Samsung makes the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4 significantly cheaper to repair than their predecessors
First and second-generation Samsung foldable smartphones lacked polish and felt like mass-produced prototypes, but the company’s relentless pursuit of elevating foldables to the mainstream really shows in its latest launches — theGalaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4— refined and better put together than previous generations. Since foldables are still squarely in the “emerging technologies” realm, there’s a bit of uncertainty involved with them, and that extends to facing the cost of possible repairs. Perhaps to help these phones look a little more attractive for those who factor in the full cost of ownership, Samsung is making repairs cheaper this year.
Thingsstarted off awkwardly for the first Galaxy Fold, with users ripping off the pre-installed screen protector and displays failing left and right. Samsung has clearly improved things since then, and the company says its current displays are harder and stiffer, making them more resistant to wear. While its foldables now offer water resistance, the lack of a dust-protection rating leaves long-term durability an uncertainty.
The good news is that even if these advancements don’t make your Galaxy Z Fold 4 or Z Flip 4 the ideal diving companion or rugged workhorse, if you do manage to bork the display, Samsung’s fix could be cheaper than ever this time around. With aSamsung Care Plusplan, the deductible for a damaged screen is now just a paltry $29 — as much as an ordinary glass-sandwich smartphone (viaThe Verge).
Contrast that with ascreen repair on the Flip 3 or Fold 3, which even with Care Plus would run you $249. Out-of-warranty repairs without a Care Plus subscription could climb to $480. We’re not sure quite how much out-of-warranty replacements will run on the new Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4, so you might want tokeep those phones as protected as possible.
As more people purchase foldables and the hardware’s reliability grows on consumers, smartphones with a hinge should keep getting cheaper — both to buy and repair. In fact, Samsung isconfident of this eventualitywhere foldable smartphones will sell more than the Galaxy S series.
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