Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE release date predictions and its pricing, features, and specs
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We've been waiting for the foldable revolution for quite some time now, and it seems that we're finally going to get it. According to the latest industry insiders, Samsung will release a FE version of its most popular foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE will be the entry-level foldable to finally make those devices mainstream and once again give Samsung an edge over the competition. The Korean company was the first to make flip-foldable devices accessible to a wider public, and now it's time to get a Fold device in everyone's hands.
UPDATE: It seems that Samsung has put on hold its plans to release the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE, at least for now. We'll keep you posted about any updates on the situation.
Jump to section:
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE release date
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE price
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE name
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE camera
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE storage
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE design
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE display
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE battery
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE features and software
- Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE hardware and specs
- Should you wait for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE?
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE release date
So, there's buzz about a potential Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE, but as for when it'll drop? Well, that's anyone's guess for now. According to the latest leak, things are not looking good for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE. Samsung might be rescheduling the launch or even shelf the plans for an affordable foldable altogether.
Now, looking at how Samsung typically spaces out its releases, there's usually a big gap between the top-tier model lineup and the FE version. Take the S23 series, for example - it hit the shelves in February last year, but the S23 FE didn't pop up until October, giving it an 8-month gap. So, we might see a similar timeline with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE.
But if Samsung decides to kick things into high gear, we could be unwrapping the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE as early as August, just a month or so after the regular Z Fold 6. So, it's looking like we have a timeframe between the Z Fold 6 release and the end of the year. We know, it's a bit vague, but that's all we've got.
But let's not be negative and explore the best possible scenario. The official summer event will take place in less than two weeks. Samsung will rolls out its next-gen flagships the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, on July 10, 2024.
Now, looking at how Samsung typically spaces out its releases, there's usually a big gap between the top-tier model lineup and the FE version. Take the S23 series, for example - it hit the shelves in February last year, but the S23 FE didn't pop up until October, giving it an 8-month gap. So, we might see a similar timeline with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE.
But if Samsung decides to kick things into high gear, we could be unwrapping the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE as early as August, just a month or so after the regular Z Fold 6. So, it's looking like we have a timeframe between the Z Fold 6 release and the end of the year. We know, it's a bit vague, but that's all we've got.
Here's a table of the relevant releases for some context:
| Device family | Announcement | Market release |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 | July 26, 2023 | August 11, 2023 |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 FE | October 4, 2023 | October 5, 2023 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 | July, 2024* | August, 2024* |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE | October, 2024* | October, 2024* |
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE price
This is the most exciting part of the equation. The first rumors on the subject suggest a starting price of just $799 for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE, which, if true, will place the affordable foldable below many non-folding devices, midrange phones included.
The latest addition to the Galaxy A range, the Galaxy A55, for example, costs £489 (around $620) for the 256GB model. The iPhone 15 starts at $799, and the Galaxy S24 bears the same price tag.
If Samsung really slaps a $799 price tag on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE, this will bridge the gap between conventional phones and folding tablet-like devices. We're yet to see a fold-type device run that low, though. What do you think about it? Would you buy a midrange foldable phone for $799?
If Samsung really slaps a $799 price tag on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE, this will bridge the gap between conventional phones and folding tablet-like devices. We're yet to see a fold-type device run that low, though. What do you think about it? Would you buy a midrange foldable phone for $799?
Here's a quick table for reference purposes:
| Phone model | 128GB of storage | 256GB of storage | 512GB of storage | 1TB of storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Fold | - | - | $1,980 | - |
| Galaxy Z Fold 2 | - | $1,999 | - | - |
| Galaxy Z Fold 3 | - | $1,799 | $1,899 | - |
| Galaxy Z Fold 4 | - | $1,799 | $1,899 | - |
| Galaxy Z Fold 5 | - | $1,799 | $1,919 | $2,159 |
| Galaxy Z Fold 6 | - | $1,799* | $1,999* | $2,199* |
| Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE | $799* | - | - | - |
*-rumored prices
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE name
There's a slight confusion around the name of this affordable foldable. Not a single source mentions the Fold as a set-in-stone moniker for the device. That being said, at the $800 starting price, we don't expect this to turn out to be a Galaxy Z Flip 6 FE, as the Flip series is already pretty affordable.
There's no codenames leaked in tiny pieces of software code, or insiders snapping pictures of the retail box, or anything of the sort. For now, all we know is that there will be some kind of an affordable foldable phone from Samsung, and that's about it.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE camera
Obviously, in order to make a FE edition of a flagship phone, and a foldable one at that, you need to cut some corners and sacrifice a feature or two.
We don't expect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE to get the 200MP main camera from the S24 Ultra, and the best we can hope to get is the same setup as the Galaxy Z Fold 5. This makes sense, if Samsung wants to follow the Fan Edition logic from previous devices.
