Apple’s big event will dominate the headlines today but ahead of that, a report from SamMobile suggests that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 will be coming in hot: up to 20% cheaper.

Pricing:

• The Galaxy Z Fold 2 launched in September 2020 for $1,999, $19 more than the original Galaxy Fold, first unveiled in March 2019 and released later that year. 
• The Galaxy Z Flip, a February 2020 release, was a $1,380 affair at launch. 
• We’ve seen both on sale before, including one deal for nearly $800 off in Europe.
• We hadn’t heard much about pricing for the Z Fold 3 or Z Flip 3, though the Galaxy S21’s price drop from the S20, and fresh reports about an S21 FE price drop from the S20 FE did seem to establish a trend.

20% off:

• Now the report says “the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 will be up to 20% cheaper than their predecessors,” which means a nearly $400 price difference for the former.
• The report doesn’t have exact pricing, just whispers around that rough percentage drop.
• Still, that might be a $1,600 Z Fold 3, which is not a sudden bargain price, but it’s no longer rarefied air.
• Apple asks for $1,400 for the iPhone 12 Pro Max with top-spec 512GB storage, while the top-spec Galaxy S21 Ultra was $1,250.
• The Z Flip 3 dropping 20% would mean a roughly ~$1,100 device.

Attractive enough?

• It’s clear that if Samsung wants to get these devices into more hands, they’ll have to be cheaper. 
• Dropping the headline number well under $2,000 will help, but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough, yet, to start generating serious demand.
• I could only barely resist buying one when the Fold 2 dropped to €999 here in Germany. 
• Taking tax out of the equation and converting it is something like $984 (again, before any sales tax).
• Here’s what the leaks say is coming… what would you be willing to spend on a Fold 3, if it is actually another step forward?

🍎 WWDC 2021: Here’s everything expected, including iOS 15, macOS 12, new M1X/M2 MacBook Pro, new features for iMessage, and more (Android Authority). Apple apparently has a spatial audio event right after today’s WWDC keynote (The Verge). And here’s one wild theory of what might be to come, in case you really want to read tea leaves (though I really doubt it’s a car!) (Twitter).

🏃‍♂️ Samsung has developed an OLED skin patch that works as a fitness tracker (Android Authority).

🥈 Here’s what the LG Velvet 2 Pro’s specs might have been (Android Authority).

📸 Honor 50 images show off a weird camera setup, unique colorways (Android Authority).

🎨 Microsoft patents a four-color camera system inspired by its logo (Android Authority).

🔋 Tesla Model S Plaid Plus officially canceled, Elon Musk says, because Plaid is “just so good” (CNET).

🔋 A London-based start-up aims to change the position of the batteries in electric cars, moving to a vertical placement that would allow an EV to sit lower, weigh less, and be efficient enough to go 30 percent further (Autocar). 

😬 Frightened Terns abandon 1,500 eggs after a rogue drone crash-landed on nesting island (Gizmodo).

🤔 Why hasn’t Waymo expanded its driverless service? One theory: suburban ride-hailing isn’t a great business to be in, and so Waymo might have to go to trickier places to learn how to drive (Ars Technica).

👛 El Salvador set to become the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender (Gizmodo).

🌵 Here’s why TSMC and Intel keep building foundries in the Arizona desert (Ars Technica).

🐜 Photographer captures ‘odd but exciting’ crow behavior known as anting (CBC.ca)

🤔 “What is something free from the internet, which everyone should take advantage of?” (r/askreddit).

Cheers,
Tristan Rayner, Senior Editor