Samsung might be patting itself on the back for being the inventor of foldable phones every chance it gets, but I’ve often criticized the Z Fold and Z Flip. For all the talk about making foldables mainstream, Samsung has failed to deliver meaningful upgrades at the same rate as its top competitors.
Moreover, Samsung failed to cut the prices of new Fold and Flip models despite essentially playing it safe when it comes to big design changes.
But things might finally change this year. Samsung seems ready to take bigger risks, both when it comes to design and prices. That’s what the leaks suggest, at least. There’s a budget-friendly Galaxy Z Fold 6 in the making that might launch around the same time the iPhone 16 series comes out. The more affordable Fold 6 would feature an amazing price, possibly selling for under $1,000 in Korea.
A newer leak from a well-known insider details some of the budget Galaxy Z Fold 6’s specs. And it’ll give you a reason to get excited about the cheaper foldable.
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Samsung fans who are on top of Galaxy leaks must be more than familiar with Ice Universe . He has been a source of steady mobile leaks with a big focus on Samsung for years.
The budget Fold 6’s specs come from a series of tweets from Ice Universe, as you’ll see below.
Exclusive: Galaxy Z Fold6 weighs 239g and finally reaches the first-tier level. It weighs the same as the Voyager Black OnePlus Open
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) April 3, 2024
The leaker claims the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will weigh just 239g, which puts it on par with the OnePlus Open Fold-type foldable.
Moreover, he mentioned some of the dimensions of the budget Fold 6. The foldable will be just 5.6mm thick when unfolded. It’ll measure 12.1mm when folded. The upcoming foldable will feature a 7.6-inch internal display and a 6.3-inch outer screen. The aspect ratio for the latter is 22:9. Both screens will feature higher resolutions than the previous screens Samsung has used for the Fold series.
Continuing the exclusive leak, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 standard version has an unfolded thickness of 5.6mm, a folded thickness of 12.1mm, and a weight of 239 grams. The resolution of both the internal and external screens has been improved. The internal screen is 7.6 inches,…
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) April 3, 2024
The leaker showed a purported prototype for the budget Fold 6 that displays the aspect ratio of the external screen.
Ice Universe also said a Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra is in the works. But he had no size details or specs for it.
Several reports this year said that Samsung would launch a Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra alongside the budget version. The Ultra will likely retain the higher price tag of the previous Fold versions.
Leaks detailing Galaxy devices are usually correct, especially the ones that Ice Universe has to offer. It’s likely the upgrades the leaker mentions are correct. This would make the budget Fold 6 lighter and thinner than its more expensive predecessors.
Other leaks have indicated similar design improvements for the budget Fold 6, including a leak from Korea that said the cheaper foldable will launch in September.
Galaxy Z Fold6
Unfolded: 5.6mm
Folded: 12.1mm
Weight: 239 grams
Internal Screen: 7.6 inches, 7:6 ratio
External Screen: 6.3 inches, 22:9
Galaxy Z Fold5
Unfolded: 6.1 mm
Folded: 13.4 mm
Weight: 253 grams
Internal Screen: 7.6 inches
External Screen: 6.2 inches, 23.1:9
— Durgesh Maheshwari 𝕏 (@mdurgeshtela) April 3, 2024
The aspect ratio change for the external display also suggests the handset will be easier to use when folded. Then there’s the rumored resolution bump, which suggests Samsung might not be looking to cut all possible corners with a budget foldable.
That’s probably the right approach for a budget Fold-type device. After all, various handset vendors from China have already delivered lighter and thinner Fold-type devices that are more affordable, at least in China. Most of these handset makers have started selling foldable handsets years after Samsung’s first Fold device.
Samsung should unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra and Flip 6 in July. It’s unclear whether the budget Fold will be announced at the show, considering that Samsung reportedly plans to launch it in stores only in September. Whatever the case, these leaks are all telling the same story, so we’ll probably get more rumors in the coming months.
