The ‘affordable’ Galaxy Z Flip 3 could leave out a key feature

Industry insider Ross Young believes the third foldable phone is the Z Flip Lite, and it looks like this would be an LTE-only model.

That’s based on a new report from GalaxyClub.  The site has come across a Galaxy Z Flip 3 variant that carries the model number SM-F720F. The letter ‘F’ indicates that this is the international variant, probably meant for Europe and the Middle East. Models with 5G connectivity usually have a ‘B’ at the end of the identifier, which means the model in question only offers 4G connectivity. 

SamMobile notes that the last flagship chip that only comes in an LTE-only configuration is the Snapdragon 855 Plus. This SoC is the beating heart of the OG Z Flip. It’s 5G variant that was released in August is powered by the Snapdragon 865 Plus.

This may mean that the regular Z Flip 3 will feature the  Snapdragon 888, and its stripped-down version will have an older flagship chip. 

The SM-F720F model number may indicate that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 will be relegated to a budget model. This aligns with leaks that claim that Z Flip 3 will be a sub-$1,000 device. It’s also in line with a report from South Korea that says Samsung is planning to manufacture 3 million units of the ‘economic foldable smartphone model’ Galaxy Z Flip 3. 

It also conforms with rumors that say that Samsung will release the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3, and Z Fold Lite in 2021. This implies that there is no Flip Lite, just one budget Z Flip 3.

That said, a recent report claims that all of Samsung’s 2021 foldable phones will be 5G-ready. Thus, it’s best to take today’s news with a pinch of salt.

Samsung might still be undecided on the specs. After all, the Z Flip 3 is not expected to arrive until towards the end of Q2 2021 and the Fold 3 will seemingly be unveiled in June.