We’re expecting the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 next year, but rumor has it that Samsung might also launch a cheaper foldable phone – and now we have a better idea of how affordable it could be.
According to known tipster @Tech_Reve (through Notebook control), Samsung has a “target” of $400-$500 for the cheaper foldable, which is well into the mid-range and close to a budget price – it is “a very aggressive target” indeed, as @Tech_Reve says.
Look up our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review or our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review and you’ll see that the starting prices for these phones are $1,799.99 / £1,749 / AU$2,599 and $999.99 / £1,049 / AU$ respectively are 1,649.
If Samsung wants to spend anything less than half (or less than a third) of the price, it will have to make some serious compromises along the way, both in the materials and the components it uses.
Price choices
Foldable phones obviously don’t come cheap: the OnePlus Open costs $1,699 / £1,599, while the Google Pixel Fold starts at $1,799 / £1,749. Both foldable models were launched in 2023, which gives you an idea of the going price.
At the moment, the cheapest foldable phone is the Oppo Find N2 Flip. It’s not available in the US, but costs £849 in the UK and AU$1,499 in Australia. That’s about $1,040 with an instant currency conversion, still well above $400-$500.
We first heard earlier this week that Samsung is planning a cheaper foldable tablet for 2024, and we’ve been thinking hard about exactly what compromises could be made to bring costs down. There are going to be some pretty serious corners to be cut.
That said, Samsung knows how to make its products more affordable without the compromises being too drastic. If it can pull off this cheaper foldable feat, it could mean that these foldable phones can finally break into the mainstream.