Samsung's cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 6 could skip this key feature

Samsung is reportedly planning to break from tradition and launch two Galaxy Z Fold 6 models this year. One of them will supposedly be cheaper than the other. The move is reportedly a reaction to increasing competition in the foldable market.

Samsung’s market dominance in the foldable smartphone segment might be under threat. The company’s 90% market share in the space has shrunk to around 60% in the last two years thanks to growing competition from Chinese rivals like HUAWEI, OPPO, Xiaomi, and HONOR.

A fresh report from Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) suggests that Samsung could lose its number one spot in the foldables segment to HUAWEI for the first time this year. “HUAWEI is expected to overtake Samsung Electronics in the first and second quarters of this year with the Mate,” DSCC has predicted.

However, the South Korean phone maker may have something up its sleeve to cushion the blow.

We’ve heard about a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 6 model for a while now. According to ETNews, Samsung plans to launch two Galaxy Z Fold 6 models — one with S Pen input functionality and another that doesn’t support the stylus. Currently, Samsung sells the Galaxy Z Fold 5 without an S Pen slot or the stylus in the box. However, you can buy one separately and use it with the phone.

The new leak suggests removing S Pen support from one of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 models might allow Samsung to reduce the phone’s price a bit. It’s unclear whether the variant expected to support the stylus will feature a dedicated slot to house it.

Anyhow, it’ll be interesting to see just how much Samsung can bring down the price of its flagship foldable by simply removing stylus support. We’re guessing the cheaper version will also make other compromises to justify the price cut. However, this is all just speculation for now. These rumors may be inaccurate and we could ultimately get just one Galaxy Z Fold model like last year.