Bad News for Foldable Fans: Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 Will Cost More Than You Expected

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 price hike is looking increasingly inevitable, and if you were planning to buy a higher storage variant of either device, you may want to prepare for a larger bill than the previous generation cost.

According to a report from Korean publication Newspim, rising SoC and memory chip prices are making it difficult for Samsung to hold the line on pricing for its upcoming foldable lineup. While the base storage variants of both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8 may launch at the same price as their predecessors, the 512GB and 1TB storage models are expected to carry a premium over what the equivalent Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 configurations cost.

The devices are expected to be unveiled at the next Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22, 2026.

Why Prices Are Going Up

The price pressure on Samsung’s foldables is not a decision made in isolation; it is a direct consequence of what is happening across the global semiconductor supply chain.

Chipset and memory chip prices have been rising sharply in 2026, driven by a combination of increased demand for AI-capable components, constrained manufacturing capacity at leading foundries, and the broader memory shortage that has been rippling through the smartphone market. Samsung is not the only brand raising prices; it has already increased prices on multiple Galaxy models in markets including India, but its foldable lineup is particularly exposed because these devices already carry premium price tags that leave less room to absorb component cost increases without passing them on.

The specific pressure point is higher storage configurations. The 512GB and 1TB variants of foldable devices require significantly more NAND flash memory than base models, and flash memory prices have increased considerably. A price increase on higher storage models is the industry’s standard response to this specific cost pressure, keeping the entry price accessible to attract buyers while recovering margin on the premium configurations that enthusiasts and power users are willing to pay more for.

What Else We Know About the Z Fold 8

The price news arrives alongside a separate leak that reveals what the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will not include, and for some buyers those omissions may be as significant as the price change.

According to a recent display-focused leak, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its new wider variant, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide, will not feature Privacy Display, the technology that restricts viewing angles to prevent bystanders from seeing your screen. The devices will also not support the S Pen stylus, removing a feature that has been part of the Z Fold lineup for several generations and has been a key differentiator for productivity-focused buyers.

Perhaps most disappointingly, the crease on the foldable display, the visible line that runs across the centre of the screen when the device is unfolded, is reportedly not significantly improved over the Galaxy Z Fold 7. For a device category where the crease has been one of the most persistent criticisms, the absence of meaningful improvement is a notable omission.

For Pakistanis, Already Expensive Devices Getting Pricier

For Pakistani consumers, Samsung’s foldable lineup has always existed at the extreme end of the premium market. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 launched internationally at prices that, after Pakistan’s import duties, taxes, and currency conversion, placed it well above Rs. 500,000 for most storage configurations, a price point accessible to only a narrow segment of buyers.

A price increase on the 512GB and 1TB models of the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 will push those configurations further beyond reach for most Pakistani consumers. Even the base models, if they hold their predecessor pricing, will remain among the most expensive smartphones available in the country.

For Samsung’s Pakistani business, the foldable lineup serves primarily as a brand prestige play rather than a volume driver. The real sales volume comes from the Galaxy A series, which is itself facing pricing pressure from rising RAM costs, as reported earlier this year when Samsung considered switching to cheaper display panels for mid-range devices to offset component cost increases.

What to Expect at Galaxy Unpacked on July 22

Samsung is expected to announce three devices at the Galaxy Unpacked event:

• Galaxy Z Fold 8: the standard foldable flagship
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide: a new, wider form factor variant
• Galaxy Z Flip 8: the clamshell foldable

Full specifications for all three devices have been partially revealed through recent leaks, though Samsung has not officially confirmed any details ahead of the July 22 announcement.

For buyers who were planning a foldable upgrade, the calculus is now clear: the base model may cost the same as last year, but if you want the full storage configuration, it is going to cost more. Whether the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s overall package, the new wide variant, updated specs, and whatever Samsung announces on stage in July justify that premium is the question that July 22 will answer.

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