Here is some math on why you shouldn't buy the Z Fold 6 (at least not at launch)

Thank you for sharing.

True, BUT keep in mind that the MSRP is a marketing gimmick more than anything, at least in the USA - between Samsung's big discounts and big trade in values, you can spend around $600 every two years to trade in for the newest if you wait for Black Friday.

Buy last year's model for like $700, it'll probably last you 2-3 years before you need to buy last year's model again. This is an appealing option because you don't need to worry about if you break your phone - it's as much to replace it as it would be to have it repaired. You also aren't basically obligated to trade in every 2 years (Samsung's black friday trade in values last year dropped like a rock between two gens old and three). You also know that any factory defects that may have been in the phone would have shown up by now, so the only real dangers left are hardware damage and the moving parts wearing out.

However, it's not much more overall to get it new every two years with trade in (on Black Friday, in the USA) and this gets you a warranty, the option to buy Samsung Care if you want that, and the knowledge that there's no hidden damage from a previous owner's drop that could manifest down the line.

I'm tentatively planning on the latter, it seems the Fold 6 will refine several of the minor issues I have with my 4 based on rumors, but if those rumors turn out false I'm not opposed to holding onto my 4 until it goes kaput and get a secondhand Fold 7.

One more thing to mention - the Fold 5 was available for around $900 secondhand only a few months after launch, so if you want to go secondhand, a little while after launch will get you almost an extra year of use for a fair price.

So, the reason to not buy something now is that it will cost less in the future. This logic holds for just about anything you want to buy, that has yearly or semi regular model updates. So either you are saying never buy anything, ever (because next year the fold 5 will be cheaper after all, and the year after that it will be even cheaper!) or never buy something the year it comes out. Which is fine if that is your philosophy but many people like to have the most up to date and advanced model.

But nobody is paying full price for these things (well at least in the US). I got my fold 4 at launch and ended up buying a refurbished note 20 or something like that for $300 then traded it in for $1000. On top of that there was some random $300 discount and a bunch of other hoops to jump through. Ended up being like $1000 or something for the phone a watch and headphones.

Having said that, not really too impressed with the rumors about the fold 6. I wanted to see Honor Magic V2 level innovation and looks like we're getting closer to a oneplus open form factor. Better for sure but I feel like samsung is 2-3 years behind at this point.

Samsung always offers generous upgrade tradeins and discounts. So the new fold 6 will be under $1000 for many of us, though I may still skip it until the 7 since the 5 is still holding strong. (although I do want a thinner phone since the 5 destroys my jeans around the pocket, costing me $$ and looking like a slob. So I'd pay $1K if it was materially thinner).

You assume people are buying these phones at msrp.

Most get nice trade in credits, at least in the USA.

My fold 5 was not much. Traded in a iphone for 800 credit, fold 5 was discounted. Think I paid 500?

The fold 6, we'll probably get 1k trade credit plus some sort of samsung credit like free headphones or something.

Imo, when trading in on a carrier, it's not bad at all.

The real reason is that the 6 is not much different than the 5. So might as well get a 5.

Your depreciation doesn't account for the "sale" price at launch?

TL:DR tech becomes cheaper if you wait and adopting early is expensive. In other words, water is wet.

I shall be upgrading from my Fold 3 to a Fold 6 the day it releases.

I would buy if Samsung has very good pre-order offers.

Would never buy used out of warranty Fold, anything happens to the screen then its game over, too expensive to fix.

It's likely $1k off with trade in tho for something new vs used

I'm gonna get it hopefully at launch. (It'll be my first foldable)

This all stands true, but the trade ins are so good, if you upgrade every year, you're effectively (long term) spending the same you would on a normal smartphone, after the first Fold purchase of course.

I've been on them since the 2 (among many other slab phones), and each time I trade them in, so my 3, 4, and 5 cost me around $800 each, which is really reasonable when you consider it.

Or if you already have a z-fold 4 or 5 you would just trade it in and get about 7 to $800 off of the Z-Fold 6 which would put you around the same price of that 50% 1 year depreciation value that you mentioned.

