Samsung to halve free storage upgrade for new foldables

Samsung is poised to significantly scale back a popular preorder benefit for its upcoming foldable smartphones, according to multiple reports citing industry sources. The company's long-running "Free Double Storage" promotion, which has allowed customers to receive a storage upgrade at no extra cost, is reportedly being reduced to cover only half the upgrade price for the new Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

The change, if implemented, would mark the first major cut to the perk since it began with the Galaxy S23 series in 2023. Under the new reported structure, a customer preordering a 256GB model who wishes to upgrade to 512GB would have to pay 50 percent of the price difference between the two storage tiers. Based on recent pricing, such as the approximately $200 difference for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, this could mean an out-of-pocket cost of around $100 for the upgrade. Reports from South Korea suggest a similar cost of roughly 126,500 won, or about $90.

Industry analysts and the cited reports directly attribute the expected change to skyrocketing global memory chip prices, which are squeezing smartphone manufacturers' profit margins. The reports...