What you need to know
- Samsung is reportedly working on a foldable Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim that could debut later this year.
- The company will reveal its flagship foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, at a Samsung Unpacked event on July 10.
- The possible Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim is rumored to offer some notable advantages over Samsung’s regular foldable, including a larger 8-inch display.
All eyes are on Samsung as the company is about to reveal its next-generation foldable devices at A Galaxy Unpacked event on July 10th. That includes the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6which will offer some improvements over their predecessors. We also expect to see other interesting new features, such as new Galaxy Watch models and the Galaxy Ring. However, Samsung’s most interesting foldable device of the year might not be unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked event this summer.
It’s looking increasingly likely that Samsung will launch a third foldable phone at some point this year. Leakers have dubbed it the “Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim,” and it’s rumored to be a more premium version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. That could mean a lot of things: this rumored foldable phone could have more premium features and a higher price tag. Of course, the “slim” moniker would suggest that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim is actually thinner than the standard model.
According to previous reports, this ultra-thin version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 would be launched in the fourth quarter. One report stated that The Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim could be launched in Octoberright around the time we’d normally see the debut of new Pixels. Now that Google has moved up its event to an August date, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim could be the only Android flagship to launch that month.
It seems like Samsung rested on its laurels as the king of the foldable space for a while. The company had no competition in the US foldable market for a while, but the lack of significant improvements to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 opened the door for the OnePlus Open to earn the title of best foldable, at least in terms of specs. Similarly, the company’s foldables don’t even come close to matching the devices coming out of China these days. All of these factors contributed to Samsung losing the title of global leader in foldable phone shipments, with Huawei overtakes Samsung for first place in Q1 2024.
That’s why it’s exciting to see a rumored Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim in development that could truly rival cutting-edge foldables, especially those from Asia. However, the purported launch timeline for this device certainly complicates things for potential buyers. If the rumored October launch window is correct, it’s smack in the middle of Samsung’s typical Galaxy Unpacked event. That could cause potential Galaxy Z Fold 6 buyers to wait a few months to make their purchase, or potential Galaxy S25 customers to pick up a Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim sooner.
Why the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim is worth the wait
The latest information on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim comes from The Eleca South Korean publication with a reliable track record of reporting on Samsung’s future plans. The site says this new foldable phone will feature the largest display we’ve ever seen from Samsung on a foldable phone. It will be eight inches diagonally, according to the report, which is significantly more screen real estate than the 7.6-inch display on current phones.
This will mean that the cover display will also be larger, measuring 6.5 inches diagonally. Samsung is set to make the cover display on the standard Galaxy Z Fold 6 slightly wider, following the trend of the Pixel fold and the OnePlus Open kicked things off. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim is reported to be even bigger.
The slimmer design is meant to keep Samsung competitive with other Asian phone makers, such as Huawei and Honor. They have ultra-thin foldable phones available that are barely larger than a traditional smartphone. As such, Samsung could restrict sales to certain countries or regions, such as Asia. The company could manufacture only 500,000 units, according to recent reports, and it is unknown if the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim will be available in the US.
The more compact design comes with some downsides. For example, Samsung is expected to remove S Pen support from the Slim version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. There’s no word on how much it will cost or where it will be available, so there’s a risk of waiting for a foldable device that might be out of your budget, lack basic features, or simply not be available in your country or region.
All that said, it might still be worth waiting to see what happens with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim before buying a standard Galaxy Z Fold 6. Foldable phones are too expensive to buy, and one could be outperformed by a newer model just a few months later.