Maybe you stopped waiting for Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, the phone announced in February this year and only (finally) released now at the end of October, or maybe the idea didn’t just take your fancy months ago. Whatever the case, the retail launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold in Australia today lacks some of the pomp and ceremony it might otherwise have had .. and not the least because of that huge (confirmed) price tag of $2999.
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have been in touch to confirm their plans and pricing for the new handset, and if you’re minded to part with a lot of money, then Samsung’s foldable phone could just be yours.
We can’t really tell you whether you should consider the Galaxy Fold, as we’ve not been given the opportunity to review it yet, but even without having ever laid much more than a brief set of hands on a Galaxy Fold, almost certainly that recommendation is going to be no, you probably shouldn’t pay $3000 for a first-generation foldable phone.
I mean, you didn’t need to read this to reach that conclusion, right?
If you are still tempted, unless you’ve got three grand sitting around, you’re probably better off buying the Galaxy Fold on a plan, and both Telstra and Optus have some offers to make that happen.
First up, Optus has the Galaxy Fold available on a 36 month My Plan Plus for $150 per month, comprising a $105/mo plan fee and $45/mo device fee. Minimum total cost over 36 months is $5,400 .. if you needed any further disincentive. Ouch.
For that price, though, you get unlimited local, national and even international calls (to 35 selected destinations), as well as 200GB a month of data and 2GB for use when overseas. If you travel a lot, that plan may represent some good value, even if the phone represents slightly less.
Telstra‘s offering isn’t too different – you can add it to any plan for $124.95 a month (over 24 months) or $83.30 a month over 36 months. Telstra allows you to pair this with pretty much whatever plan you like.
Want to try one out? You can head to the following Telstra stores to get hands on with the Galaxy Fold before handing over your dosh:
VIC
NSW
SA
TAS
QLD
WA
Vodafone is offering much the same deal as Telstra, allowing customers to spread the $2999 cost out over 24 or 36 month contracts. The headline offer is $134.80 per month over 36 months, comprising a $83.30 handset repayment and $51.50 plan fee. For this you get 80GB a month at normal 4G speeds, and then speed-limited data until the month rolls over.
Reasons not to buy: 1st generation version, very fragile (not water or dust resistant, questionable screen fold durability), no expendable memory slot, no fast charging and no 5G for Australia, all for the princely sum of $3000!!!
You’ve entirely captured my thoughts in a single comment.
Look, when I get one of these and simply start **glowing** because of my new awesomeness you two doubters need to, like, pay homage *uhum* 😉 Which is to say – a buggy first gen device isn’t always ruinous and can be fun for a limited time.
damn thats expensive plans, i might hold out till the mate x comes out thats if it comes to australia
Oh it’s still tempting – I haven’t upgraded from my S8+ yet (and frankly it’s still bloody good), so I do have the opportunity – and I have been known to be an early adopter – so to be honest the only reason I’m not shouting “take my money” is the form factor (i.e. shape of the tablet when opened up). I mean, who needs a 4:3 ratio (or thereabouts) smallish tablet, with movies stranded in the middle of the device?! I’m gunna go touch it though, and who knows…