Samsung's Galaxy Fold 2 could be getting a cheaper cousing when it releases later this year. It's likely to come with some trade-offs, but may just be the affordable foldable that users have been waiting for.
The news comes from Max Weinbach on Twitter, who has reliably leaked info on phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. The cheaper foldable smartphone will be called the Galaxy Fold e, and will retail for $1,100, roughly $900 cheaper than the Galaxy Fold when it launched last year.
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There's a rumor, and keep in mind this is a rumor, Samsung will be releasing a Galaxy Fold e for $1100. They are also working releasing 3 folds. Two with plastic, one with UTG. Could explain the Winner2 vs Champ codenames.May 11, 2020
A second tweet from YouTuber MauriQHD offers a similar but different leak, claiming the phone will actually be a little cheaper at $900, but will either have a small cover display on the outside, or none at all. MauriQHD also says the phone will be called the Fold Lite, using Samsung's other suffix for the cheaper version of its phones.
i´ve heard $900 ish and Fold Lite as the namewith tiny/no back screenMay 11, 2020
In addition, Weinbach mentions that Samsung is both working on Folds with plastic and ultra-thin glass (UTG) displays, which perhaps explains why there are two codenames for the Fold 2: Winner2 and Champ. The Galaxy Z Flip was Samsung's first phone with a UTG display, and while it isn't as tough or scratch resistant as a Gorilla Glass screen, it's still stronger than plastic.
The major problem with current foldable phones is their price. Even the cheapest foldables like the Z Flip or the problematic Motorola Razr 2020 still cost $1,400. However, the $1,000 to $1,100 price range is inhabited by a more normal range of flagships, like the Galaxy S20 or iPhone 11 Pro. A foldable at this price point will be tempting for a lot more users who want to try out the radically different form factor of a flexible phone, and could finally be the moment that foldable phones really take off.
We're anticipating an August release for the Galaxy Fold 2, which will appear alongside the Galaxy Note 20. Both phones are expected to use an S Pen stylus for additional functionality, as well as 120Hz displays and new camera tech borrowed from the Galaxy S20 series.
