Samsung May Launch an Affordable Galaxy Fold in India, Galaxy Z Fold 2 to Launch Today

Samsung has been hard at work when it comes to the research and development of the ‘all-new’ segment — foldable smartphones. Back in February 2019, when the company announced the original Samsung Galaxy Fold, it ‘wow-ed’ everyone. The implementation of a small screen upfront, with a big edge-to-edge display (well, almost) hinged in the middle was the thing smartphone enthusiasts were eagerly waiting for.

Since then, Samsung has come a long way, in regards to foldables. Earlier this year, Samsung unveiled its vision of a compact folding smartphone, when it launched Samsung Galaxy Z Flip along with their S20 series. The Galaxy Z Flip is a vertical-folding smartphone, that brings the nostalgia of 2000s Nokia smartphones.

Cheaper Galaxy Fold Headed to India?

While we thought Samsung was done expanding its foldable smartphone portfolio, a new listing on Samsung’s support website points us to a different direction. The listing has been taken down at the point of writing this article. For the sake of simple naming scheme, we’ll refer this device as Galaxy Z Fold Lite and not it’s model number, from this point onwards.

This new listing on Samsung India’s support website has the model number SM-F415F, that draws our conclusion to it being a foldable smartphone. Samsung, in the past, has used F in the naming scheme only for ‘foldables’. Also, the lower numbers (415) imply that this new smartphone will be lower-end (and lower-priced) than the original Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 2.

Although this doesn’t confirm anything, nor does this gives away any details of the smartphone, we can be assured that Samsung is indeed working on a cheaper folding smartphone for India. The listing, also, confirms the fact that the ‘Lite’ Fold will launch in the subcontinent.

Also Read: Huawei to Unveil a Cheaper Foldable Device This Year

Rumours About Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Lite

There have been other leaks about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Lite in the past. Rumours suggest that the smartphone will start at $1,100 — that’s a huge $880 price drop of the original Galaxy Z Fold. The smartphone is expected to drop 5G support, which is understood due to the lack of 5G services in the subcontinent. To keep the cost down, Samsung is expected to use last-gen Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 or 855+, instead of the new Snapdragon 865 Plus or the Exynos 990.

The storage will also be limited to a maximum of 256GB, something that’s rumoured for the Fold 2 as well (we’ll get to know all about this today!). The Samsung Galaxy Fold Lite might lose the Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) under the screen. UTG improves image quality, along with providing strength to the display. The external screen will, probably, be smaller too.

Samsung to Launch Galaxy Z Fold 2 Today

Along with the Note 20 and the Note 20 Ultra, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Fold 2 globally at its unpacked event earlier this month. Although the smartphone was just shown (and not actually launched), it’s been making headlines since then. The device will be launched in its full-glory today. You can catch the livestream here.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 sports a larger 7.7-inch (with 120Hz refresh rate) folding screen, up from 7.3 inches, and has a 6.23-inch screen on the front (up from 4.6-inch on the original one). It’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chip inside, and a re-engineered hinge that results in a thinner gap between the displays.

Last week, a report by Android Authority revealed the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in the UK to be £1,799 ($2,400). This price approximately £100 ($133) cheaper than the launch price of the original Samsung Galaxy Fold.

Also Read: Exynos vs Snapdragon SoCs: Reality is Starting to Catch Up With Samsung