Samsung has captured a fairly greater share in the foldable market with its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip ranges. But it is also undeniable that new foldable phone entries from Chinese brands are starting to take away some spotlight from the Koreans due to one of the reasons of being more affordable. Samsung is reportedly planning to launch a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 6 or a “Fan Edition” version to make up for its shortcomings.
Why Samsung is launching a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 6
According to the Korean publication, The Elec, Samsung is planning to introduce a lower-cost Galaxy Z Fold 6, which might debut as a Fold 6 FE alongside the standard Z Fold 6 and clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 6 in the second half of 2024. It is believed Samsung is threatened by the emergence of cheap foldable phones from Chinese companies, such as Xiaomi and Oppo.
However, it was also described that Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip lineup, including the Galaxy Z Flip 5 (review), has been selling better than the book-folding Galaxy Z Fold line in recent years. With this note, an entry-level Galaxy Z Fold 6 would help Samsung balance the numbers of its two foldable form factors while also selling more foldable devices in the process.
Of course, there’s the fact that a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 6 would affect the sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and subsequently the profit of the South Korean tech giant as well, noted by the outlet.
We can also safely add the reason that Samsung’s foldable devices only add little surprises and improvements between generations. For instance, the OnePlus Open (review) has become one of the favorites of foldable devices when it arrived with an impressively thin build in addition to the flagship-grade cameras.
What will be the selling points of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6
Right now, it’s unclear how Samsung is going to make the Galaxy Z smartphones more exciting again aside from the usual versatile and folding form. We only heard last year that the Koreans could copy its rivals and make the Galaxy Z Fold 6 significantly thinner while the Galaxy Z Flip 6 might sport a larger cover screen and better cameras.
The upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 would likely be equipped with a tougher IronFlex display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and Galaxy AI features similar to the Galaxy S24 trio (review). Some immediate advantages of the new chip are much faster processor and graphics as well as better battery life on the device.
Regarding the prices, it’s unknown how much the Galaxy Z Flip 6 or Galaxy Z Fold 6 will cost. Knowing Samsung, these handsets may command unchanged prices, with the entry-level Galaxy Z Fold 6 possibly priced a few hundred dollars lower than the standard model.
If given the chance, how would you change the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Galaxy Z Flip 6? Should Samsung focus on making them thinner and lighter? Or do you think they should prioritize longer battery life and more durable build? Hit us up with your answers in the comment section.
