Foldable phones have been around since 2018, but we’re about to head into a new era of foldables that should appeal to many: the budget folding phone.
Samsung reportedly plans to release a Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE phone later this year, the first foldable in its cost-conscious FE range.
We had initially believed Samsung would announce the phone at a Galaxy Unpacked event in the summer, but South Korean publication TheBell writes that this will now happen a little later in the year.
It will arrive in the “fourth quarter” of the year according to the report, alongside a “tri-fold” phone, a design already seen in Huawei’s Mate XT.
As with many brand-new design styles, you can expect Samsung’s tri-fold Galaxy to cost a fortune. But an FE-series foldable could potentially open up this subgenre of phones to a new audience.
FE stands for Fan Edition and is a family used by Samsung to bring phones and tablets with some higher-end features out at a relatively affordable price.
Samsung reportedly had plans for an FE edition of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 FE last year, but it was cancelled after the manufacturer could not make the phone thin enough on its production budget, according to TheElec.
Some likely cuts to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, to bring down the cost, include a lower-spec camera, less powerful processor and thicker casing.
Renders of the phone leaked in March suggest the phone would be 7.4mm thick when unfolded, just a little thicker than the 6.9mm Galaxy Z Flip 6.
It’s also expected to have the same screen dimensions as today’s model, with a 6.7-inch inner screen and a little 3.4-inch outer one.
The most important question remains unanswered, though. How much will it cost?
Samsung’s current Galaxy Z Flip 7 launched at £1049 for the base model, but can now be found online for less than £800.
Judging by Samsung’s standard release schedule, we can expect a new Galaxy Watch and fresh editions of the standard Galaxy Flip and Fold lines in the summer. Last year, the big mid-year launch landed on July 10.
Samsung is also set to release an XR mixed reality headset in partnership with Google this year, which may well feature at the proposed Summer event. Or the Q4 Unpacked event at which we may get to meet the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.
