The foldable smartphone market is going to get so much bigger next year if the latest report is true. So far, the key players in the foldable smartphone space have been Samsung, Motorola, Royole, and Huawei but a new leak says that more manufacturers including Google will be joining the list.

The info comes from Ross Young, the founder and lead analyst at Display Search and DSCC. In a tweet posted earlier today, he revealed that the second half of the coming year is going to be an exciting one for the foldable smartphone market. He said Samsung will announce at least three models, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi will announce four models between them, and Google will also announce one model.

Second half of 2021 is going to be really exciting for foldable smartphones. At least 3 models from Samsung, 4 models from Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi and 1 model from Google…BTW, no Z Fold Lite – Z Flip Lite. Specs for all are in our latest Foldable Report.

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) December 10, 2020

Just to be clear, I am saying there will be no Z Fold Lite, but there will be a Z Flip Lite.

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) December 10, 2020

4 models combined from Oppo/Vivo/Xiaomi

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) December 10, 2020

We already know Samsung will announce the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in the third quarter of the year from leaks from the past couple of weeks but Ross’s tweet says there will be at least three models. In the same tweet, he says there will be no Galaxy Z Fold Lite but there will be a Galaxy Z Flip Lite.

The Galaxy Z Fold Lite was reported to be scheduled for a Q1 2021 release but not only is it not launching in the first quarter but it won’t even launch at all according to Ross Young. We already heard of the lite version of the Galaxy Z Flip last month, so it is not a surprise.

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Moving on from Samsung, the three big Chinese players, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi will also launch their first foldable smartphones next year. What makes it even more exciting is that one of them will launch two models. Of all three, only Xiaomi has demonstrated a working prototype but all three of them have filed patents for various foldable smartphone designs. Recently, an OPPO patent revealed a phone with a design similar to that of the Galaxy Z Flip.

Google is also on the list of manufacturers announcing a foldable smartphone in 2021. More than a year ago, Google confirmed it was working on foldable smartphone prototypes and in August of this year, an internal document revealed that a foldable phone codenamed “passport” may be among the Pixel devices launching next year.

With all these devices lined up for launch, 2021 is going to be an exciting year for the foldable smartphone category and mobile tech in general

Which of these foldable phones are you most excited about? Do let us know in the comment box below.

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Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series is expected to get better next year. Alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the next-gen Galaxy Z Flip which should launch as the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung is also expected to announce a more affordable Fold called the Galaxy Z Fold Lite. Now, a leak has revealed when these devices will launch as well as their screen sizes.

Galaxy Z Fold Lite

According to the Twitter leaker Tron (@cozyplanes), the Galaxy Z Fold Lite will be the first Samsung foldable to launch next year. It will be announced in the first quarter of the year, so we can expect it to launch alongside the Galaxy S21 series or maybe even get its own Galaxy Unpacked event. The Galaxy Z Fold Lite was expected to launch this year but was postponed.

The Galaxy Z Fold Lite will come with a 7-inch screen with Colorless Polyimide (CPI) film instead of Ultra-thin Glass (UTG). This should not be surprising as this is supposed to be a more affordable foldable device. The Fold Lite will not only have a smaller main display than the original Galaxy Z Fold, but its cover display will also be smaller at just 4-inches.

Galaxy Z Fold Lite (Q1 release)
Internal 7" CPI
External 4"

Galaxy Z Flip 3 (Q3 release)
Internal 6.7" UTG
External 3"

Galaxy Z Fold 3 (Q3 release)
Internal 7" UTG LTPO TFT (60μm~100μm)
External 4"

— Tron (@cozyplanes) December 3, 2020

Galaxy Z Flip 3

Samsung will take a break before announcing its next foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip 3. The vertically folding phone will launch in the third quarter of 2021. The leak says it will have a 6.7-inch screen, the same size as the original but contradicting the info we heard last week that says the phone will have a 6.9-inch main display. The primary screen will have UTG glass.

his leak also mentions that the cover display is 3-inches in size. This is the first time we have heard a specific dimension of the screen which has been reported to be bigger than that of the Galaxy Z Flip which has a 1.1-inch cover screen. While it is unconfirmed, 3-inches is definitely a big upgrade from 1.1-inches.

Galaxy Z Fold 3

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes next and will also launch in the third quarter of the year. The internal screen is said to be 7-inches in size which is smaller than that of the Galaxy Z Fold 2. The UTG LTPO TFT screen will come along with an even smaller cover screen that measures 4-inches.

The rumor says, Z Fold 3 will have Under Panel Camera and S-Pen, but Screen size will decrease compare to Z Fold 2
Sounds like they are going back to Fold's screen size.

— 에아 (@hwangmh01) December 3, 2020

It is surprising that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is coming with a smaller display but the leaker is not the only one who has heard of the smaller screens. The tweet above also says that the screen size will be smaller. It also mentions an under-display camera and an S Pen.

