If like me you were hoping we might see a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold FE – i.e. an affordable alternative to Samsung’s pricey foldable phones – then I have some bad news. According to Samsung itself, there’s no plans to launch a cheaper foldable for the time being.
Samsung has just launched a new foldable; specifically it’s a new Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition with some exclusive upgrades such as wider displays, a 200MP main wide camera, and a thinner and lighter body than the base Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. These upgrades come at price, however, with the device costing 2,789,600 won (or roughly $2,000 / £1,550 / AU$3,000).
It’s also exclusive to South Korea – with the rumored China launch remaining unconfirmed.
As for a cheaper alternative, Samsung appears to have no plans to make a cheaper foldable, with an official saying to Korean outlet Sisa Journal (translated for Korean), “As of now, we have no plans to release a separate product with a lower price.”
It doesn’t really get any clearer than that.
The wrong move?
Admittedly there’s still a non-zero chance Samsung is working on some kind of Galaxy Z Fold FE – to match other cheap Fan Edition Samsung handsets – as the statement is a little non-committal. The sort of non-promise either way that Samsung might mike if it has nothing to announce at this time (and teasing a cheap phone right before launching a mega pricey one likely isn’t a good business move).
And I seriously hope it has something less pricey up its sleeve, as the last thing foldables need to be is more expensive.
Yes the technology is awesome, I had an absolute blast using the regular Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 when it launched, but it’s tough to justify $1,899.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,749 for a smartphone when a $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 Galaxy S24 does a lot of the same stuff. It’s especially a tough pill to swallow when you consider the non dustproof Galaxy Z Fold 6 design makes it less durable, meaning you could end up ruining your expensive gadget with one trip to the beach.
At, say $1,200-ish – £1,200 / AU$1,800 – or around two-thirds the price a Galaxy Fold would be a heck of a lot more appealing, even if that does mean Samsung has to make some sacrifices on the hardware side of things.
We’ll have to wait and see if Samsung changes course, but for now it looks like the best we can do is start hoping for some amazing deals in this year’s Black Friday sales if you want a cheap foldable.