So, in the best-case scenario, we're going to get the same 50 + 10 + 12MP triple camera setup as the Z Fold 5. The worst Samsung can do is probably equip the Z Fold 6 FE with a dual 12MP camera setup, similar to the Z Flip 5.
We don't expect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE to get the 200MP main camera from the S24 Ultra, and the best we can hope to get is the same setup as the Galaxy Z Fold 5. This makes sense, if Samsung wants to follow the Fan Edition logic from previous devices.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE possible camera configuration:
- 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide)
- 10 MP, f/2.4, (telephoto), 3x optical zoom
- 12 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide)
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE storage
There's no information about the storage option available on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE at the moment, and again, we can only do some guesswork here.
For starters, it's only logical that the FE edition offers lower storage options than the full-fledged flagship, and if we look at the Z Fold 5 storage options, we can deduce that the Z Fold 6 FE might get similar or slightly downgraded memory configurations as well.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE expected storage capacity:
For starters, it's only logical that the FE edition offers lower storage options than the full-fledged flagship, and if we look at the Z Fold 5 storage options, we can deduce that the Z Fold 6 FE might get similar or slightly downgraded memory configurations as well.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE expected storage capacity:
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB (less likely)
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE design
When it comes to design, things are even more mysterious. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is expected to bring a lot of design changes onboard, mainly to fight sleeker and lighter devices, such as the Honor Magic V2.
The aspect ratio might also change, but this shouldn't affect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE. We expect the design of the latter to closely follow the regular Z Fold 5, as was the case with other FE models closely related to the previous flagship model device.
There are no leaked renders or other types of speculative content at the moment, so we can only guess what the design of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE would look like.
The colors are probably a safe way to differentiate this device from the flagship line of foldables, so expect some different hues to make their way to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE.
The aspect ratio might also change, but this shouldn't affect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE. We expect the design of the latter to closely follow the regular Z Fold 5, as was the case with other FE models closely related to the previous flagship model device.
There are no leaked renders or other types of speculative content at the moment, so we can only guess what the design of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE would look like.
The colors are probably a safe way to differentiate this device from the flagship line of foldables, so expect some different hues to make their way to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE display
Another big unknown is the display (or, should we say, displays) of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE. We don't have any clue what these might be, but given the FE status of the phone and the affordable price tag, there must be some kind of downgrade from the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
In the best case scenario, we might get the same cover and main display as the aforementioned Galaxy Z Fold 5, but probably no 1-120 Hz dynamic refresh rate and not that bright. For reference, the Z Fold 5 comes with a 7.6-inch inner display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 6.2-inch cover screen boasting the same 120Hz refresh rate.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE battery
The battery situation is also not clear at the moment, but it is quite possible that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE retains the same dual battery with the same capacity as the one in the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The latter comes with a 4,400mAh battery, which is not huge compared to other similar foldables. There's an expected battery bump for the Galaxy Z Fold 6, so the FE version might just retain the same capacity and charging as the previous model.
Speaking of charging, the Z Fold 5 supports 25W wired fast charging, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE most likely will sport the same charging support.
Speaking of charging, the Z Fold 5 supports 25W wired fast charging, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE most likely will sport the same charging support.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE expected battery capacity and charging:
- 4,400mAh
- 25W fast wired charging
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE features and software
Now, the software support situation is a hot topic in the industry, ever since Google offered seven full years of major OS updates for its Pixel 8 lineup. Samsung followed suit with the Galaxy S24 series, and this will most likely be carried over to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Fold 6 FE. On the other hand, being an affordable version, there's a slight chance that we'll see shorter support for the FE model.
The software in question will most likely be Android 14 with OneUI on top, but whether or not it will have the same Galaxy AI features as the Galaxy S24 series, we can't say.
The software in question will most likely be Android 14 with OneUI on top, but whether or not it will have the same Galaxy AI features as the Galaxy S24 series, we can't say.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE hardware and specs
Normally, Galaxy FE edition phones use one year older chipsets compared to the full-fledged flagships. We expect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE to come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Samsung skipped the Exynos variant in its S23 lineup, and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 also relies on Qualcomm silicon.
Regarding the RAM onboard, we expect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE to have 8 or 12GB of RAM, with the latter option probably reserved for the highest memory configuration. Stylus support will most likely be present, but of course, there will be no S-Pen slot.
Should I wait for Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE?
- You should wait for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE if you want to dip your toes into the world of tablet-like foldables but don't want to burn a lot of money doing it. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE could be a great gateway to the world of foldables.
- You should not wait for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE if you already tried a foldable phone and you need the cream of the crop. In this case, you'd be better off with the full-fledged Galaxy Z Fold 6 or another high-end foldable.
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