Foldable smartphones have undoubtedly over the years gone from a niche, technological oddity to a more common and mainstream device. However, cost remains a big prohibitive factor behind its slow adoption rate, though Samsung could be ready to change that.
According to recent reports, the Korean giant is apparently planning a more affordable midrange foldable for next year. This information comes from the research firm TrendForce, citing supply chain sources. Other industry leaksters meanwhile suggest that it could be close to the Galaxy A54 in price. For context, it’s currently priced at RM1,899 in Malaysia meaning a potential midrange Galaxy A-series claimshell in 2024 could be priced at under 2,000.
Having been the first major manufacturer to launch a foldable smartphone, their current Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 lineup are still fairly costly. The larger of the two starts at RM6,799 while the clamshell retails from RM4,499 onwards.
That being said, Samsung would not be the first to launch a more affordable foldable. The Honor Magic Vs from earlier this year for example is still a rather flagship foldable but is priced much cheaper at just RM5,999. Then there’s also Tecno, whose Phantom V Fold is the cheapest large foldable in Malaysia at RM5,399 while it’s Phantom V Flip is even cheaper at RM2,999.
A Samsung foldable—likely a clamshell—at even less than that would certainly be an interesting option, seeing as they are very much the leaders in the scene still. However, this could also mean losing a number of features like wireless charging, water resistance and almost certainly smaller cover displays and weaker processors too.
