Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip Lite may be available next year It appears to be the first foldable phone available for the general public to purchase

Display analyst Ross Young revealed the model on Twitter, following up with comments that it is made of Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) and that the phone is likely to be a big seller

UTG is a plastic and glass composite display mayrial that Samsung debuted with the original Galaxy Z Flip While not as tough as something like Gorilla Glass, the tempered glass found in most premium smartphones these days, it is the best material ever used in a folding phone while it won't protect the Z Flip Lite from major scratches, it will keep the screen mostly scratch-free and more importantly, it can still be bent

Young's tweet also refers to Samsung's previously rumored Galaxy Fold Lite phone, which was thought to be the company's first inexpensive foldable the Z Flip will have an entry-level model, but Samsung's flagship Galaxy Z Fold 2 and upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3 are not likely to appear

Another leak from Max Weinbach mentions the Z Fold FE, which seemingly contradicts what Young is saying here Unless Samsung intends to confuse the names or still release the cheaper Z Fold along with the cheaper Z Flip, these leaks do not match up We will have to wait for more leaks to determine which is more accurate

Young calls this a "Lite" phone, but even so, this device will likely be very expensive The cheapest foldable Samsung currently sells is the $1,400 Galaxy Z Flip, so the Lite version will likely cost around $1,000 This is about the same as the price of a regular flagship phone like the Galaxy S21, which may be enough to tempt some users to try the new form factor

We have previously heard that the Galaxy Z Flip 2 could appear next year, perhaps with the Galaxy S21 in January, or by the end of the year with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 These are ideal times for Samsung to announce the Z Flip Lite as well, but since it held a standalone Galaxy S20 FE launch a few months ago, perhaps it will decide that the first affordable foldable is also worth debuting as a headliner