I purchased my Galaxy Z-Fold 5 on October 11th and traded in my z fold 3 and got $1,000 off. So it makes no sense not to buy it on launch day if you're going to get a great trade-in deal anyway.

Sure.. but if you have money and want it, might as well buy it. If you can afford to cash it twice, you afford it once.

Honor and Motorola outsold Samsung through the 1st quarter of 2024 so I think people are taking advantage of the depreciation, but it's leading them to buy other foldables. Samsung's devices have always been known for their depreciation. However, Samsung does not drop the values permanently. Their MSRP remains the same. They just give deals time and time again and they've been more aggressive on the Z5 because they sold 10 million when they set expectations to sell 15 million.

It's 3rd party sellers that drop the value. Personally, I wouldn't trust any used or refurbished Z after a year except the Z5.

At this phone for us that like to have a new phone yearly we're basically leasing out phones... Kinda. If you trade ok yearly you're looking at decent deals. I think the best bang for your buck is upgrading every other year. I have the 4 and slipped the 5. Excited for the 6.

Who buys this type of phone based on optimally saving money?

I'd rather you use brand new sealed as a better comparison. There is no way on earth I'd ever buy a fold that isn't brand new. That's just asking for trouble.

Well, a used phone comes with no warranty and 1-2 years lower lifespan especially the battery,

Some with possibly scratches on the display/case.

So what do you think.

Of coz you can minimize that using refurbished models. It is really up to you.

Top-tier Smartphones nowadays are luxurious gadgets, not just tools. Just get the latest, the most affordable one.
My theory is: If you need it (for its functionality, or its good look, etc.) and can pay for it, it is worth it.

So guys, if you don't want a Fold 6, you can buy a totally different phone for less. Noted.

If you want, I could also sell you my old 2004 Motorola Razr for a very low price. Technically, it folds.

Sorry but can't recommend the 4. I got it fixed 3 times. Phone stop folding all the way. I would recommend either the 2 or 5.

If you worry that much about the prize, then maybe you should not buy a fold at all 🤣

Im waiting to buy Fold 5 since I literally found the official s pen cases for only 2 bucks

Its funny how ppl consistently were saying wait for the fold 6 and now suddenly theres a great reason why not to buy it l o l

Hey shoot me that link for a refurb Z5

Depending on where you live and how much research you do....I've never paid MSRP for Samsung flagships because of some sort of preorder discount but the galaxy folds are more prone to failure and that reflects in the used prices...I got the fold 5 512gb for 1200€ directly from Samsung at launch..after trading that garbage fold 4 and getting the "slim S pen case"that still is bulky as hell and extra charger I paid € 800 total.... And I just sold the fold 5 for 800€.....

I bought a second hand fold 3 for $300 and used it for 6 months then traded it in for a new fold 5 and got $800 trade in credit. The Fold 5 is so much better and I think I'll keep it until the fold 7

Love these stats! Im debating on what to do. I have a dying fold 3 (no sound, shuts down when folding/unfolding) and just canceled that insurance policy 3 months before this started thinking ill be ok.

Fix costs $300-$450 but still holds risk it will mess up. So its either get a used one through samsung for more with insurance or swap to the oneplus open phone..... Idk which to pick yet.

Love these stats! Im debating on what to do. I have a dying fold 3 (no sound, shuts down when folding/unfolding) and just canceled that insurance policy 3 months before this started thinking ill be ok.

Fix costs $300-$450 but still holds risk it will mess up. So its either get a used one through samsung for more with insurance or swap to the oneplus open phone..... Idk which to pick yet.

Im waiting to buy Fold 5 since I literally found the official s pen cases for only 2 bucks

Im waiting to buy Fold 5 since I literally found the official s pen cases for only 2 bucks

For a mobile device I’m gonna use everyday for the next 5-8 years, I don’t mind the money, it better be good!

