Samsung's regional branches adopted a lottery pre-order system for its arrival, it's probably fair to say the steep asking price did nothing to discourage this smartphone's target demographic from breaking the bank.
