There is a familiar frustration with rising smartphone prices: the bill gets bigger, but it is not always clear what the extra money buys. With prices already this high, it is worth looking beyond the starting price to see how far your budget actually goes.
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts below Apple's iPhone Duo in every market compared here. In South Korea and India, the gap is large enough that even the 1TB Fold 8 costs less than the 256GB iPhone Duo.
The budget needed for Apple's entry-level foldable covers Samsung's highest-storage version and still leaves money over.
The premium is much bigger in some markets
The 256GB Fold 8 costs €1,999 in Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands. The iPhone Duo starts at €2,299 in Germany and €2,339 in the other three markets, making Apple's foldable €300 to €340 more expensive for the same storage capacity.
In the UK, the entry-level Fold 8 costs £1,699, compared with £1,999 for the iPhone Duo. Both come with 256GB of storage.
Europe includes Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands. Published prices before trade-ins or promotional savings are compared within each market; percentages show the premium over the Fold 8's price.
The premium rises to 44.4% in South Korea and 66.6% in India. At that point, the more useful comparison is what the iPhone budget would buy from Samsung.
A 1TB Fold 8 still leaves money in your pocket
In South Korea, the 1TB Fold 8 has a published reference price of ₩3,152,600, compared with ₩3,290,000 for the 256GB iPhone Duo. Samsung's highest-storage version is therefore ₩137,400 cheaper than Apple's entry-level model.
In India, the 1TB Fold 8 costs ₹239,999. That leaves ₹59,901 over from the ₹299,900 needed for a 256GB iPhone Duo.
Not everyone needs 1TB, of course. But if you keep lots of photos and videos on your phone, that extra room has a practical use. You can choose the higher-storage Fold 8 without stretching the budget you had set aside for Apple's base model.
The UK offers a smaller version of the same story. The 512GB Fold 8 is listed at £1,869, which is £130 less than the £1,999 starting price of the 256GB iPhone Duo.
The Fold 8 is also thinner and lighter
As we explored previously, Samsung's lower price does not come with a bulkier design. The Fold 8 weighs 201g against the iPhone Duo's 254g and measures 9.7mm when folded, compared with 11.3mm for Apple's phone. Both offer a 7.6-inch inner display, so the weight saving does not require accepting a smaller screen.
For me, that makes Apple's premium harder to justify, particularly in South Korea and India, where Samsung offers its highest storage tier for less. What exactly are buyers getting for the extra money?
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