When you plunk down $1,380 for a smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, there are things you don't expect to see. One of those things is ads for phone apps, and that's exactly what one journalist trying out the Z Flip saw.

In a tweet from CNBC's Todd Haselton, which Android Central picked up on, a DirecTV ad appears smack in the middle of the Places portion of the dialer; Haselton noted that the Z Flip is not the only Samsung phone that behaves this way. is not the only one, while other critics, such as PCMag's Sascha Segan, counter that the "Places" tab is so obtrusive that most users will not spot the ad. But it is certainly there.

Like bloatware on high-end Android phones, it's frustrating to come across ads like this example on the Z Flip; Z Flip buyers are paying for the privilege of avoiding this stuff (not to mention being in a dialer, of all places) You would think that when we reviewed the $1,500 Motorola Razr, we were shocked at the amount of unnecessary software pre-installed, but Samsung's strategy here leaves the same bad taste in our mouths.

A few years ago, Amazon once sold a Prime Exclusive phone. At least in that case, the buyer was aware that it was a bargain and could benefit from attractive discounts if they didn't mind a few ads here and there. Moreover, the buyer could stop the ads at any time during the use of the device by paying a fee. At that point, the advertising would disappear.

But this is not the case. What Samsung has done here is far from the most egregious example of surprise advertising on a cell phone (isolated in a corner of the interface), but frustrating nonetheless.

Judging by the horror stories of glass displays breaking and the apparent fragility of the panels, buyers who opt for the Z Flip are taking a risk simply by choosing to invest in a folding phone. They expect a suitably unique and premium experience, and for that reason, I don't see these ads meshing with those reasonable expectations. The least Samsung could do would be to avoid showing ads on its most expensive phones.