I’m still on a 6s+

Im waiting to buy Fold 5 since I literally found the official s pen cases for only 2 bucks

For a mobile device I’m gonna use everyday for the next 5-8 years, I don’t mind the money, it better be good!

I’m still on a iPhone 6s+

For a mobile device I’m gonna use everyday for the next 5-8 years, I don’t mind the money, it better be good!

I’m still on a iPhone 6s+

For a mobile device I’m gonna use everyday for the next 5-8 years, I don’t mind the money, it better be good!

I’m still on a iPhone 6s+

Currently on s22 ultra and planning to jump to fold.

May get fold 5 instead for the cheap depre price. Since fold 6 is going to have same camera / battery / etc. which is not worth getting on launch

Yea, yearly upgrades are pretty pointless, especially with the foldables as of late

The question is: is it worth buying the Fold 5 or the Fold 6? I keep reading they will be the same devices spec wise and the only improvements are so small that whomever has the t would be wasting money to buy a 6 at full cost.

I personally was excited for the 6, and thought the screen would be a tad bit bigger than the 5, but it's not. The battery is also the same crap, so am sticking with my food 5...unless Samsung surprises us with better specs...

The Fold 5 is refurbished on eBay for $790.

It's literally less than half the price of a Fold 6 will be. The depreciation on these is insanely steep the first year.

That's because the inner screen and hinge are the biggest liability. Had these not been issues that phone would have not depreciated like this. Also the original default warranty is one year.

I wouldn't buy this phone for those reasons either.

Most of this makes sense. A couple years ago I needed a mini van for my business, but wanted a low mileage used one. After a quick search, I found a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan in California with only THREE THOUSAND MILES on it. It was priced at $9,000, I flew out there and drove it back, it's like brand new! Never buying a new vehicle again.

I can say as a Fold 4 owner when that came out... it was a good phone... cost about $1799 new but Google Fi was giving us $1000 off if we signed up, so I did... sold my iPhone where I ended up breaking even. I ended up selling it for about $700 after I got so anxious about carrying it around and opening it up, cleaning it off, just to have what is a somewhat larger screen but not too much so....

Still a great phone... but it wasn't for me. I guess the point is that expect that you'll pay $1800 new for it and the most you can probably get for it is about half that.... so $790 for that is not bad.... but if you get a deal on Z Fold 6 like I did with the Fold 4, maybe take it for the $1000 off so you end up with a new phone for the same price?

Happy with Fold3, planning upgrade in about a year. Price could drop after some months. Fold5 prices will drop even more significantly.

Too bad I want the 1tb version.

Understanding the tech and how it works, I would never purchase a refurbished "foldable" phone. All things tech, buy new! Buy insurance or extended warranty!

After buying a new Fold 3 and using for 2 years I would never recommend buying a used Fold. Too much battery drainage and wear and tear on the screen and hinge after a couple years of use.

Makes a lot of sense

Apparently this phone's price goes the same in every region it's available, great. So let me just tell you this:

• If you want to buy this line of phone, wait for about 5 months into its release. The phone would have depreciated 35% from its original price of ~1800$ down to $1100 which is a fair price for phones like this.

• No problem if you buy them used from resellers, since fixing this phone is a chore and pricy, so should anything happen to the phone people would either find a way to cheat the warranty program, or sell the dead body.

• If you are anything except owning a Fold 4, just get a Fold 5. There is no reason at all to get the Fold 6 if all the rumors are true.

Can confirm. My insurance said they would charge me only $300 if I didn't send my fold 4 with broken hinge in after getting my replacement. I was really surprised at how low a fine it would have been.

At bought the z fold 5 a week after it's release with a fold 4 that was having hinge issues and I only payed about 800 dollars with the trade in. I'm just gonna wait a bit longer since the cover screen was upgraded I been waiting for since switching from a regular galaxy phones.

The current model will always be cheaper ar some point in the future, and the next model will always be better than the current one

I don't care about the math. I care about not having a premium phone with 2 year old camera tech. Like seriously charge $100 more or whatever and give same year ultra camera etc.

