Based solely on the rumors, it's looking more likely that Samsung will launch a budget-friendly foldable phone, likely dubbed the Galaxy Z Flip FE.
The latest rumor comes from the leaker Jukanlosreve on X (spotted by Android Police) who stated that the Fan Edition foldable would feature an Exynos processor. Specifically, Samsung is tipped to turn to the Exynos 2400, which it released earlier this year and used in the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus models released outside North America.
Additionally, in reply to a disappointed comment from another X user, Jukanlosreve also claimed that Samsung is considering using a newer Exynos 2500 in the Galaxy Z Flip 7, the follow-up to the Galaxy Z Flip 6 that's likely to come out in the second half of 2025. If true, that would be a big shift for Samsung, which tends to use Qualcomm's top-of-the-line silicon in its premium foldables. In fact, Samsung reportedly plans to exclusively feature Qualcomm's recently announced Snapdragon 8 Elite chips for the entire Galaxy S25 lineup set to debut in early 2025.
Samsung's Exynos chips are a step slower than the top silicon Qualcomm makes. For example, we compared a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered Galaxy S24 to one running on an Exynos 2400 chipset. The Snapdragon device was the faster in those Galaxy S24 benchmarks, though not by much.
The Exynos chips are also less expensive than the Snapdragon 8 series, so it would make sense for Samsung to turn to that silicon for a more budget-friendly foldable. Certainly, that's what Motorola does with its foldable flip phone, using the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in its Motorola Razr Plus 2024 flagship, but turning to a MediaTek chipset in the cheaper Motorola Razr.
There is some skepticism that Samsung will produce a wallet-friendly foldable phone. Executives at the company have seemed reticent to enter that territory, even if we need inexpensive foldable phones to exist. Up to now, Samsung has marketed both of its foldable phone lines as high-end products, and that includes the Galaxy Z Fold 6 as well as the Z Flip 6. Both phones debuted this summer with even higher prices than previous years.
Other than this chipset claim, we don't have any other potential specs for this rumored flip phone.
Reportedly, Samsung has struggled to move the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6. So a less expensive version might be more appealing to people. And presumably, using an older chip allows Samsung to put those savings elsewhere in the phone. There are rumors that the cheaper Flip will launch alongside next year's higher-end foldables.