No Galaxy Z Fold FE

The leak only mentions three foldable phones. The Galaxy Z Fold FE which appeared in a leak a few weeks ago is missing. While that is surprising, it is understandable considering that there is a Galaxy Z Fold Lite. If we are being honest, two affordable foldable phones in a year does not make sense.

Nevertheless, we will advise that you take the info with a pinch of salt until more concrete details surface.

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Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in September, the next iteration of the company’s Fold series. That aside, the company is also innovating various concepts of foldable displays through its patents. Now, a tip suggests that the company could also be working to get the foldable devices affordable to the masses.

The latest tip comes from DSCC’s Ross Young who says(via AH) that there’s no information regarding Galaxy Z Fold Lite anymore. This is in response to an older tweet that said Samsung could be working on multiple foldables including a Fold ‘Lite’ version. However, Ross says that he is hearing info about a Galaxy Z Flip Lite smartphone.

That’s surprising considering early rumors didn’t spoil anything about a ‘Lite’ version of the clamshell phone. But emphasized more on the Z Fold Lite. In fact, the latter was even mentioned in the recent rumors under the naming Galaxy Z Fold FE. Anyway, Ross goes on to say that the Galaxy Z Flip Lite will adopt the UTG(Ultra-Thin-Glass) like the predecessor.

We don't hear about Z Fold Lite anymore but we are hearing about Z Flip Lite with UTG…

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) November 18, 2020

If we recall, Samsung introduced the UTG technology with the Galaxy Z Flip back in February. Accordingly, it replaces the CPI(Colorless Polyimide) and promises more durability and scratch resistance. After this, Samsung has never looked back at the cost-cutting CPI solution. In fact, it has included the extra UTG layer on the Z Fold 2 as well. That said, it is very appreciative of Samsung not to compromise a cheaper foldable phone.

This is because Ross has replied to the user on Twitter agreeing that the Galaxy Z Flip Lite will be a cheaper foldable smartphone. And apparently, Samsung will make many of them to drive sales. Having said that, there is no information on the specs and launch date of the device.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if Samsung brings both the affordable Z Fold Lite or just the Z Flip Lite to the masses. In any case, if previous reports are true, we won’t see a ‘Lite’ version of the Z Flip anytime soon as the Z Flip 2 itself is likely postponed to Summer 2021.

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Samsung is reportedly working on three new foldable phones. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is expected to arrive with S-Pen and carry an expensive price tag. The Galaxy Z Fold S is said to be equipped with an in and out folding design. And there is the Galaxy Z Fold Lite which is expected to priced lower than the currently available Galaxy Fold devices. The arrival of the Galaxy Z Fold Lite could be nearing as Samsung India’s website now has a support page for it.

Past reports have revealed that the upcoming budget-friendly foldable phone from Samsung has an SM-F415 model number. As can be seen in the screenshot, the support page for its variant with model number SM-F415F/DS is now live on Samsung India’s website. Hence, it appears that India could be one of the first markets to receive the rumored Galaxy Z Fold Lite foldable smartphone.

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In the recent past, the device was spotted at the database of the Wi-Fi Alliance. The original Galaxy Fold came with CPI-clad display which is weaker than the Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) layer available on the Galaxy Z Fold 2. It is speculated that the Galaxy Z Fold Lite will have a CPI-clad screen.

The Galaxy Z Fold Lite that is rumored to be codenamed as Winner 2 could be coming with an aluminum and glass chassis. The Snapdragon 865 chipset could be powering the device, but it is unlikely to carry support for 5G support. It may come with a price tag of $1,099. The other specs of the Galaxy Z Fold Lite are present under wraps.

(via)

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Samsung is expected to launch its third foldable smartphone in the form of Galaxy Z Fold2 next month. Ahead of it, a tipster claims the South Korean tech giant to be working on three more foldables namely Galaxy Z Fold Lite, Galaxy Z Fold3, and Galaxy Z Fold S. He even mentioned the type of displays used on these devices.

Samsung has been long-rumored to launch a budget foldable smartphone tentatively called Galaxy Fold Lite. This device could bear the model number SM-F415. Now, a leakster going by the username @hwangmh01 on Twitter(via SamMobile) claims it to feature CPI (Colorless Polyimide) instead of UTG (Ultra Thin Glass) on Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold2.

For those unaware, the original Galaxy Fold comes with CPI-clad display, which is not as strong as UTG and therefore, such screens are more prone to damages. Anyway, if this could bring down the cost of foldables, then it is kind of a bargain as there are plenty Galaxy Fold users out there without any issue.

Further, the leaker also says that Galaxy Z Fold3, apart from retaining UTG, will also support S Pen but it will be pricey. That means it could end up as the most expensive smartphone from the house of Samsung.

Last but not least, the company is also working on another foldable called Galaxy Z Fold S with “in & out folding”. We don’t know what that means but it could be something like TCL’s tri-fold prototype.

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