The successor to the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, which is also apparently considered the Galaxy Z Flip 2, is expected to be announced sometime in 2021. Since its predecessors are pretty high-end foldable phones, it stands to reason that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is expected to be the same. But early reports are now saying that the 3rd generation may actually be downgraded to a “budget” device since its specs will almost be the same as the first generation.
SAM Mobile shares that a Dutch website has been able to spot a model named SM-F72OF which is probably one of the flip devices that Samsung will be releasing next year. Unfortunately, though, the specs are saying that it will be an LTE-only device and will not have support for 5G. It will also reportedly be running on Snapdragon 865 instead of the newer Snapdragon 888. The funny thing is that the former already supports 5G but will apparently still not be getting it anyway.
Because of these two factors, then this model is probably a budget device or a Lite version of the Galaxy Z Flip 3. That’s more of a possibility rather than Samsung suddenly turning the Flip device into an entry-level clamshell device. It’s highly unlikely that with specs like this it would be the main Galaxy Z Flip 3 but it’s also strange that the possible lite version is the one that has been spotted first rather than the main variant.
There’s also a possibility that the Flip 3 will have a 5G variant with the SM-F721B model. Samsung and other OEMs have been pushing for 5G devices so it would be strange to release a device that doesn’t have a 5G variant, especially something as significant as a flip phone. Previous leaks about the clamshell phone include a larger external display and more cameras, but at this point, that’s probably not about the SM-F72OF.
In any case, all eyes will be on the 2020 flagship anyway during the Samsung Unpacked event happening on January 14, 2021. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 will probably not be mentioned just yet there during that time.
