Based solely on rumors, it is becoming increasingly likely that Samsung will launch an affordable foldable phone, possibly called the Galaxy Z Flip FE.

The latest rumor comes from leaker Jukanlosreve on X (spotted by Android Police), who said the Fan Edition foldable will feature an Exynos processor. Specifically, Samsung will reportedly use the Exynos 2400, which was used in the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus models released earlier this year and released outside North America.

In addition, Jukanlosreve, in reply to disappointed comments from other X users, also claims that Samsung is considering using the newer Exynos 2500 in the Galaxy Z Flip 7, the follow-up to the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which is expected to be available in late 2025 The company also claims that it is considering using the newer Exynos 2500 in the Galaxy Z Flip 7, which is expected to arrive in late 2025. If true, this would be a major shift for Samsung, which tends to use Qualcomm's top-of-the-line silicon in its premium folding handsets. In fact, Samsung reportedly plans to exclusively use Qualcomm's recently announced Snapdragon 8 Elite chip in its entire Galaxy S25 lineup, which will be available in early 2025.

Samsung's Exynos chips are a step slower than the top silicon produced by Qualcomm. For example, we compared the Galaxy S24 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to the Galaxy S24 with the Exynos 2400 chipset. In these Galaxy S24 benchmarks, the Snapdragon device was faster, although not by much.

Since the Exynos chips are less expensive than the Snapdragon 8 series, it makes sense for Samsung to use this silicon in its more budget-friendly foldable. Indeed, this is what Motorola does with its foldable flip phones, using the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in the Motorola Razr Plus 2024 flagship, while the cheaper Motorola Razr uses the MediaTek chipset.

Some are skeptical about whether Samsung will produce a wallet-friendly foldable phone. The company's executives seem reluctant to enter that realm, even if inexpensive foldable phones are needed. So far, Samsung has marketed both lines of foldable phones as high-end products, including the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6. Both models debuted this summer at even higher prices than before.

Other than this chipset claim, there are no other spec possibilities for this rumored flip phone.

Allegedly, Samsung is having trouble moving the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6. So a less expensive version may be more attractive to people. And perhaps by using older chips, Samsung can put the savings into other parts of the phone. There are rumors that a cheaper version of the Flip will be released along with the high-end foldable next year.