Samsung Reportedly Developing Cheaper Galaxy Folding Phone To Reach The Masses
The big problem with all of these designs is their cost of entry, which has turned off many consumers. The Surface Duo starts at $1,499, while the original Galaxy Fold was priced at $1,980. Samsung, however, appears to be working on a new folding Galaxy smartphone that would be more palatable to the general populous. According to a new report from SamMobile, Samsung’s new budget foldable carries the model number SM-F415.
The SM-Fxx designation has been reserved for Samsung’s folding Galaxy devices, and this new budget entry is said to likely feature a clamshell design. In order to hit a lower price point, we could see Samsung going with a design similar to what we’ve seen with the Galaxy Z Flip/Galaxy Z Flip 5G, but perhaps with a smaller display and possibly without the more durable Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) display covering.
The report goes on to say that the SM-F415 will be available in 64GB or 128GB storage configurations, which is well below the 256GB available with the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, in order to reduce costs. Perhaps the biggest area where Samsung could make some cuts would be with the SoC.
The Galaxy Z Flip uses last year’s flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, while the new Galaxy Z Flip 5G features the Snapdragon 865+ in combination with the Snapdragon X55 5G modem. This new budget clamshell could sneak in a still potent Snapdragon 765G with its integrated 5G modem to hit a lower price point.
With the above changes, would could easily see Samsung introducing a device with a $999 price tag. How far the company could go below that threshold, however, remains to be seen.
