What you need to know
- Rumors claim that Samsung may not offer its free storage upgrade for its upcoming Galaxy foldable devices.
- This was offered to customers who pre-ordered devices, helping them upgrade from a 256GB model to the 512GB model for free.
- A report claims that Samsung could make customers pay half the cost to upgrade to higher storage, and rising memory prices could be the reason.
Future Samsung Galaxy customers could have a bitter future ahead of them. Reports claim that the company may not offer one of its most exciting updates.
The report came from chosun (Korean), citing “industry sources” in claiming that Samsung could remove its free storage upgrade offer (via Android Authority). This update was reserved for customers who pre-ordered an upcoming Galaxy device. Think about the Galaxy S25, S26, or Samsung’s upcoming foldable devices, which is what this rumor is focused on. The Korean publication claims that Samsung could remove its free storage upgrade for all pre-ordered Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Fold 8.
Android Central’s opinion
This sucks. Now, of course, this is a rumor, but for the sake of this little blurb, I’ll treat it as fact. This is a deal that many are looking forward to. Let’s face it, we’ve had this sweet offer for years. Removing it suddenly hurts, especially if you were thinking, “Oh, I can just get the update and be fine.” I hope the rumor remains a rumor.
This storage upgrade would double what you selected above. If you wanted to buy a 256GB Flip, Samsung would offer you the 512GB version at no additional cost. However, the company could replace this free offer by passing half of the storage upgrade cost onto you, the consumer.
We’ll have to wait and see how pricing changes for US customers once the foldable products are fully launched (if this is true). Chosun’s sources reportedly highlight the only culprit being pointed out today: skyrocketing memory prices. That’s where things get interesting.
I can’t have nice things
We are already crazy about price increases. There There were some rumors That said, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra could cost $2,099 in the U.S. For reference, that’s $100 more than the Fold 7. The Fold 8, which could be the wide foldable we’ve been hearing about, could start at $1,899. Prices are all over the place, but the current situation where AI takes up all the memory is real.
A research report was published earlier this week, citing another drop in the global smartphone market. By the second quarter of 2026, the phone market fell 4% and Omdia blames it squarely on rising memory prices. He adds that the market may not recover in 2026 and that the holiday season, which normally brings with it a surge, may not happen. In the first quarter, the U.S. The telephone market fell 3%.so things have been bleak this year.
That’s not the only problem. These rising memory prices could also claim cheap phones as warranty. Researchers suspect the budget phone market could fall by 22% as companies struggle to find a way to make a profit on such devices. We’re a week away from knowing for sure whether Samsung’s free storage upgrade is gone or not. Samsung confirmed Galaxy Unpacked will take place in London, UK on July 22 at 9am ET.
