Samsung and Apple have been the ultimate competitors in the tech space and the former is now planning a strategy that could potentially steal some limelight from Apple’s biggest event of the year where it unveils its new iPhones. Samsung is now also planning to launch new smartphones around the same time as iPhone 16 series launch. However, those won’t be just any smartphones, but a new set of foldables that sit below the flagship ones from the brand.
According to a report by the Korean outlet “The Elec”, Samsung has accelerated it’s manufacturing process of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Z Flip 6 so it can launch the phones earlier than usual – to be precise, by mid to late July. Samsung has preponed the production schedule for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 parts by about 2-3 weeks compared to the previous models. The production for Fold 5 and Flip 5 began in late May 2023 while this year, the process has been sped up and the same could begin in early May for this year’s Galaxy Z-series foldables.
As a result, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 launch could be pulled to mid-to-late July. “The finished foldable phone product could be released in July because the mass production schedule of foldable phone parts is faster than last year,” an industry official said.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Everything You’d Want To Know
Galaxy Z Fold FE May Be Incoming
As to why Samsung is pulling such a move, is because it wants to grab the attention of the buyers of the upcoming iPhone 16 series by launching a new entry-level Galaxy Z Fold under its FE series of smartphones. Launching the flagship Z Fold 6 earlier in the year will give Samsung more headroom of about 2 to 3 months to pull off the move swiftly. Moreover, Samsung wants to build upon the success of the Galaxy S24 series by launching new foldables and continue their streak.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Roundup: Everything You Need To Know
The first entry-level Galaxy Z Fold FE model this year is likely to be released around the same time as the Apple iPhone 16 series, which should be sometime between September and October. “The shipment target of the entry-level model Z-Fold 6 is not much, ranging from 200,000 to 300,000 units. However, it could distract consumer interest in the iPhone 16 series, which is coming at a similar time”, The Elec’s report read.
The Galaxy Z Fold FE is expected to be thinner than Galaxy Z Fold 6, which in turn is also rumoured to be thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 5. In addition, Samsung could bring down the cost of the device by removing some features found in its flagship fold, such as S-pen support.