Fact Check: Samsung is Not Making a $400 Foldable Phone

Earlier this week, we reported that Samsung may be working on the cheapest foldable yet, costing as low as $400. The company has been quick to debunk these reports, confirming that it is not working on any such foldable for 2024.

This makes sense as a foldable this cheap ($400 to $500) already sounds ambitious. It would be on par with standard mid-range phones on the market, including several Galaxy A series phones.

A Samsung Electronics spokesperson said:

We don’t plan to manufacture foldable smartphones that are priced in the midrange, and the latest rumors are groundless.

This leaves Motorola Razr 40 as well as the Tecno Phantom V Flip as some of the cheapest foldables available at around $600. The Razr 40 originally launched for $699, but it has now dropped as low as $499, which aligns with Samsung’s target pricing for its rumored mid-range foldable. Samsung’s currently available Galaxy Z Flip 5 is still at around $800-$900.

The rumored cheap foldable from Samsung was expected to be called the Galaxy Z Flip FE, but even that matter is undecided as of yet, as confirmed by the same Samsung spokesperson. He said: “There’s nothing decided on the matter”. Note that he did not deny any such plans either, which could mean that we would just have to wait a bit longer before it becomes reality.

For now, we will have to keep our hopes with other phone makers, namely Tecno and Motorola, to continue making cheaper foldables in the future. But even those brands will only continue to make affordable models if they do well in the market, so their future is uncertain for now.