Roughly five years after Samsung led the charge to bring foldable phones to the masses, they still aren't used by many outside tech enthusiasts. There are varying opinions on why this is, with some saying that the consumers just don't want them and others saying the price-to-performance ratio isn't competitive with traditional flagships. In fact, even Nothing Technology CEO Carl Pei said in a recent interview with India Today that he thinks foldables are "an innovation that the manufacturers are pushing onto the consumer." But despite the complaints about foldable prices, there isn't a reason why they need to get cheaper: great trade-in promotions.

Samsung just debuted a new Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 at the company's biannual Samsung Unpacked event. Besides the Z Flip 5 bringing a larger cover screen to the series, both mostly just brought small improvements over prior generations. Despite the lack of any significant overhauls, the Z Fold 5 remained at its $1,799 price point, and the Z Flip 5 stayed put at $999. Similarly, the all-new Google Pixel Fold starts at $1,799, and the Motorola Razr+ retails for $999. Foldables were originally priced at a premium, and that price hasn't come down in five years.

Samsung made foldables cheaper through trade-ins

Generally, it's hard to recommend trade-ins as a way to make buying a new phone cheaper. Companies like Apple and Google typically offer pennies on the dollar for phones that still have plenty of value left. Plus, you can usually get more for your old smartphone on resale sites like eBay than you would through a trade-in program. For example, Apple offers up to $360 of in-store credit for an iPhone 12 Pro, which is going to be a three-year-old device in September, but that same phone is selling for over $500 in good condition on eBay.

However, Samsung offers unparalleled value through its trade-in programs, and they're available shortly after new phones are announced. These are adjusted and don't always last long, but they are a reliable way to save on brand-new foldable phones. Plus, they can let you trade in any phone, not just ones from Samsung. When the Galaxy Z Fold 5 was first announced, trading in an iPhone 14 Pro Max, a Galaxy S22 Ultra, or a Galaxy S23 Ultra would net you $1,000 in credit if the phones were in good condition. That would drop the price of a Z Fold 5 down to $799. And you can save even more with offers for students, first responders, and military members. With a trade-in of a current or last-gen flagship, the Z Fold 5 was available for less than a traditional flagship.

You don't need a new flagship to save big with a trade-in

Not everybody upgrades their phone every year, so they won't have a phone that can give them the exorbitant trade-in values offered at the high end of the spectrum. People who buy their phones via carrier installments also need to pay off the full balance before doing a trade-in, which is another limiting factor. But the good news is that you don't need a new phone in good condition to save on a foldable. For a limited time, any iPhone with a cracked screen will get you $200 in trade-in value. In fact, as long as this preorder promotion lasts, any working smartphone with a cracked screen will give you that $200 credit.

I could be in the minority here, but due to how costly it can be to repair smartphone displays, I have quite a few cracked phones sitting in drawers at home. For the most part, they have essentially zero value to me. But with these trade-in deals from Samsung, I can raise their value by $200. With the Z Flip 5, that would bring the price down to just $799. Considering Samsung's other promotions, it's possible to get a Z Flip 5 for less than most flagships just by trading in a cracked phone.

You can double-dip on deals with carrier promotions

Z Fold 5 (left) and Z Fold 4 (right). 

You can also get great deals from the major cellular carriers, which can make foldable phones more available. During the preorder window, most cellular carriers are matching Samsung's trade-in offer, including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. All three retailers are offering up to $1,000 off a new Z Fold 5 through the same trade-in deals as Samsung. For the Z Flip 5, you can get the phone for free if you trade in an eligible smartphone, which is a great proposition.

However, the most important factor is that these phones are available through carrier installments, which means you can pay for them monthly with a 0% APR. If you go this route, you will be locked into a multi-year contract, and this is a significant drawback. However, the ability to get a brand-new phone for just tens of dollars per month might be too good to pass up. Taking advantage of eligible carrier deals can allow you to double-dip on promotions, both earning trade-in credit and getting an interest-free payment plan.

Samsung still has a choice to make with foldables

Thanks to these great trade-in values, the cost of Samsung foldables really isn't that much higher than traditional smartphones. They're still fairly accessible if you know what offers to take advantage of. And with other OEMs like Google and Motorola not keeping up as well in this area, Samsung foldables are just that much more appealing.

But Samsung still has a choice to make when it comes to the pricing of foldables. It can either start innovating, adding features to foldable phones and making them competitive, or start cutting down the price. Foldable phones have become stagnant, and phones like the Z Fold 5 aren't on par with flagships like the S23 Ultra. So while there are already ways to get a foldable phone at a reasonable price point, Samsung has some work to do if it wants to make foldables as valuable as their sticker prices would suggest.

  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
    Brand
    Samsung
    SoC
    Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (4nm)
    Display
    7.6-inch AMOLED main screen, 6.2-inch AMOLED cover screen, both with 120Hz adaptative refresh rate
    RAM
    12GB
    Storage
    256GB, 512GB, 1TB
    Battery
    4,400mAh dual battery

    Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a further refinement of the Z Fold lineup. The smartphone looks similar to past Z Fold iterations, featuring a 7.6-inch main screen and a tall cover screen. On the inside, it's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and a 4,400mAh battery. 

    You can score up to $750 off with trade-ins at Samsung.com.

  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
    Brand
    Samsung
    SoC
    Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (4nm)
    Display
    6.7-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED internal display with 120Hz refresh rate, 3.4-inch 720x748p external display
    RAM
    8GB
    Storage
    256GB, 512GB UFS 4.0
    Battery
    3,700mAh

    The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the latest compact foldable from Samsung, offering a flexible 6.7-inch internal display, a 3.4-inch external display, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and much more.

    You can score up to $600 off with trade-ins at Samsung.com.