Samsung's Galaxy Fold Lite, its recently leaked budget foldable, has had its release date pushed back to 2021 in order to avoid distracting from Samsung's other phones, particularly the Galaxy Note 20 series.
According to Korean news site Bridge Economy News (via SamMobile), this is not a leak but a prediction made by Kyung-tak Roh, a researcher at Yoo Jin Securities. While analysts can be an invaluable source of information on what tech companies are planning, we shouldn't take this statement as definite evidence of a delay to Samsung's $900 foldable phone.
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When the Galaxy Fold Lite was first leaked, its release date was thought to be the same one predicted for the flagship Galaxy Fold 2 - August 2020. However, Bridge Economy News said that Samsung will instead focus on the launch of the Galaxy Note 20 instead of introducing a new foldable.
This year Samsung has already launched the Galaxy Z Flip that expanded its line of foldable. And it launched the Galaxy S20 series, which has had disappointing sales since its launch, meaning Samsung will want to ensure it does its best to boost the appeal of the Galaxy Note 20.
While the Note 20 will likely be the biggest launch Samsung has in the second half of 2020, it might not be the only one. We recently heard that after the Note 20 is revealed in August, Samsung will then hold another two launches in September and October, where the Galaxy Fold 2 and Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will be debuted respectively. It's this second model, a 'Lite' version of the Galaxy S20, that Roh states Samsung is pinning its hopes on to revive its sales figures
The Galaxy Fold Lite, even if it does debut in 2021, will still be an amazing phone from what other leaks have told us. The main reason is its rumored $900 price, which would be the first foldable from a major manufacturer that costs the same or less than a normal flagship phone.
It'll allegedly contain a Snapdragon 865, the same chip as most Android flagships launched this year, but it won't have 5G compatibility. The main downgrades will be seen externally, with the Galaxy Fold's cover display replaced by a Z Flip-style notification panel, albeit one that stretches the full length of the phone, and likely a less powerful array of cameras, although there are no specific rumors about the sensors yet.
