In recent years, one of the most appealing aspects of pre-ordering a new Samsung smartphone has been the 'free' storage upgrade incentive, allowing consumers to pay for one storage tier and receive a higher tier at no extra cost.
However, a report from Korea indicates that this enticing offer will not be available for the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold8, Fold8 Ultra, and Flip8, which Samsung is set to unveil on July 22.
Instead of providing a fully free upgrade, Samsung will offer to cover only 50% of the price difference between the 256GB and 512GB models. This essentially means that buyers will still incur some costs when opting for the larger storage option during the pre-order period.
This revised offer is undoubtedly less attractive compared to previous years and is attributed to the ongoing memory price crisis. Samsung appears to be mitigating some of the increased memory costs by scaling back the pre-order incentives.
Currently, Samsung's mobile division is estimated to face an operating loss of KRW 1.5 trillion (approximately $1 billion) in the second quarter of this year. This marks a historic first for the mobile unit, as it would be the first quarterly loss ever recorded, driven largely by escalating memory prices.
A Samsung representative has stated that the company is unable to confirm any changes to the pre-order benefits at this time, so it is advisable to approach this information with cautious optimism. Nonetheless, changes of this nature would not be surprising given the current market conditions.
Source (in Korean) | Image source
