Rumors about Samsung trying to lower the price barrier for foldable phones are as old as the hills. But nothing's changed so far, and the Galaxy Z Flip series still starts at $999. However, with Huawei threatening to take the lead in global foldable phone shipments this year, Samsung's foldable phone portfolio could soon welcome at least one new, cheaper device.
While a recent rumor claims that Samsung might be working on a $800 Galaxy Z Fold 6 version, I think that Samsung's best chance at lowering the price barrier below $999 lies with the Flip series.
If Samsung were to release a Galaxy Z Flip 6 FE, what would such a device look like? Well, for a Fan Edition flip phone to be worth an attractively low price, I believe Samsung should go back to its roots and start from there.
A refreshed classic Z Flip design
In my mind, the original Galaxy Z Flip formula might be the best for a Fan Edition spin on the flip phone. And by that, I mean Samsung could create a Z Flip with a small cover display. Maybe just as small as the original model's, which had a 1.1-inch diagonal and served to show simple notifications.
And, who knows?! Some customers and flip phone purists might even prefer a more focused design with no cover screen and an extra reason to flip the phone open. Or, in time, future Fan Edition Z Flip models could repeat history and gain bigger cover screens as various technologies become more affordable.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 FE's design could be based on the original Z Flip but sport a flat frame, and the hinge could be reworked to help lower the price. The device could also use an older version of Gorilla Glass, and the display could be dimmer than the standard Galaxy Z Flip 6's — again, for the sake of lowering the price. Perhaps 1750 nits, assuming the Z Flip 6 has more. Or even 1450 nits, matching the Galaxy S23 FE.
Our theoretical Galaxy Z Flip 6 FE would also have an older chip, such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, or even Gen 1 / Exynos 2200, and two 12MP cameras, just like the original Flip. Storage could consist of 128GB UFS 3.1, which could make a considerable price difference. Or maybe Samsung should stretch it to 256GB for the sake of the faster and more energy-efficient UFS 4.0 standard, although this would increase costs.
Considering all these lesser specs and the lack of a proper cover display, perhaps Samsung could sell our theoretical Galaxy Z Flip 6 FE for around $700 or slightly higher.
Would it be good enough to convince people that it's worth buying? That's hard to tell, but a lower price might make prospective customers less anxious about the durability concerns inherent to foldable phones. On the other hand, perhaps Samsung will never want to release sub-$999 foldable phones because it may want to maintain the premium image. But if a cheaper foldable device would exist, maybe it could look something like this.
