Samsung has just pulled a bit of a surprise by giving a svelte design makeover to its flagship foldable phone. Earlier today, the company introduced the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition in its home market.
The latest foldable phone from Samsung makes a couple of key upgrades in the design and camera departments. First, Samsung has shaved off 1.5 millimeters of thickness compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The weight, however, has only reduced by 3 grams, so it’s hardly much of a difference.
The display size has increased ever so slightly, and resolution figures have also gone up, but there’s nothing too dramatic here. The cover screen now stands at 6.48 inches (up from 6.3 inches), while the inner foldable panel measures roughly 8 inches, compared to the 7.6-inch screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Another notable change is the color chemistry. The special version only comes in a single “shadow black” trim. However, this is treated to an eye-catching rear glass refresh that has thin lines running across it and is inspired by pinstripe suit patterns.
Interestingly, Samsung has managed to reduce the cross-section profile of its latest foldable without toning down the battery size. The battery capacity matches that of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at 4,400mAh, which is impressive.
The second noteworthy change on the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is a new camera sensor. Samsung has treated it to a 200-megapixel primary camera at the back, upping the ante from a 50MP wide lens on its mainstream foldable phones.
The rest of the camera hardware remains identical. There’s a 12MP ultrawide snapper and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom output. The camera atop the front display relies on a 10MP sensor, while the under-display unit on the cover screen outputs 4MP shots.
The silicon in question is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, alongside 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is capped at 12GB of onboard memory.
Samsung also claims that it has used armor aluminum for the frame and has retained the IP48-level dust and water resistance on its new foldable offering.
The asking price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition has been set at 27,89,600 South Korean won, which roughly translates to $2,024 based on the current conversion rates. The Galaxy Z Fold 6, on the other hand, starts at $1,900 in the U.S.
The latest from Samsung will go on sale starting October 24 in Korea. However, the company has yet to reveal any details about the phone’s arrival in overseas markets, especially in the West.
