Apple spooked Samsung and it seems we're about to benefit financially

April's Fools is now history, but when the Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors started pouring, I had to do a double-take. That's because the base price is allegedly staying flat at $1,999.

Oh, it's gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh, as that quote goes.

Two grand is certainly not a small number by any stretch of the imagination. But let's be honest here, it's 2026 and we've embraced inflation (or vice versa).

Stability almost feels like a win, even though only a handful of people would spend $2,000 on a new phone.

Ironically, one could say that since everything else – including many 2026 phones, like the Galaxy S26 which came with a $100 price hike – is now pricier, that would make the Galaxy Z Fold 8 feel almost "accessible". But in reality, the more that food, rent and gas go up in cost, the less money we have to spend on gadgets.

Only minor price hikes

While the base Galaxy Z Fold 8 variant with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage is expected to land at the same $1,999 price as its predecessor, the 512 GB and 1 TB models could get pricier by $80, costing $2,199 and $2,499 respectively.

That's nothing. Once you cross the $2,100 psychological barrier, an extra $80 here or there won't break the bank. Plus, Samsung will probably introduce some pre-order discounts.

Like I said, this one feels too good to be true, since the Galaxy S26 already landed with a $100 price hike at the end of February.

Between the skyrocketing cost of RAM chips and a Bill of Materials (BoM) that's going in one direction (up), Samsung had every excuse in the world to slap a $2,100 sticker on the base Z Fold 8 and call it "inflation".

Now's the time to remind you that we're dealing with rumors here, so this option is on the table until the moment Sammy unveils the new devices. This will probably happen at a point in July, so we have three whole months of nail-biting and cold sweat episodes.

So why isn't there a price hike?

In a word, I think it's because of Apple and their first-ever foldable phone, the iPhone Fold (a.k.a. iPhone Ultra).

Apple's hit-in-the-making will most likely launch at a price point somewhere north of $2,000, per multiple rumors. Cupertino knows they can charge a "luxury tax" just for that glowing logo on the back, and they've likely calculated that their fans will pay it without blinking. That wasn't the case with the $3,500 Vision Pro headset, but foldables are another thing – it's 2026, and they're no longer super exotic.

If Apple enters the foldable space at that price level (over $2,000), Samsung has every reason to put the $1,999 ball and chain price tag on its flagship foldable.

It's a classic defensive play, and it could very well be the case that they've been spooked by Apple.

Sammy really digs foldables

What I find interesting is how this also lines up with Samsung's broader push into foldables as a category.

The Galaxy Z TriFold, for example, is expected to become available once again on April 10, both online and in select Samsung Experience Stores across a handful of US locations.

Sure, the Z TriFold is less about mass adoption and more about testing the waters, but its interest in foldables is strong enough.

What's more, in 2026, we're expecting the Galaxy Z Fold Wide to materialize as well. This one could be a wider (duh!) foldable, not a square-ish one like the aspect ratio we're used to.

In a way, Samsung isn't backing away from foldables, quite the opposite.

If anything, this might be one of those rare moments where competition actually works in favor of the buyer. But I'll stop right now, since I don't want to jinx it.

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