Samsung has the right idea for a cheaper foldable, but it needs to change this one thing

Samsung has spent years refining its clamshell foldables into the most popular phone in their segment, but now, with the rumored upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, the company is finally taking a shot at something everyone has been waiting for: a more affordable Z Flip!

At first glance, the new foldable Fan Edition has everything it needs to succeed. It carries over the design of Samsung’s premium Z Flip models and shares much of the same hardware, all while targeting a rumored price between $700 and $800 — a much more accessible entry point into the foldable world.

That price would also put it in direct competition with the Motorola Razr (2025), a phone that has enjoyed near-absolute control over the budget foldable space, mostly because Samsung never had anything to offer at this price point. But if Samsung really wants the Z Flip 7 FE to matter, it has to stop holding it back like it’s been doing with previous Z Flip models.

Samsung has a definitive advantage in hardware

For a budget foldable, the Z Flip 7 FE sounds like it has a lot going for it. Given that we believe the rumors saying it will come in the same body as the Z Flip 6, that means we can expect the same build quality, displays, and hinge design. That means an aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the outside, a 6.7-inch 120Hz inner display with HDR10+ support, and a 3.4-inch OLED cover screen. Not too bad of a spec sheet.

Where Samsung really pulls ahead is performance, though. The Z Flip 7 FE is said to pack the Exynos 2400, a 4nm chip also found in the Galaxy S24. This gives it a huge edge over the Razr’s MediaTek Dimensity 7400X, which we found underwhelming in both CPU and GPU benchmarks, as well as in our real world experience with the phone. On top of that, the Z Flip 7 FE is also expected to include faster and more power efficient LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage.

Even when compared to the older Galaxy Z Flip 6, the FE model doesn’t show its “budget” nature that much. Yes, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the Flip 6 is still faster, and it comes with 12 GB RAM versus the FE’s expected 8 GB. But unless you’re pushing your phone with demanding tasks, there probably wouldn’t be that much of a difference in the user experience.

But Samsung is yet to fully utilize the Z Flip’s potential

Despite its strong foundation, it almost seems like Samsung is being lazy with how it utilizes the foldable form factor of its Z Flip series. I am talking about the cover screen, and more specifically — making it truly useful and intuitive. In contrast, Motorola is well aware of the strengths of its Razr phones.

The Razr (2025) features a larger 3.6-inch cover screen with better resolution and one big advantage: it lets you run any app without any additional workarounds on your side. In contrast, the Z Flip 7 FE is expected to inherit the same limitations as the Flip 6, where the outer display is restricted to a handful of widgets — unless users go out of their way to install Samsung’s Good Lock app. It’s an awkward solution to a self-imposed problem, and it undermines the appeal of having a foldable phone in the first place.

Its flagship Z Flip 7 is rumored to get a larger 4-inch cover display, but like previous models, it too is rumored to lack native full app functionality on its cover display.

The Z Flip 7 FE will also have to compete with its predecessor

The Z Flip 7 FE also faces an odd internal competition: the discounted Galaxy Z Flip 6. Last year’s model will likely drop in price once the Galaxy Z Flip 7 launches, putting it closer to the FE’s expected $799 price tag. That makes me wonder why would anyone go with the budget version when you can get a flagship-tier experience for possibly the same, or at least a similar price?

The Z Flip 6 uses the more efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which has better GPU performance, and already supports Samsung’s AI features like Generative Edit and Live Translate.

Unless Samsung gives the Flip 7 FE something meaningful to differentiate it — like better cover screen usability or more aggressive pricing — the Fan Edition might not turn out to be as popular as the company hopes.

The case for the Flip 7 FE is still strong — if Samsung gets out of its own way

Despite these caveats, there’s still a strong case to be made for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. For one, its arrival signals a shift in the market: Motorola will no longer have monopoly over the affordable foldable phone market. In fact, this could be the start of something great for foldable fans out there. Even though I myself am not one, it’s always great to see innovative tech become more affordable, as it means we are progressing.

And if Samsung comes out with its usual software promise of seven years of updates, One UI 8 out of the box, and foldable-specific features that utilize this form factor, the FE could become the go-to choice for customers.

But that will only happen if Samsung treats it like more than just a budget placeholder. The hardware is there. The design is there. The performance is there. What’s missing is the willingness to give users the full experience.

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