Summary
- Samsung’s plans for a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 6 have reportedly been scrapped due to multiple issues, including the prototype’s overall thickness.
- The manufacturer will now focus on improving the standard Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip models, which are rumored to break cover on July 10, 2024.
- Samsung will also launch its upcoming Galaxy Ring wearable during Unpacked, which has been in the works for a while now.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is expected to land in July alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Multiple rumors have talked about Samsung potentially releasing a cheaper version of its book-style foldable this year. These rumors intensified somewhat over the past few months, with one report even revealing that it could cost $800. However, the cheaper Galaxy Z Fold alternative/substitute has hit a roadblock in its developmental stages, according to a new report from South Korea.
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As per industry sources cited by The Elec (in Korean), Samsung has ditched its plans to release a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold model (via 9to5Google) in 2024. These sources blame factors like “industry uncertainty” and “product differentiation factors,” ultimately leading to Samsung “reexamining its plan” for the low-cost Z Fold 6 variant. This should mean that Samsung will launch only two foldables this summer, just as it has done in the past few years.
Another key area of concern for Samsung, per the report, was the inability to attain the optimum thickness for the low-cost foldable, particularly in comparison to devices from Huawei. The company’s initial goal was to supposedly market this Z Fold 6 variant as a cheaper foldable that is both thin and durable. This is in reference to durability being an issue for some of the slimmer foldables released in China recently.
The cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 6 even went through the usual routine of 200,000 fold tests, with the company also later including water and dust resistance for durability. However, this cheaper alternative ended up being “no thinner than Chinese foldable phones,” the report adds, which meant that Samsung had to scrap the idea.
Samsung will focus on its two standard foldables for now
With Samsung shelving plans for the low-cost book-style foldable, the company is now working on enhancing its two main foldable models — the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip. Although the report claims Samsung has been considering a cheaper Galaxy Z Flip 7 variant for 2025 (à la the Motorola Razr 2023), it doesn’t say if plans are still ongoing, particularly after the scrapping of the cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 6.
If recent reports hold up, this year’s additions to the Galaxy Z Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip series could be announced on July 10. This would be earlier than last year’s event, which took place on July 26, 2023. In addition to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Z Flip 6, Samsung will also provide additional details about the Galaxy Ring, which was briefly teased during the early year Unpacked event some months ago and will be widely available later this year.
