The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE could be the low-cost Galaxy foldable people have been asking for since the launch of the original Samsung Galaxy Fold back in 2019. Samsung has previously denied the existence of this phone, but recent rumors and reports suggest we may finally see the low-cost foldable arrive later this year.
While there are still a lot of unknowns, leaks and rumors are starting to paint the picture of what the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE could have in store for us. These rumors include word of an $800 price tag, a similar camera set-up to the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and a bunch of downgrades on components like the battery and display to lower the price.
Here’s everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE, and what Samsung’s first cheap foldable may have in store for us.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE latest news (Updated April 5)
- Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 could pave the way for a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold FE.
- A report from Korea claims the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE will launch in September or October.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE Price and availability
The key appeal of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE is that this is a cheaper way to enjoy a foldable Samsung phone. Considering the Galaxy Z Fold 5 costs $1,799, that could make foldable phones more accessible than before — but the question is how much it will be.
The latest rumor, according to a report from Sisa Journal, claims that Samsung is aiming to sell the phone for under $800 — which would make the phone more than half the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Such a price tag would make it cheaper than the $999 Galaxy Z Flip 5 and almost as cheap as the Motorola Razr (2023). Although how pleased we’ll be will depend on whether the phone is a foldable flip phone or if it employs the Z Fold’s bookish design.
But when will it arrive? Word is that the cheaper phone is coming later this year, but it’s not clear when that might be. It would make sense to launch the Z Fold 6 FE alongside the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 — which is what The Elec and WinFuture have both reported. But The Elec has previously claimed this cheaper foldable would be aimed at the Chinese market, where foldables are more numerous.
But Samsung does typically wait a little longer to launch its FE models, and it may give the Z Fold 6 some room to breathe first. A rumor from @Tech_Reve from last year claimed that the FE would launch after the two flagships, though no other details were mentioned.
For what it's worth, the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 launches could happen earlier than expected this year, as Samsung looks to avoid having its new phone announcement overlap with the Summer Olympics. Under this scenario, the phones would show up in July. The same publication behind that rumor also claims that the cheaper FE version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 would launch in either September or October.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE Design and display
It’s not entirely clear what sort of foldable design the Z Fold 6 FE will take right now, but the consensus seems to be that it will mimic the book-like design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series. If that’s the case we’re looking at a phone with a regular smartphone screen on the outside, and opens up to reveal a larger tablet-sized screen on the inside.
That inner display may not support Samsung’s S Pen stylus. According to ETNews the cheaper foldable’s screen may skip out on the digitizer, presumably for cost-related reasons. That layer is needed to track a stylus’s position, and without it the S Pen would be completely useless.
It’s probably a good idea to avoid getting too excited about the display too. Sisa Journal claims that the phone will have "lower application processor, display and battery specifications”. It’s unclear what else that could involve, but we’ll likely have something closer to full HD resolution and a lower refresh rate than the current generation’s 120Hz.
However, some of Samsung’s cost-saving measures may not be so bad. We’ve heard rumors that Samsung may employ a new inkjet printing process to create bezels on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 display. This allows Samsung to use much larger film in the bezel-cutting process, which would create less waste in the process — lowering the overall production cost.
Creating bezels is a surprisingly expensive part of the foldable phone process and any kind of saving bodes well for the cost of foldables going forward. If Samsung can apply this technique to other foldables, including the Z Fold 6 FE, it means that it can afford to keep prices low without pulling features or using older hardware.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE Performance
We have no word on what kind of performance hardware we’ll see in the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE, beyond rumors that the phone will feature less impressive hardware and then the rest of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 series, including a lower-specced chipset.
There are a lot of processors out there, and it’s unclear which one may be added to the Z Fold 6 FE. It isn’t likely to be the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which will likely power the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, but we could see an older model like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, or the newly announced Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 — which has been specifically designed for mid-range devices.
Samsung leaker Kro_roe on X shares that a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold FE could become more of a reality with the help of a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip. The affordable pricing of the foldable could be achieved because Samsung could leverage an Exynos 2000-series processor in some markets as well to offset the cost.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE Cameras
While Samsung’s Galaxy S series has had some rather impressive camera upgrades over the years, the same can’t be said about the foldable Galaxy Z series. In fact the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has the exact same camera hardware as the Z Flip 4, which itself was barely an upgrade over the Z Flip 3. Unfortunately it seems as though the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE may be subject to a similar experience.
A report from Sisa Journal claims that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE will have a “similar” camera setup to the “current generation”. The same hardware and design structure, with the report noting that there will be a “dual camera module”. That suggests that we won’t see a third rear camera, which will presumably mean there’s no telephoto lens.
Unfortunately it isn’t clear whether we’ll be seeing the camera hardware from the Z Fold 5 or the Z Flip 5. The Z Fold 5 has a 50MP main lens, while the Z Flip 5’s is limited to jus 12MP — which is a pretty big difference. However since both phones have a 12MP ultrawide lens, the information in the report suggests that the Z Fold 6 FE will as well.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE Battery and charging
It’s unclear what sort of battery and charging we’re going to see on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE, beyond Sisa Journal’s claim that there will be lower battery specifications than other Samsung foldables.
Historically Galaxy foldables haven’t had particularly large batteries, which has been reflected in their battery lives. It goes without saying that we shouldn’t expect anything spectacular from the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE. It’s just unclear how large that battery might be, or how long it’ll last on a single charge. Don’t expect particularly fast charging speeds either, considering the Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 are still stuck at 25W wired and 15W wireless charging respectively.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE Outlook
There’s a lot we still don’t know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE at this early stage, and that means it’s difficult to make up our minds about it. On the one hand having a cheaper book-style foldable is a good thing, especially if Samsung really does lower the price to $800 as rumored.
But at the same time lowering the price by such a considerable amount means compromises. Foldable phones are expensive for a reason, and those reasons won’t magically go away just because Samsung wants to cut costs. So that means sacrifices have to be made in other areas, and means there’s a pretty good chance the Z Fold 6 FE will make its cuts on the camera, performance and battery life.
We’re just going to have to wait and see what other rumors materialize in the coming weeks and months, and what Samsung actually has in store for us when this low-cost foldable inevitably launches.
More from Tom's Guide
- Samsung predicts Apple's next big product launches — foldable iPhone, AR glasses, OLED iPad and more
- Samsung Galaxy S25 tipped for bigger display to fight iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone Flip: Everything we know about Apple's foldable phone plans
