ZTE, Samsung, and Motorola are trying to launch foldable phones for under €1,000, like the Nubia Flip 2 or the Galaxy Z Flip FE, but are they really mid-range?
After spending two weeks analyzing the ZTE Nubia Flip 2 5G, the most clearly mid-range foldable phone currently on sale in Spain, I’ve been wondering about affordable foldable phones. Are they closer or further away from becoming a reality?
Foldable phones made a big splash in 2019, and it seemed like they were going to take over the tech world. Spoiler alert: that wasn’t the case.
When the first folding screens began to appear six years ago, many people and brands were swept away by the enthusiasm, but today this format exists as a very small part of the global traditional mobile market, which is currently enjoying a very good moment.
In contrast, in the third quarter of 2024, sales of foldable phones declined for the first time ever and grew only 3% year-over-year for the whole of last year, according to data from Counterpoint Research.
One of the most frequently cited reasons consumers prefer a traditional bar-shaped phone over a foldable one, in addition to fears that they may be less durable, is their typically high price.
Since Samsung introduced the first foldable phone on the international market in 2019, all the foldable phones launched in Spain have invariably cost more than 1,000 euros, and in some cases even approach or exceed 2,000 euros.
This makes them compete in the highest range of smartphones of the moment, against very advanced giants in camera or performance, such as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Honor Magic 7 Pro or other flagships.
This high price, necessary due to the high cost of innovation and the elements that make up a foldable mobile phone, is responsible for a category that was intended to become massive in the end became a small niche only suitable for technology enthusiasts with deep pockets.
What many were hoping for to truly test the success of foldable phones among the public is the arrival of less expensive models. If a more modest foldable can cost less than the high-end range and only a little more than the rest of the mid-range, the formula would be foolproof. Or not?
Last year, the first foldable phone with a true mid-range price tag was launched in Spain: the ZTE Nubia Flip 5G, for €599. I got my hands on it, and I wasn’t impressed by its camera and software, but it left me wanting a second version.
But now that I’ve tried it, with the Nubia Flip 2 5G, rather than being convinced, I have more doubts about mid-range foldables.
The Chinese brand has significantly improved every aspect of this foldable model, which no longer penalizes you like last year’s model did, and offers objectively superior hardware and software. However, the price has increased significantly to €699.
I wonder: can 700 euros be considered an affordable price to pay for a mobile phone?
Many brands include this price segment in the upper mid-range, because it’s close to but not reaching the €1,000 mark that flagships typically cost, but my feeling is that almost no one who thinks about an affordable phone spends this amount of money on a phone in Spain. Maybe they would spend this amount on an iPhone or Galaxy S from last year, but in the end, it’s still high-end.
ZTE isn’t the only brand that has embarked on the adventure of launching a more affordable foldable phone, still within the clamshell format, while the book-style models remain unequivocally high-end and closer to €2,000 than €1,000.
Motorola has already done something very similar with the standard Razr 50, which it launched last year, which is more modest than the Ultra model. It’s available now on its website for €629, but it was launched last year for €899. A price tag that’s hard to afford for all budgets.
Samsung is no stranger to these movements, and is rumored to be working on an affordable version of its clamshell foldable, which could be known as the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, cheaper than its Galaxy Z Flip 6, which starts at 1,209 euros.
The FE surname refers to Fan Edition, and the South Korean brand already uses it in its affordable version of its traditional flagship, the Galaxy S24 FE, being the most recent model.
Given what we’ve seen, we can only wait for the market to take its course. As of today, it’s difficult to argue that a phone over €500 is considered mid-range in Spain, even if it’s foldable, or even if the general rise in phone prices could end up making €700 phones mid-range, foldable or not.
Manufacturers will still have to work hard to get the public to start noticing a folding format that is no longer a novelty but rather an alternative option on the market.
