Did Samsung just tease a budget Galaxy Z foldable?

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 upright on a table
Samsung held its first earnings call of 2025 recently and one of the things that was said heavily alluded to a new foldable smartphone from the company. The company hopes that this new model, in addition to other steps that it’s taking, will help “broaden the customer base” in a category that has historically seen poor sales performance.

Foldable smartphones generally haven’t sold as well as traditional models due to two main reasons:

  • They’re a very different sort of device
  • They’re usually much more expensive

When consumers can perform most actions on a traditional smartphone for a lower cost the foldable phones become more of a novelty item for many. They also run the risk of being more fragile and easier to break alongside the aforementioned difference compared to normal phones.

Samsung says it wants to fix that by introducing “improved form factors” in 2025. The company didn’t really elaborate on that but I do hope that this means even less noticeable creases and perhaps even slimmer models than before. Samsung also said that it would make its new foldable models more durable as well.

But most excitingly the company said that it would be introducing a “diversified lineup” this year.


Now that really sounds like Samsung is planning on introducing a new foldable smartphone to its lineup. And because most foldables are very expensive the smartest move here would be to launch a budget model instead. Much like the iPhone SE or the Meta Quest 3S a more affordable Galaxy Z phone will do wonders in introducing newcomers to a new category of of tech.

Don't get your hopes up


But is Samsung going to release a budget foldable smartphone this year? I don’t believe so. Samsung is currently working on a tri-foldable Galaxy smartphone. The company is keeping subdued sales expectations for this model because it will likely require you to shell out a pretty penny.

Reports have indicated that this phone, previously rumored to come out in 2026, will instead be launching this year during the third quarter. Manufacturing will reportedly begin in the second quarter and the phone will likely be announced around that time too.

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So while I do think that Samsung should be releasing a budget foldable smartphone the reality is very likely the polar opposite. It might turn out to be one of the best phones of 2025 but very few people will actually get to experience it.
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