Luxury the new word for expensive?

[pkcable]

As I watched the Unpacked (or should I say Unfolded) event yesterday, I saw and was enthralled by the Galaxy Fold. When I heard that Samsung executive say "luxury" phone, and then instantly KNEW we were talking an obscene price! lol

So what do folks think about the nearly 2 grand price? Is a folding phone really worth that? Might it be better to wait out this (rather cool) design innovation, as it IS a first generation product. Perhaps the Fold 2 will be both better a bit cheaper? Or do you just not care and you HAVE to have it now?

 

[o4liberty]

Can’t see myself or many others spending this kind of money on this combo device. It bulky as a phone and not pocketable plus it’s the first run which will have the growing pain issues all first run devices have. I would have to play with one before I would even consider purchasing one.

 

[debdroid1a]

Prices in "luxury" phones continue to rise. Look at the "S" series or Note series. Or even non- luxury Apple phones.

If you really want this phone, get it. I haven't decided. I like the spen for the notes. If it has an spen, then maybe.

 

[o4liberty]

If they was still working maybe but just retired so I can’t see me getting one any day soon maybe used at a lower price. The price of insurance on this device will also be high priced.

 

[ThrottleJohnny]

In 2 years this is something I can see myself investing in. I said the same thing after the debut of flat panel tvs

Right now, I'll sit back and watch the tech grow.

 

[eshropshire]

The Fold will be the must have device for those who think a phone is a status symbol. While I am not in the category I know quite a few people who have no problem spend $2K on status symbol items.

People here need to remember Samsung is not planning on selling this phone in the multi-millions. This is a test bed new device phone using some very new tech. The screens are expensive and have to be able to hold up to opening an closing multiple times a day.

My Guess is that Samsung does not want to sell a huge amount of these phones until they get some real world usage. The best way to do that is to release an expensive luxury device.

One of the reasons Microsoft has been on the fence about their fordable device has been the cost. I have always heard the minimum price would be $1,800 and probably more. If they do release a device my guess is the price will make the Fold look cheap.

 

[WeAreAllUnique]

It's "perceived value" more than anything else to me. Last year when there were rumors about this device being released I was excited about the concept. But that was only initially. Then I thought about how I would use it. How often do I wish that I needed a bigger screen for anything? Well, I had given up on tablets/iPads a long time ago. The main reason is because my smartphone does everything I would need in a tablet, just on a smaller screen. So, a device like this only gets me the opportunity to do what I would normally do on a bigger screen. And the screen is only an inch diagonally bigger than the regular Samsung flagship. The Fold isn't as pocketable, twice as expensive, I'm not sure what cases would look like for it, and there is no clear use case scenario for me. So my "perceived value" for this product is very low.

 

[Brew Swayne]

Given the specs (12GB RAM, 512GB Storage), this phone/tablet will have comparable specs to most B Tier laptops. $2000 is obviously an obscene price to pay for a phone, but with those specs, could this device be a potential laptop replacement for the Average Joe? It very well could be. In order to really justify the sticker price though, this device is going to need to be useable and relevant for probably 4 years minimum. I did a Cost per Year breakdown on what I spend on my tech (phone + computer):

Since my first smartphone, I upgrade on average every 3 years but for the purposes of this exercise I'm actually going to change that to every 2 years because I could see that being my new norm going forward. My current phone is the Note 8 that I got at launch and had a sticker price of $1000. If I upgrade every 2 years, that means I'm spending $500 per year on my phone.

My current home computer is a mid-2011 Mac desktop that I bought in early 2012 and I paid about $2000 for it. I'm currently shopping for a Macbook to replace it, so assuming I buy one in the next month or so, that computer will have lasted me 7 years. That gives me an annual cost of $285 for my Mac. To keep the numbers clean, lets round up to $300

Overall, that means I dedicate about $800 per year to my tech.

If this $2000 Fold can realistically last 4 years, that gives an annual average cost of $500 per year, which is now actually saving me $300/year. Even if the Fold is only viable for 3 years, that still comes out to a about $666/per year and saves me $134 on an annual basis.

Obviously this probably isn't realistic for Mac/PC power users, but that ain't me. I don't create music or do a bunch of high powered video creation/editing with it. I don't even use it for work. I use my Mac when I want a bigger screen or a physical keyboard and track pad and when I'm doing mundane home office things like scanning my taxes or downloading bank statements so that I have digital backups. It also helps that my Mac has a 500GB hard drive for storage, which comes in very handy for storing my music, photos, and other media...but so does the Fold. Not to mention the advancements in cloud storage that have been made in the years since I actually purchased my Mac have practically rendered physical drives obsolete. And if a physical drive is necessary, you can buy high capacity USB powered externals on the cheap. And if I want a bigger screen and something that resembles a traditional desktop experience, I can easily DeX it to an external monitor or my TV.

That said, there's no way in hell I'm getting in on the Fold anytime soon. I don't buy first generation anything and I'm not about to start here. I'm definitely going to let a 2nd and possibly even a 3rd generation hit the streets before I give it any serious consideration, but this very well could be a legitimate pc/laptop replacement for a lot of people. I definitely can't wait to play with a floor model once it's released and see what it's all about.