Yeah I am considering offloading my Fold 4 but looking at resale values for it, I’d might as well keep it..

I think I paid around £600 for my fold 3 about 18-20 months ago. I'll probably buy a fold 5 within 6 months for a similar price I reckon. A 512gb folding phone with 12gb of ram for £600 is a steal imo. I'll pay more this time around if I have to, but getting last year's food is such a good idea and I'll be sticking to it for a while

I always use the Samsung shop app for the best trade in and promo values plus military discount. I traded in my S22 ultra because it was only lasting about half a day on full charge so I got 650 for the trade-in then 625 or 650 for military discount which you can get if you or a family member was in the military plus there was a promotion going on and I also got the front screen protector and a case for a bundle package and I paid a little over 900. The best deal I got was when I traded my s21 ultra for the S22 ultra and only paid $200 and got the Samsung Galaxy watch 4 free. While that watch was shipping the Galaxy watch 5 pro came out so I immediately traded in the free watch and only paid another $200 for the watch5 pro so all together I got the new phone and the five pro watch for $400. Not bad. I should have traded in the S22 ultra last year so I would have got a better trade in discount. The best time to trade in the Samsung phones are right at the 2-year mark for the best trade-in value. Or at the 1-year mark if you want a new phone every year.

The refurbished prices unfortunately need to bake in that fact that these phones only last about 2 years, 3 tops, because the hinge/screen WILL fail by 3 years.

I would not buy a fold phone doesn't have warranty after 2 yrs of release.

I love Fold phones, I played games, did work, watched movies on my fold. But, I took my fold to get warranty replacement for my screen every year!!!!

I still have my fold 4, HN / Samsung replaced the whole screen and exterior frame, so it basically is a new phone except for the CPUs and chips.

But, I've gone to S24U now for a few month, and I love it. I don't have to worry about my screen coming off anymore, yes the screen size is a lot smaller comparing to fold, but I hate to put myself through device repair and transfer again, especially it's happening every year.

Both my wife and I take care of our devices very well, especially her. Even with extreme care, her Fold 5 screen still popped after a year.

So, sadly I have to take a 2nd but safer option, until folding technology becomes more mature

Ehh, fold 5 will get good trade in value, and we will be able to get a new warranty, as well as potentially better reliability in the new device.

I'm more interested in how visible the crease will be while unfolded; it isn't that bad on the fold 5, but at the same time, I wouldn't mind if it was more nonexistent

Buy a used z fold 5 or 4 with scratches etc but it works. Then use Rakuten to get 2-10% back. Then use a rewards credit card for 1% or something back. Trade in the z fold 5 for $750 (was $600 for a z fold 4 with a broken screen) through samsung. Then I got $170 check from rack utensils and about 30 back on my credit card.

I have paid half price since the z fold 3. Paid $800 for a brand new z fold 4 after selling the free accessories like the free wireless charger.

Agree with depreciation, but are these deals from the US?

Keep note that in other market we dont have access to such great trade in deals or have a 'swappa'. eg in AUstralia the Fold 4 is still retailing at $2499 (no one buys it obviously)

But we secondary market is mainly eBay and Facebook Marketplace which can be a bit dubious with scams of late.

Damn, I didn't think a phone can last that long. But good on ya if so

Brand new in box Folds always hit the market at ~$1200 off Swappa shortly after release.

If you don't get the $1K trade-in from Samsung, this was always the move.

People who pay full retail for these phones are either stuck in their perpetual upgrade cycle of their predatory carrier plans or just don't shop for deals correctly like this.

nah, i'll just be watching the launch

I will buy it used "as new" on asgoodasnew.de. It comes with 30 months of warranty and is just an open box return for 60% the price

I will have a 3,4 and 5 for the cost of 1 new release. Even the 6 will be 1k by years end. Even if they made every change we want, u can wait 6 months to get almost half off.

I don't buy things for their value on paper. I buy them for their value to me today. If it is worth the cost to provide me value then it makes sense to buy it rather than wait 3 years to get someone's used device.

