Samsung Galaxy Z Flip FE teased by Samsung — and the leaked specs sound promising

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review.
(Image credit: Future)

For as long as Samsung has been making foldables, there’s been talk of a cheaper version to make the niche handsets more mainstream. Back in 2023, rumors reached such a fever pitch that Samsung was forced to deny a cheaper foldable was happening, but we now have hard evidence that Samsung has changed its tune with a possible Galaxy Z Flip FE.

On X, Erencan Yılmaz spotted that Samsung’s servers were pushing out updates to a model with the code number SM-F761.

No released device has this number, but Samsung’s naming conventions make it seem extremely likely it’s the cheaper Galaxy Z Flip: ‘F’ indicates a foldable, the seven marks it as a Flip (rather than a Fold) and the 61 indicates the edition.

For comparison, the Z Flip 5 has the code SM-F731 and the Z Flip 6 is SM-F741, which will obviously make the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7 SM-F751. In theory, F761 could be the Z Flip 8, except this is a phone that’s getting OTA updates, and the eighth generation isn’t expected until August 2026.

In short, the mystery handset seems extremely likely to be the Galaxy Z Flip FE or ‘Fan Edition’. Judging by Samsung’s past Fan Editions, we’d expect a slightly cut-down version with a modest price cut to match.

How cut down? Not all that much if one leaker’s insights are to be believed. On X, @PandaFlashPro posted about an “unknown ‘Flip’ prototype” that’s been spotted, and it has more similarities to the current Galaxy Z Flip 6 than differences.

The 120Hz display will be largely the same as we’ve heard before (though with a brightness potentially limited to 1,900 nits, compared to the Z Flip 6’s 2,600), and it sounds like the shell will be the same too, right down to the Armor Alumium frame, hinge and Gorilla Glass Victus. Like the Z Flip 6, it’ll also pack a 50MP primary camera and a 10MP internal one for selfies. The speakers, 25W charging and WiFi 6E usage are all the same too.

So what’s different? Other than the lower brightness, which @PandaFlashPro notes may yet match the Z Flip 6’s 1,900 nits, the main difference appears to be the processor, which the leaker describes as an unspecified Exynos chip.

Last year, the FE was tipped to include the Exynos 2400 which was used in Samsung Galaxy S24 models sold outside of North America, but it’s possible that it will be the Exynos 2500 instead. Either way, the leaker notes that the phone will lack certain Galaxy AI features compared to the regular Flip 7 and Fold 7 handsets “due to NPU limitations”.

The leaker notes the phone will lack certain Galaxy AI features compared to the regular Flip 7 and Fold 7 handsets “due to NPU limitations”.

Early benchmarks suggest the Exynos 2500 isn’t performing too badly, and if you’re still not convinced, there’s also good news hidden in there. It suggests that rumors the regular Flip 7 will use Exynos are wide of the mark, if there’s some differentiation of features between it and the FE. That or the Z Flip 7 will use the Exynos 2500, while the FE will stick with Exynos 2400.

It will be a few months before we find out. We’re not expecting Samsung’s next batch of foldables to arrive until the summer — most likely July or August. In the meantime, the company’s freshly released handsets are dominating our list of the best Android phones, with both the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Ultra placing.

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Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.

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