In a risky, but sensible move, Samsung Electronics might be on the verge of launching a much cheaper foldable (think $800) alongside the Galaxy Fold 6 later this year. This ought to help drive greater acceptance from phone users who might have long admired foldables, but stayed away due to the their exorbitant price tags.
According to a Korean news report, Samsung could be planning on a lower-spec Galaxy Z Fold 6 to be sold at roughly 1.05 million won (approximately $800). With the Fold 6 expecting to demand roughly the same $1,800 asking price as the Fold 5, it makes one wonder which areas of the “budget” foldable where cost cutting will come from.
Prior rumors have stated that the cheaper device (allegedly called Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE) will drop S Pen support and in turn, possess downgraded internals across the board. Buyers could expect a downgraded processor, display, larger bezels (eww), and lower endurance. The camera package is thought to be carried over from the Fold 5’s triple camera setup, which could mean good but not great images and videos.
This development definitely has our interests piqued. Is the Korean electronics giant building a cheaper product foldable lineup similar to its A-series smartphones? As many are aware, the A-series continues to be the company’s biggest global sellers even compared to the S-series. To have an equally well-performing catalog of budget foldables would definitely make the head honchos and bean counters at Samsung very happy indeed. After all, Samsung’s foldable sales numbers has been stagnant and has lost out to Huawei this year, so being first to the market with a much more affordable foldable could be key to strengthening its leadership title.
We definitely hope the rumor holds true, because consumers have been crying out for cheap foldable phones, so devices like a Fold 6 SE (or whatever it’ll be called) could be a god-send as well as jump-start a new competitive era in foldables.