Samsung’s foldable smartphone will not be widely available and will carry a price tag that will reach as high as $2,500, according to unconfirmed claims from a report by Gizmodo U.K.
The groundbreaking device will only be offered in the U.K. through a limited number of channels, according to Gizmodo U.K.’s source who has been verified as a Samsung employee. The smartphone will be offered SIM-free through Samsung stores, and either SIM-free or on contract through the carrier EE.
If the report is true, Samsung’s plan for the foldable smartphone in the U.K. will be very different compared to its Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagships, which are offered by almost all major carriers. It remains unknown if the device will be similarly harder to buy in the U.S. compared to Samsung’s previous flagship models.
It is also unclear if installment plans will be offered for the foldable smartphone, but the chances are high that Samsung and EE will offer such a payment option due to its rumored price tag. The device will cost between £1,500 and £2,000, the same source of Gizmodo UK said, which is equivalent to about $1,900 to $2,500.
The price range will cover different models of the foldable phone, with the most expensive one likely offering the highest internal storage and RAM for the device. The reported price tag is even more expensive than previous rumors, which said the device will cost up to about $1,850. The smartphone industry only recently ushered in the age of $1,000 price tags, but it appears that Samsung is already pushing things further if it is indeed planning to sell the foldable phone for up to $2,500.
Samsung’s foldable phone, which is said to be named either the Galaxy X, Galaxy F, or Galaxy Flex, was teased at the Samsung Developer Conference earlier this month. The device’s Infinity Flex Display was showed off at the event, though the rest of the smartphone’s design was covered up as a secret.
The device will be officially announced at the Mobile World Congress in February 2019 and released in March 2019, according to the latest rumor from Samsung’s home country of South Korea. Samsung, however, might not be the only smartphone manufacturer to launch a foldable smartphone next year, as LG is also rumored to unveil one at CES 2019.