And, asking the real questions here: do we deserve such a price (whatever it might be)?
In mid-December 2023, there was a report by Korean media that spilled some intoxicating insights from the tech giant’s kitchen. Apparently, Samsung plans to retain the price of the Galaxy S24, the Galaxy S24+ and the Galaxy S24 Ultra and wants to sell them at Galaxy S23-like prices.
We’ll be hearing the Galaxy S24 fanfare pretty soon, with the official unveiling being scheduled for mid-January 2024. Then, the price will no longer be a secret, but that’s not a reason for us not to haggle right now (usually, one needs a counterpart to haggle with, so let’s pretend Samsung is in the room right now).
So, let’s mix some Galaxy, Pixel and iPhone prices, let’s add some hardware parts, plus a cup of global trends (and some more prices of older devices), and see what will come out.
It’s all about context (like that transitory thing)
It doesn’t really matter if the price of a phone (or an egg, or a Porsche) is $1, $1000, or $1,000,000. What matters is the context, like how much money you’re making, and how much money you’re spending on essential and non-essential things altogether.
In the realm of smartphones, two major things happened in 2023: Apple decided not to raise prices* in the iPhone 15 line, while Google, in contrast, went the other way and bumped the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro by a solid $100 for the base models.
*Yes, I know, I know, there was a $100 increase for the iPhone 15 Pro Max base variant, but that’s because Apple ditched the 128GB version and set the base bar at 256GB, thus equalizing the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB) with that of the iPhone 14 Pro Max (256GB): $1199.
Which way, Samsung?
Apart from the claim of freezing the Galaxy S24 prices, the abovementioned report from Korea also speculates why Samsung wants to do it: they want to sell more flagship phones than last year. They want to sell more than 33 million units in 2024, to be exact.Everything has its price, and keeping prices the same – even more so. In order for Samsung to sell the Galaxy S24 phones at the Galaxy S23 prices, and make a profit (that’s important in business), they need to be assured of a couple of things. For the new line to be retailed the same as the old line, Samsung needs to spend the same on hardware, software, wages, marketing, and everything else.
Or… one could find ways to produce the Galaxy S24 line with some cheaper parts.
You may have heard this (or not), but Samsung is discriminating when it comes to different markets. In some places, they put superb Qualcomm chipsets in their phones, and in other markets – their in-house Exynos chips. One doesn’t have to be an industry insider to know which is cheaper to get.
Samsung broke the matrix with the Galaxy S23 line, which featured the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 no matter where it was sold.
Now, the good old “You’ll get a great Qualcomm chipset depending on your location” is back on the table. It’s expected that the Galaxy S24, the Galaxy S24+ and the Galaxy S24+ will all get Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the US, China, and possibly Canada. Outside of those countries, only the Galaxy S24 Ultra would get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, with the other two phones in the lineup – the Galaxy S24 and its bigger sibling the Galaxy S24+ – most likely housing Samsung’s homebrewed Exynos 2400 chip.
In short, not having to spend more money on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips for all the Galaxy S24 models will allow Samsung to be flexible with prices and probably not raise them, as we all hope.
If the Korean report turns out to be true, we could expect the Galaxy S24 to start at $799.99, the base Galaxy S24 Plus to cost $999.99, and the base S24 Ultra to retail for $1,199.99.
What about the Galaxy S23?
If you’re not too much into AI, maybe you should get the Galaxy S23 (heck, why not the Ultra model?) once the Galaxy S24 – prices will inevitably drop when the new cat comes to town.
If you’re on the AI craze wagon, get your wallet ready early next year, because Samsung just can’t stop presenting the Galaxy S24 as an “AI phone”. Things are so pumped up, a Samsung boss wants another word for “smartphone” now that the Galaxy S24 is around the corner – a word that’s more appropriate for the upcoming beast and its magical capabilities. Also, a phrase that’s not so close in pronunciation as “AI Phone” is to “iPhone”.
Final food for thought
If the price stays the same – great for US buyers. If you’re living in the UK or Europe – not so great. Last year, the same amount of money would’ve gotten you a Qualcomm chip inside your Galaxy flagship. This year, it’s (almost certainly) going to be Exynos.
If the price goes up – don’t panic. After all, “nothing new under the sun”, right? That’s the same sun that’s been shining down on us since 2019 and that’s causing prices to go up. On the other hand, a pricier Galaxy S24 better bring some real magic for the money… or else.
