Samsung is gearing up to launch the Galaxy S24 series in about a month. Rumors say the new flagships will debut on January 17, 2024. Leaks have already revealed detailed specifications, features, and design of the devices. While there aren’t many hardware upgrades to look forward to, the firm has invested big in software, particularly in on-device AI features. If a new rumor is accurate, these improvements won’t add to the prices of the phones.
Galaxy S24 phones tipped to cost the same as Samsung’s 2023 flagships
According to a new report from the Korean publication hankyung.com, Samsung doesn’t plan to raise the prices of the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra over their respective predecessors. The company reportedly expects the unchanged price to help boost sales as the global smartphone market recovers from a slowdown. It is aiming to sell at least 35 million units of the new flagships by the end of 2024, 4-5 million more than the Galaxy S23.
If the report is correct, Samsung’s 2024 flagship trio will debut with a starting price of $799, $999, and $1,199, respectively. This is aggressive pricing when you consider the new AI features. Leaks have revealed that the company has baked AI into the system software for almost every function. From live translation and transcription of calls and audio recordings to AI wallpapers and lockscreen effects, there are a lot of new tools to explore.
Samsung believes the Galaxy S24 will redefine the smartphone with its unprecedented on-device AI capabilities. It sees the new flagships as the “best AI phones” yet. Unchanged pricing will certainly increase the chances of success for the devices. That is if the prices remain the same in all major markets and not just in South Korea. The Galaxy S23 series saw a price increase by up to KRW 200,000 (approx. $154) in Korea but not in the US and some other markets.
A dual-chip strategy helped Samsung lower the manufacturing cost
The new report confirms the rumors that Samsung will ship the Galaxy S24 phones with two different chips. The base model and the Galaxy S24+ will feature the Exynos 2400 SoC in most parts of the world and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the US. The Ultra model, on the other hand, will be powered by the Snapdragon chip everywhere. Samsung used the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for the Galaxy S23 series globally.
This dual-chip strategy for the new flagships helped the Korean firm lower the average manufacturing cost—its in-house Exynos chips cost less than the Snapdragon. Effectively, it could keep the prices unchanged despite all the new features and upgrades brought by the Galaxy S24 lineup. Time will tell whether Samsung will reap the benefits of this aggressive pricing. Just over a month to go now for the official launch.
2023-12-14 15:06:45