Galaxy Z Flip 3 could be more affordable because of missing features

Samsung is supposedly going all on foldable phones out next year but there's still some uncertainty on what exactly the line up will be. Of course, there's the Galaxy Z Fold 3 that may or may not have S Pen stylus support but the rest of the roster seems to still be in a state of flux. There are rumors of an affordable "Lite" foldable phone in addition to a Galaxy Z Flip 3 clamshell. Whether those two are one and the same is also still unknown but a recent report hints that it could very well be the case.

The Galaxy Z Flip 3, given the number, should be taking after the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, which is reportedly what Samsung considers to be the Galaxy Z Flip 2. Considering how high-end these foldable clamshells have been, it's only normal to expect the successor to have higher specs. According to GalaxyClub, however, that might not be the case.

It stumbled upon a certain SM-F720F, most likely one of the Flips headed to the market next year. Unfortunately, the site's information claims that it will be sold as an LTE-only device, just like the first Galaxy Z Flip. Even more, it will still be running on a Snapdragon 865, instead of the shiny new Snapdragon 888. Ironically, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 already has 5G built-in.

These two critical features seem to suggest that this would be a "Lite" variant of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, perhaps the Galaxy Z Flip Lite. It would definitely be a puzzling step back if Samsung decided to promote this as the high-end Galaxy Z Flip 3. Of course, few would probably complain if it also ended being Samsung's sub-$1,000 foldable.

SamMobile does note that the report leaves the possibility open for a 5G model, one that may have an SM-F721B model. Whether previous leaks about the clamshell foldable, like the larger external display and increased number of cameras, applies to which variant is equally unknown at this point.