After a spate of recent releases, the foldable phone market is healthier than it has ever been before. A wide range of brands have options available for users, whether you prefer a vintage-vibe flip phone or a book-style foldable.
One of the most significant releases in recent months was the recent launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. While the latter wasn't a major departure from its predecessor, the Flip definitely showed itself in a new light, thanks to a redesigned cover screen.
Now, rumours have emerged about a cheaper foldable phone in the Samsung range. The news comes courtesy of Tech_Reve on Twitter. Reve is a notorious tech tipster, with a fairly good reputation for predicting models and trends in the tech space.
According to the tweet, there are rumours that a lite model of the Galaxy Z range is in testing. It's not entirely clear whether it would carry the FE branding which the lite versions of their traditional Android phones do, but the concept certainly sounds similar.
Don't get your hopes up just yet though. While it's an exciting prospect, Reve suggests that if the models hit the market, it won't be until after the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 launch. Based on Samsung scheduling, we'd expect that to be about a year away, so this isn't going to happen overnight.
It's a mighty exciting concept, though. I – like many interested in the world of foldable phones – long for a more affordable entry point into that space. Some devices have skirted close to that – the Oppo Find N2 Flip retails for £849, for example – but prices haven't quite got low enough to entice users to give it a try.
If the brand can market a device lower than that, while retaining some of the core features that make foldable Samsung phones so popular, it could be a big driver for adoption. I could quite happily sacrifice some of the internal components, for example, if the hinge durability was just as good as the premium model.
If this rumour does come to fruition, it will be interesting to see exactly what is on offer. The flip phone makes the most sense – they're generally cheaper anyway – but a cheaper book-style offering could be a fan favourite, too. I think they'd need to market something around the £1,000 mark to make it really effective.
With a long while until these look set to enter the public domain, it's probably not worth getting your hopes up just yet. In the world of tech, a year is basically a lifetime. Anything could change in that time, and the project could even be shelved altogether. But we'll certainly be keeping an eye out regardless.
