Samsung teased the Galaxy Z Fold 2 at Galaxy Unpacked 2020 but so far the company managed to keep the product's launch price a secret. This anticipated nugget of information will likely be made public at Unpacked Part 2, the special launch event for the Galaxy Z Fold 2, but rumor has it that the second-generation Z Fold will cost 1,999 euro in most European countries.
If a recent report by WinFuture is true, this effectively means that Samsung succeeded in making the Galaxy Z Fold 2 cheaper than the original model. The OG Galaxy Fold was first released for 2,100 euro in most European markets but Samsung reportedly managed to lower the second-gen model's price by nearly 5% despite the improvements made to the exterior design, hinge, and various specifications including the cover and foldable displays.
The launch price may be lower but there's one big caveat
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 has half the storage capacity of the Galaxy Fold and a total of five cameras instead of six, but these might not be the reasons why it may have gotten cheaper. Let's not forget that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 also sports a larger cover display protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, a larger Infinity-O foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and faster 25W charging, so the cost reduction achieved through some downgrades should be offset by considerable upgrades in other key areas.
In practice, Samsung may have been able to lower the Galaxy Z Fold 2's launch price a notch by removing the wireless earbuds from the retail box. The Galaxy Fold shipped with a pair of Galaxy Buds+ but so far there's been no indication of Samsung wanting to follow the same strategy as before.
On the contrary, the BTS unboxing and first impressions video suggests that the Galaxy Z Fold 2's retail box contains a pair of regular, wired AKG earbuds. The type of AKG earbuds that you get along with the Galaxy Note 20 series, assuming you live outside the USA.
This hasn't been officially confirmed yet so it remains subject to change, same as the rumored 1,999 euro price. Perhaps the final product will be paired with wireless earbuds, but so far this accessory has seemingly been left out.
All in all, Galaxy Z Fold 2 buyers might be able to acquire the foldable phone for a lower price up-front and this could work in their favor as long as they aren't in the market for a pair of wireless earbuds. Otherwise, if they're looking to buy the Galaxy Buds+ or the Galaxy Buds Live along with the new foldable, they might end up paying more in total.
On what side of the fence do you stand? Is paying less for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 sans wireless earbuds a better proposition than paying a little bit extra for an accessory that you might not need? Or do you think Samsung might be doing Galaxy Z Fold 2 buyers a disservice?
