Samsung is thinking about making a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold6

23 January 2024

According to a new rumor out of its home market of Korea, Samsung is considering releasing a cheaper version of the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold6. This isn't to say the Fold6 itself will be cheaper - but it might be joined by a cheaper option. This is the first time Samsung has ever considered developing a lower-cost foldable, the source of this rumor says.

Interestingly, the reason for choosing the Fold line for this move and not the Flip is that the Flips that have launched so far are selling much more. So with a cheaper Fold, the Fold line could be reinvigorated.

This move would apparently help Samsung gain some more traction with its foldables in the Chinese market, which so far has been dominated by local players. That said, Samsung still commands double-digit market share in China for foldables, which is much more than it can say for slab phones, where it's hovering around 1%.

With a cheaper Fold6, it would also simply expand the global market for foldables, which Samsung is currently leading, giving it an edge over competitors that don't have foldable offerings or don't sell them widely.

Things are far from set in stone, however. The launch of such a device might have an adverse effect on Samsung's profitability, unsurprisingly.

Also, the company seems to think that if an economic downturn is looming, the demand will be concentrated on premium, more expensive products - this sounds rather counterintuitive, but people who have a lot of money will still have a lot of money even if they lose some through such a downturn, while those who had less to begin with will definitely not be buying phones.

Source (in Korean)