I am not against used as a frequent refurbished buyer but that fold is one device I wouldn't buy used unless it was bottom of the barrel prices or had a good warranty as these devices have components that deteriorate significantly over time. Lcd and hinge being key.

The reason we buy them on launch are the insane offers. Here's what I actually got from my upgrade from S20FE to Fold5;

No early upgrade fee - £100 (6 months early) No upfront fee for device - £50 512GB Instead of 256GB Model - £100 Gauranteed trade in value - £300 (I traded an S7 worth £50) Free Buds2 Pro - £220 Free 12 months Disney Plus - £80 5 months free Airtime - £100 Sale of S20FE - £150 (thanks to early upgrade)

Over the life of the contract, I pay less than the S20FE, but now with unlimited calls, texts and data..

I'm sold, thank you

Something is missing from your maths dude. You gotta count the durability of the flexible screen in. Fold 3/ Fold 4 flexible screen/ hinge failures are commonly seen here.

Fold 5 seems much more reliable in terms of flexible screen durability.

I buy mine refurbished, bought an original for half the retail price, and bought a fold three recently for a third of the retail price. Devices are still plenty powerful and work well. It's the only way I'll buy foldables going forward. If you purchase through Amazon renewed, you get a 1-year no questions asked return window as well. Peace of mind lol

I was laid off so I have a huge incentive to keep my Fold 5 lol

I understand what you mean, but it makes no sense to compare the RRP with the current market value or refurbished devices.

Then there are the different markets, taxes, inflation, and exchange rates.

Nobody buys a device from us. We acquire them in combination with mobile phone contracts. The providers subsidize, as does the manufacturer.

My Fold 4 including Buds 2 was available for €1 and €49.99 a month in a pre-order promotion. Since I switched from another provider, I paid no basic fee for 6 months, so I paid a total of €900.82.

A year later, I pre-ordered the Fold 5 1TB including Buds Pro 2 for €2499. Samsung is giving a €300 discount for pre-orders, 5% with the MembersApp, and 10% in the Galaxyshop. By trading in my Fold 4, I got a further €900 discount. So the Fold 5 only cost €1100 again in the pre-order promotion.

Now I've sold it on eBay for €1000 including all accessories like cover pen etc.

So I'm left with €200 that I paid for the Fold 4 and €100 that I paid for the Fold 5. But the RRP would have been €3700. There's something seriously wrong with you. I could have pre-ordered the Fold 6 and then got the discounts again. But a Fold with 1TB doesn't cost any more than a normal smartphone in my region.

I'm sorry if it's different in other countries.

I’ll be waiting two years for my Fold 6. Good on ya!

My only worry is care +. I saw that you could only get it 2 months after activation.

Is that a big issue in europe? If it was another phone I wouldn't care. I saw a big number of posts discussing it.

I got the OnePlus open for $880 (trade in z fold 3) before I realized I could have used a referral code on reddit for an extra $100 off. Best move I ever made. Never looking back, until Samsung comes in this form factor, maybe, but the multi task I like better

First thing is that I don't buy a phone as an investment. I buy it as a tool and a toy. If it offers me more enjoyment and/or utility to have it a little sooner, I will do it.

Another aspect has already been addressed in the comments that it has to be something fairly different from the model before. Processor upgrades don't do it for me.

$2,000???? Are you in Canada? I'm only asking because the Z Fold series is about $500 less in the US.

I noticed this when I got my first fold. Paid almost exactly $800 for my fold 3 shortly after the 4 came out for $1800. I'm looking forward to getting a 6 when the 7 comes out. Anytime someone starts talking to me about my phone and they seem interested in getting one, I always tell them to get the 2nd newest one for that reason.

Except not the Zfold 4, because they are a time bomb. There are always a gob of new in the box Folds that go up for sale on the used market at a discount soon after launch.  People trade in an old phone for a new zFold, keep the additional goodies Samsung gives at launch, and sell the new phone for minus what they got on the trade in. 

