Samsung Reportedly Developing Cheaper Galaxy Folding Phone To Reach The Masses
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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.