Tech giant, Samsung has revolutionized the android world with its cutting-edge gadgets. Unsurprisingly, it is leading the charge for foldable smartphones in 2020. As of yet, Samsung has released two compelling foldable phones; however, both the phones come with massive price tags. Now, reports say that Samsung might launch a more affordable “Galaxy Fold Lite” this year to cater to a wider audience.
Reliable Samsung leaker Max Weinbach, has been one of the firsts to share this information. He says that the Galaxy Fold Lite could be arriving soon with the goal of delivering a foldable smartphone experience for the larger masses. Specifically, Samsung is rumored to be targeting an $1,100 price point with this device.
https://twitter.com/MaxWinebach/status/1260229743737266178
Samsung Galaxy Fold Lite vs Galaxy Fold
Now, one should remember that these are still rumors without any confirmation. But, how would Samsung get to that lower price point? Reports dictate that the phone will house a flagship Snapdragon chip — possibly the Snapdragon 865 — keeping it at par with newer phones. However, Samsung is expected to cut corners by stripping the device of 5G capabilities through firmware. The device would offer 256GB of storage versus the regular Fold’s 512GB, and it also would skip on the Ultra-Thin Glass of the Galaxy Z Flip.
Further cost-cutting measures apparently include reusing the “Mirror Purple” and “Mirror Black” colors from the Z Flip. In fact, they might also ditch the outer display from the regular Galaxy Fold. Instead, this device would have a smaller outer display more akin to the Z Flip. Other parts throughout the device would be hodgepodge mixture of parts from 2018, 2019, and 2020 Samsung releases.
Weinbach mentions that all of this should be taken with a grain of salt because “info tends to change quickly” this early in the process. When would this Galaxy Fold Lite and its lower price arrive? Unclear.
A Samsung #GalaxyFoldLite with some downgrades and a $1,100 price might be in the works https://t.co/bLLjFwKBJq
— PhoneArena (@PhoneArena) May 12, 2020
Should you buy Samsung Galaxy Fold Lite over the original Galaxy Fold?
It is now established that the flagship foldable phone is far superior than the expected affordable version. But, interestingly, some believe that changes in the Galaxy Fold Lite would make it better than the original in a few ways.
There are two very stirring aspects of these rumored specs for the Samsung Galaxy Fold Lite. Firstly, the lack of UTG (ultra-thin glass) on the display and secondly, the inclusion of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor.
Read more: Samsung’s foldable smartphone is finally coming
Let’s start with the UTG aspect. One of the biggest blunders of the original launch of the Galaxy Fold was how easily one could break the plastic display. Samsung scrambled to put a UTG layer on it to make it more durable, and that same tech worked well in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. To not have that in the Galaxy Fold Lite would, theoretically, make the foldable phone just as easily breakable as the original Fold.
As far as the Snapdragon 865 processor goes, it’s an interesting choice to include this for two reasons. Firstly, the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip both have (on paper) weaker processors than that of the rumored Samsung Galaxy Fold Lite. Secondly, the Snapdragon 865 is, at its core, 5G-capable; which means that Samsung would actually be manually preventing the Galaxy Fold Lite from connecting to 5G networks. In other words, it would be less work for Samsung to just let the Fold Lite use 5G. Of course, that would make the device seem more premium, so that’s likely why Samsung would do that.
Read more: Galaxy A90 5G: Samsung’s first affordable 5G smartphone
Takeaway
Either way, the $1,099 asking price for a phone like this is highly impressive. This would title the Galaxy Fold Lite as the cheapest foldable from a major manufacturer. Nevertheless, the phone’s specs make it a solid option for people thinking about buying other Samsung flagships, such as the Galaxy S20 or upcoming Galaxy Note 20.