I got some math for you. I can't afford it so I got a refurbed fold 4 on the way. Wish me luck on the hinge. 🥺

Nobody pays full price. The incentives are the best during the preorder period. True, they've been watered down over the past couple years, but it's super easy to get the "$2000 phone" for $1000 using trade in incentives (i.e. buy $300 phone on eBay and trade in for $1000). Then combine with other offers like EDU/workolace discounts and bundle offers. I'm sure the supposed $600 Watch 7 ultra will be $200 with phone order. If you want the watch, great, if not, sell it for $450 to knock another $250 off the phone out of pocket.

Things like that bring price of the phone down at least $1000 withOUT trading in your existing phone. Since I play the upgrade game every year, I'll then sell my Fold5 for $600-700 bring total out of pocket for the upgrade to most likely around $200-300.

Obviously many people don't go this hard core, but I have not paid a penny out of pocket in 5 years of doing this and I've neverbeen locked into stupid carrier bill credits.

I get your advice, but from what I've read the Fold 4 isn't going to get the AI OS version so I'd say that's enough of an incentive to pay for the Fold 5. The Fold 4 to the Fold 5 we've got a better hinge and the AI upgrade. To me, that's enough improvement to go Fold 5 over Fold 4.

[Cries in UK trade-in deals] 🥴

On T-Mobile I just do a jump upgrade and trade in my old phone.

Had my fold 5 for a month or so now. Looooove it. So happy with it.

For folds, which have an expotentially increasing failure rate with age, it's hard to compare refurbished prices with new prices. You're right, but at the same time if you could somehow still buy a new Fold4, it'd probably have years of life in it in comparison with a refurb phone.

You also have to take into account trade-ins, cash back, and things like student discounts if you're in the US. If you can get a Fold6 for $700 now after all the deals, it's probably a much better value than buying a Fold4 for $480 if you're not looking to keep your old foldable.

Again; you're not wrong. I bought a Fold3 to see if I like the form factor for cheap at the beginning of the year. It's just that, in the states at least, you're not generally comparing full-price with refurb price. You're comparing sale and after trade-in prices with refurb price.

Couldn't ever recommend the 3 after the issues I had. Opened it one day for it to break on its own, ended up getting a warranty repair but had to fight for it, although it was a clear fault and a lot had the issue on Reddit etc, they did everything they could to avoid it. It was only 3 months old too.

In the end it was repaired, but the fact you can spend all that money on a phone, open it (which it's made to do) and it cracks down the middle, was pathetic.

I'd defo avoid the 3.

The price plummets because those are broken units being refurbished and resold, exacerbated by the durability issues the fold series has been facing.

If you own a fully functional unit, however, you can trade it for an upcoming fold for over 1k trade-in value.

I'm getting a fold 6 to replace my fold 4. The wifi quit working after the one ui 6.1 update... tried taking it in and having them fix it. But youbreakifix said they can't fix it because it's the internals inside the phone. So I was like Screw this. I'll just wait for fold 6 and trade it in.

If you have the fold 5 don't waste you're money on the z fold 5.1 come on now .. #samsungdontbeapple #realsamsungknights know the deal don't upgrade don't buy this phone ..don't support if they want to fleece us.

OP is a Chad for doing the math and sharing the stats here.

For a mobile device I’m gonna use everyday for the next 5-8 years, I don’t mind the money, it better be good!

I’m still on a iphone 6s+

For a mobile device I’m gonna use everyday for the next 5-8 years, I don’t mind the money, it better be good!

I’m still on a iphone 6s+

People getting mad at OP just because of math

For a mobile device I’m gonna use everyday for the next 5-8 years, I don’t mind the money, it better be good!

I’m still on a iPhone 6s+

Nah. I have to buy the 6 unless they cut the trade in deal down. I’ve gotten $1200 for the last 3 devices. I’m buying the 6 if the trade in is the same. Otherwise I lose more on the trade in. And I’ve not been as happy as I expected with the last 3 phones , nor will they last 2 years or longer