Australia Isn’t Getting The 5G Samsung Galaxy Fold

Australia Isn’t Getting The 5G Samsung Galaxy Fold

Earlier this week Samsung released the new and improved Galaxy Fold in South Korea, with other markets to follow in the coming weeks and months.

A 5G variant of the device was also announced, but it doesn’t look like Australia will be seeing it.

[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/09/samsung-galaxy-fold-hands-on-review/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/fold-header-410×231.jpg” title=”Hands On With Samsung’s New Galaxy Fold” excerpt=”When it comes to the Galaxy Fold, drama has ensued. From its micro-debut at Samsung’s Developer Conference in 2018, to faulty review units, there have been many question marks around how it would eventually perform. And while some may have even assumed that the first generation of the Fold would become Vapourware, it made a surprise appearance at IFA 2019. And we got to spend 45 glorious minutes with it.”]

This news was relayed to Gizmodo Australia in hands-on session with the Galaxy Fold at IFA 2019.

A Samsung spokesperson said that while the Fold will be hitting Australia before Christmas, we won’t be getting the 5G model.

Samsung was the first phone manufacturer to bring a 5G phone to the Aussie market with the S10 5G. It’s also bringing the Note 10 5G to our market.

While it was initially surprising that Samsung wouldn’t continue to support Australian 5G with the Fold, upon further reflection it makes sense.

Aussie pricing for the Fold hasn’t been announced yet, but will most likely be around the $3,000 mark. Considering how expensive that already is (as well as the huge premium that all 5G devices have regardless of brand) it’s unlikely that people would be willing to pay so much for a first generation new form factor phone.

And with all the issues that the Fold has at the beginning of the year, it’s already going to take some trust to drop $3,000 as it is, let alone more for network access that is barely available in Australia right now.

Our guess is that the second generation Fold will be 5G accessible, once the network is a little more stable.

[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/08/samsung-galaxy-s10-5g-review-australia/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/s10-5g-header-410×231.jpg” title=”Samsung’s S10 5G Isn’t Worth The Extra Cash” excerpt=”We’ve had to wait a little while for Samsung’s first 5G phone, but it’s now here. It has similar specs to the S10+, albeit with a bigger battery and improved camera setup. But the main focus has been on its ability to access a faster network. But considering the state of 5G right now, and that’s when you can actually find it – the Galaxy S10 5G just isn’t worth the mark up.”]


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