The moment Samsung gave up on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE in the USA

I've been waiting for Samsung to lower the price barrier of entry to foldable phones for years. And the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE is an interesting, if not disappointing, case study. It tried and failed, and we might not see another attempt at a cheaper foldable phone anytime soon.

I've been thinking a lot about the first Fan Edition foldable phone and how it seemingly failed, and I think I now know the moment Samsung actually gave up on it, particularly in the US market.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE wasn't an inherently bad phone, but it seemingly failed to make a dent in the market because it was priced too high for what it was: a repackaged and slightly downgraded Galaxy Z Flip 6.

And then, in October, the real Galaxy Z Flip 6 — not the downgraded poser — came back with a vengeance when Samsung USA rereleased it as a Certified Re-Newed phone.

Worse yet, the real Galaxy Z Flip 6 Re-Newed costs less than the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. And despite this, the Flip 6 had a better chip and more RAM. So, not only it was weaker than the Flip 7 (non-FE) model but also the 2024 variant, the Flip 6.

A coincidence at that time, in October, we also noticed the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE slowly disappearing from Samsung's virtual shelves.

Normally, I wouldn't put a Certified Re-Newed phone on the same level as a brand-new device. However, this was different. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, in itself, felt like a repackaged and downgraded Flip 6 to begin with.

It made the Re-Newed phone seem like a better Fan Edition device. And it pretty much was, for a lower price. Certified Re-Newed phones are like new. They can even be purchased through the trade-in program.

Nowadays, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE seems to be gone, at least in the USA. Unfortunately, most other markets don't have the Certified Re-Newed program, so they continue to try and sell the FE version.

The whole Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE saga is quite fascinating, to say the least. It almost seems like Samsung sabotaged the FE on purpose by imitating a pricing strategy similar to what McDonald's used before. In other words, the FE's purpose may have been to sell other foldable phones.

It's ironic, but the phone that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE was trying to mimic may have reassured its downfall.