Samsung plans new foldables including tablet as Galaxy Z Fold 6, Flip 6 sales struggle

Ben Schoon | Oct 23 2024 - 11:35 am PT

As its current foldables hit a slump, Samsung is reportedly toying with new ideas to breathe life into its foldable lineup with its first major expansion including a budget-focused Flip, and a tablet of some kind.

Samsung’s foldable lineup has, since 2020, consisted exclusively of one new book-style Galaxy Z Fold and one new flip-style Galaxy Z Flip per year. This year saw the first expansion in that time, with the arrival of the China/Korea-only Galaxy Z Fold “Special Edition” earlier this week.

That may soon change, though. As @Jukanlosreve on Twitter/X highlights, Samsung is planning “3 to 4” new smartphone foldables as well as one foldable that. That information comes from Meritz Securities, but there’s more context to be had.

ZDNet Korea reports that Samsung is looking at a more affordable Flip device, as well as a “tri-fold” version of the Fold. That tri-fold, presumably similar to Huawei’s recent Mate XT, may be the tablet Meritz refers to, but it’s hard to know for certain. Samsung is also rumored to be working on a rollable device for next year.

That same report also brings out that Samsung’s existing Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 are struggling. Initially expected to sell 9-10 million units, the 2024 lineup hasn’t been off to a strong start, with targets since dropping to 7-8 million units. The Flip is said to be “particularly sluggish.” Earlier this year, Samsung confirmed that the majority of Fold and Flip buyers are upgrading from prior generations.