One of Samsung's new foldables costs less than an iPhone 12 Pro (the other still costs much more)

Foldables took the price of smartphones to a new high, but with its third generation of foldable devices, Samsung is reining it in, just a little. Announced today, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 will start at $1,499 outright, which puts it in line with a traditional high-end device. That's also $700 cheaper than the original Galaxy Z Flip, which launched at the start of last year. For comparison, the iPhone 12 Pro starts at $1,699.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is still on the more expensive side, starting at $2,499 outright. That still does represent a $500 saving when compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, however.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 start today ahead of a September 10 release date. Unsurprisingly, there are a whole lot of pre-order bonuses.

Anyone who pre-orders a Galaxy Z Fold 3 can pick from these three bonuses:

• Galaxy Buds Pro
• A bundle featuring a S Pen Pro, Smart Keyboard, and Universal Stand
• A bundle featuring a Flip Cover with S Pen and Trio Wireless charger

Anyone who pre-orders a Galaxy Z Flip 3 can pick from two bonuses:

• Galaxy Buds Live
• A bundle featuring an Aramid case and Trio Wireless charger

In addition, anyone who pre-orders either phone will be able to get their screen repaired for $99 if it breaks within the first year of ownership.

On top of this, Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone are all running their own unique pre-order offers.

If you pre-order either phone from Telstra on a Medium plan or better, you'll get a bonus 2021 Samsung 43-inch 4K TV (AU8000) valued at $949. You'll also get fast-tracked to Telstra Plus Gold status, which also scores you a free Telstra TV set-top box.

If you pre-order either phone from Optus, you'll get a Galaxy Watch 4 (44mm, 4G-model) in black valued at $549.

If you pre-order from Vodafone, you can get up to $700 of extra trade-in credit when you hand in your old device, provided it's a Galaxy S9 or newer.

Lastly, if you pre-order from Woolworths Mobile, you'll save $250 on the Galaxy Z Flip 3 or $350 on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. This is divided across the length of your repayment term. 

Note that if you pre-order from a telco, you'll still get the generic pre-order bonuses and the $99 screen replacement.

Complete outright pricing for the phones is as follows:

• Galaxy Z Flip 3 (128GB): $1,499
• Galaxy Z Flip 3 (256GB): $1,599
• Galaxy Z Fold 3 (256GB): $2,499
• Galaxy Z Fold 3 (512GB): $2,649

Here's a selection of popular Galaxy Z Flip 3 plans:

And here's a selection of popular Galaxy Z Fold 3 plans:

When it comes to the devices themselves, durability has been a major focus for Samsung. The manufacturer says the internal displays are 80% more durable when compared to last year's models, the aluminium frame is 10% more durable, and Gorilla Glass Victus is now being used for all external glass. In addition, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 are both rated IPX8 for water resistance, which means they can be submerged as deep as 1.5m for up to 30 minutes. The pair are the first water-resistant foldables.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 benefits from two major changes: an under-display selfie camera for the internal display, and S Pen support. Instead of using a camera cut-out or a notch, the Fold 3's selfie camera is hidden under the phone's display. This makes it the first major phone to feature an under-display selfie camera in Australia, although ZTE's Axon 20 also touts one. OPPO is working on similar technology, but has yet to release a phone with one. The Fold 3's external display still has a traditional selfie camera.

In lieu of a new Galaxy Note this year, Samsung has extended S Pen support to the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The S Pen itself is, however, an optional purchase, and you'll have two options to pick from - a traditional "dumb" stylus, or the S Pen Pro which features Bluetooth connectivity. This enables Air actions, which let you wave the stylus like a wand to trigger certain tasks.

The standard Fold S Pen will go for $74 locally, or $119 when bundled with a case. The Bluetooth-enabled S Pen Pro will set you back $189.

Other improvements include the move to a 120Hz refresh rate on the external display, and a thinner and lighter body.

The Galaxy Z Flip 3's biggest improvement is the move to a much larger external display, measuring in at 1.9-inches. That's still pretty small, but the original Z Flip's display was just 1.1-inches. Hopefully, the new screen will be large enough to properly look at notifications without having to unfold the Z Flip 3. The tiny size of the original Z Flip's external display was one of our biggest issues with the device; it was too small to be useful.

Outside of durability, the other key change to the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a 120Hz refresh rate on its internal display.

Here are the complete specs for both phones:

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is available in a choice of Phantom Black, Green, Cream, and Lavender. Grey, White, and Pink options are also available exclusively through the Samsung website.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is available in a choice of Phantom Black, Phantom Green, and Phantom Silver.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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