Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE: what we want to see
This year’s most exciting Samsung foldable phone may not be the clamshell Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 or the flagship Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, but a third phone: the rumored Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE.
This would be a cheaper alternative to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, so while it may lack some of the specs and features of that phone, it could be the first truly affordable folding book style.
We’re starting to hear several things about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE, so you’ll find all of that below, followed by a list of things we want from it.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The first affordable Z Fold
- When is it out? Possibly September or October
- How much is it? Reportedly less than $800 (about £625 / AU$1,210)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE: Rumored release date and price
While the standard Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is expected to launch in July, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE will reportedly not launch until September or October. That follows a less specific leak that said the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE would land after the Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, so you may have to wait a while for Samsung’s affordable foldable phone.
However, it’s always possible that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE will launch alongside the rest of the line, so we could see it as early as July.
It’s also possible that it won’t launch at all as it’s just a rumor for now and there’s also talk of a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra. So there’s a chance it might launch instead.
As for cost, one leak claims the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE will cost less than $800 (around £625 / AU$1,210). While that’s not cheap, it’s vastly more affordable than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, which starts at $1,799.99 / £1,749 / AU$2,599.
This would also make it cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 at $999.99 / £1,049 / AU$1,649. But that also makes us skeptical about this price leak, as Samsung would presumably have to make some serious cuts in specs and features to achieve such results. low costs.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE: news and leaks
We first heard talk of a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold FE back in August, when a leak claimed that a cheaper Samsung foldable phone was being tested, although it wasn’t clear at the time whether this was a Z Fold 6 FE or a Z Flip would be 6. F.E.
However, we’ve since heard that the Z Fold 6 will apparently be codenamed ‘Q6’, while this rumored cheaper model will likely be codenamed ‘Q6A’, suggesting it will be a variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 rather than the Galaxy Z. Flip 6, because the code names are so similar.
At the same time, we also heard that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE would reach a lower price point in part because it didn’t have a digitizer, meaning it wouldn’t work with an S Pen stylus.
We’ve since heard again that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE won’t support the S Pen, so this seems likely.
Interestingly, the lack of a digitizer could make the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE slimmer, according to the leaker Ross Youngposted on X.
As for what other cuts Samsung could make to keep the price down, one report suggests that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE will have a worse chipset, screen, and battery than “flagship products,” but that the cameras will apparently still be “ flagship level.”
So that could mean that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE will have the same cameras as the Galaxy Z Fold 5 or Galaxy Z Fold 6 (the latter of which also currently reportedly has the same cameras as the Z Fold 5). That would mean a 50MP main camera, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 10MP cover-screen camera, and a 4MP under-display camera.
However, if this leak is true, the battery may be smaller than the 4,400mAh in the Z Fold 5, and it likely won’t have the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset – and might not even have last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE: what we want to see
While we’re still not sure what specs and pricing the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE will have, we know what we want from it, with the following things at the top of our list.
1. A prize of less than $1000
Right now, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold line is too expensive for most people, which is probably why these phones aren’t selling as well as the Galaxy Z Flip line. So we would like to see Samsung bring the price of the Z Fold 6 FE more in line with a Z Flip.
That would ideally mean a price of no more than around $1000 / £1000 / AU$1,500. While still far from cheap, it would undercut the most expensive non-folding phones, some of which – like the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – are hugely popular.
2. A good foldable screen
It’s inevitable that Samsung will have to make some compromises to deliver an affordable Galaxy Z Fold, but one thing we really don’t want to see compromised is the foldable display.
After all, this is the main feature of the phone, so we still want it to be big, bright and smooth on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE.
3. No reduction in battery capacity
Another compromise we don’t want Samsung to make is reducing battery capacity. One leak suggests the battery may be damaged, so this is a real concern considering foldable phones don’t have particularly large batteries already.
Hopefully that leak is wrong, or instead refers to charging speeds or the absence of wireless charging, as we want the Z Fold 6 FE to last at least all day.
4. Reduce costs through a mid-range chipset
While a flagship chipset would be nice, it’s not particularly necessary for most daily phone use, so rather than compromise the foldable screen or battery capacity, a smaller chipset could be a good way for Samsung to keep costs down on the Galaxy to lower. Z-fold 6 FE.
That, perhaps along with the lack of wireless charging, no S Pen support and mediocre cameras, could be enough to really bring the price down, without sacrificing what we see as the most vital elements of a foldable phone.