Samsung is working on a two-pronged approach to counter the tough competition from China by making its foldable phones both cheaper and thinner. The latest foldable phones by Oppo, for instance – the Find N3 and N3 Flip, or the nearly identical OnePlus Open – beat its Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 on precisely those counts, adding the superior specs insult to the thinner design injury.
To offset those advantages of the Chinese foldable phone industry, Samsung has reportedly crafted a Galaxy Z Fold 6 that is much thinner than its predecessor. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is thicker than all of its main competitors and is also way more expensive.
Samsung is reportedly preparing to tackle the other competitive issue its foldables have, by developing a cheaper foldable phone. This will help Samsung establish a firmer presence in the world’s largest phone market, and grow its market share away from the honorable third place in the bendy handset market on their home turf.
Given that most of the flagship foldables of the competition cost in the $1200-$1300 range, Samsung’s entry-level Galaxy Fold should be gunning for this price point as well, which would be a more than 30% price cut compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
The reason that Samsung doesn’t want to develop a cheaper phone in the Flip line is reportedly lying in the fact that the clamshell design is more popular and well established in the minds of consumers now, and its sub-$1,000 price is already low enough.
How and when Samsung will come up with a much more affordable member of its Galaxy Fold line remains to be seen, but it reportedly gave up on the idea to release it this year, as it would cannibalize the sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and even the Z Flip 6, so 2025 may be the safer bet.
