Samsung is reportedly working on new strategies to make its foldable phones more affordable and competitive against rising Chinese brands like Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Companies like Oppo have released well-reviewed foldables like the Find N3 that beat Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Z Fold 5 on both price and design.
With sleeker and cheaper models gaining ground in China, Samsung needs to adapt quickly to defend its market share in the world’s largest smartphone market.
Plans for Making The Galaxy Fold More Affordable
According to The Elec, Samsung plans to release a cheaper Galaxy Fold model in 2025 to boost sales in China. The new budget Fold could retail for around $1200 (KES 195,600), making it over 30% cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which at launch sold for $1799 (KES 293, 237).
Matching popular mid-range foldables from Chinese companies could significantly boost Samsung’s share in China, where affordability is key. Xiaomi and Huawei already offer foldables around the $1200 price tag.
There is some uncertainty around launching a cheaper Z Fold 6 this year. If the smartphone market declines again, a lower-priced model could undermine sales of Samsung’s premium foldables. 2025 seems like a safer timeline for the budget Fold.
Efforts to Improve Design With a Slimmer Galaxy Z Fold 6
Samsung also aims to make the Galaxy Z Fold 6 thinner and more elegant than its predecessor. As you can see from the comparison table below, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is thicker than all of its main competitors and is also way more expensive.
A slimmer design could attract more customers in a market where sleeker foldables are popular.
While the focus is on pricing, Samsung knows the look and feel of its foldables needs to rival top models from Chinese companies. A redesigned form factor may be key to competing.
Making Foldables Mainstream
Making foldables more accessible to mainstream consumers is key for Samsung if it wants to cement its leadership in this burgeoning smartphone category.
We’ll have to wait and see if 2025 brings the slim, budget Galaxy Fold that Samsung needs to win over more mobile users globally in the face of rising Chinese competition.
