Samsung’s next foldable could cost just $500 — how will it be this cheap?

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By Richard Priday
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The Galaxy Z Fold or Z Flip FE could be incredibly cheap

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 on wicker table showing front display
(Image credit: Future)

A remarkable Samsung Galaxy Z Fold/Flip FE rumor has appeared to say that this alleged cheaper foldable could cost just $400 — $500, courtesy of leaker Revegnus on Twitter/X.

This is the price range where you find phones like the iPhone SE (2022) or the Pixel 7a, or Samsung's own Galaxy A54. All great phones, but certainly not foldables. When we recently heard the rumor of this foldable again, along with the claim of a mid-range price, we'd assumed it would be mid-range in terms of existing foldable pricing, not that it would match the cost of non-foldables.

If Samsung does launch a $500 foldable, we'd assume it would be a Galaxy Z Flip 5-style model, perhaps taking cues from the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and older models in the series. A Galaxy Z Fold spin-off feels like it would be too expensive for this targeted price tag.

You can get cheaper foldables than Samsung's already, but many of them are sold in China only. The most notable and easily accessible example for U.S. buyers is the $700 Motorola Razr, a high-quality buy remarkably cheap flip foldable which this $500 would still undercut somehow.

If this rumor of a cheaper Samsung foldable is accurate, it could do a lot to popularize the form factor among users who are unwilling to spend as much as the Galaxy Z Fold 5 or Z Flip 5 asks for. We'd be worried what features Samsung would be sacrificing in order to get the cost of this phone so low. It would be a shame to see Galaxy Z staple features like the cameras, performance or water resistance disappear in the name of cost-cutting.

There's no indication of when this foldable could launch, beyond the debut happening in 2024. Our best guesses would be that it could appear in the summer like the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip have done for the past few years, or at an FE-themed event later in the year like we just saw with the Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Galaxy Buds FE.

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Richard Priday
Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.