There have been rumors about Samsung's plans to launch cheaper foldable phones for years, but that never happened. However, it finally looks like the company will offer a cheaper version of its Galaxy Z Fold smartphone later this year alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE could lack S Pen and use last year's processor
Last week, it was revealed that Samsung will launch an affordable version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Now, new reports reveal more information about that device. According to WinFuture, Samsung has three new foldable phones in the works, and they have codenames ‘B6', ‘Q6', and ‘Q6A'. Going by the company's track record, B6 will most probably be the Galaxy Z Flip 6, while Q6 will end up being launched as the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Q6A, however, is something new. Samsung never had the A suffix in the internal codenames of its Q (Galaxy Z Fold) series smartphones. It is expected that it could be launched as the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE.
According to another report from ETNews, the cheaper version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will lack S Pen functionality. It seems like a sensible way to cut the price of a foldable phone by removing the S Pen compatibility, which isn't used by many people anyway, as Samsung hasn't yet shipped a Galaxy Z Fold 6 device with a built-in S Pen slot. The report claims that Samsung is trying to reduce the production cost of that device by using lower-end parts, including the processor. It is possible that the company will use last year's processor in the cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 6 and use the latest chip in the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Samsung missed its annual target of 10 million foldable smartphone sales
Samsung set itself the goal of selling 10 million foldable phones every year, but it reportedly failed to reach that target in 2022 and 2023. So, it is trying to launch more affordable smartphones, and the first such device could be the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE (tentative name). More Chinese firms are launching cheaper and better-specced foldable phones, so it makes sense for Samsung to launch more affordable phones. The regular Galaxy Z Fold 6 is expected to bring a new and thinner design. It could also use a new screen aspect ratio, and it could be similar to the OnePlus Open.
