Samsung has been quite aggressive with its 5G push. The company has a growing number of budget and mid-range 5G phones, and this year, the premier Galaxy S flagship line offered 5G everywhere. Last year's Galaxy Z Fold 2 had no LTE-only flavor, either, but it seems Samsung is not fully ready to commit to the new generation of cellular connectivity when it comes to its flip phones.
How much more affordable can Samsung can make its foldables?
Until now, except for one report months ago, we've heard only about the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G and have been expecting it to be the sole model that will be released. But according to the latest rumor, Samsung still has an LTE variant of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in the works. This LTE variant will reportedly arrive sometime after the 5G model has gone on sale, likely to bring the phone to an even more aggressive price point than what is currently expected.
However, from what we're told, development on that supposed LTE variant has pretty much stalled at this point, suggesting Samsung may not actually bring it to market even if it does exist. Samsung also tested an LTE-only Galaxy S21 last year but only sold the series with 5G connectivity as standard, and the same could be true for its upcoming clamshell foldable.
It's also worth noting that the chip shortage that has gripped the smartphone and various other industries might be a big obstacle even if Samsung plans to launch LTE and 5G Galaxy Z Flip 3 models. But maybe Samsung will find a way to do it considering how it's going all in with foldables in the latter half of this year, so we'll be keeping an open mind for now.
