Samsung unveils Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition: A sleeker, more powerful foldable

After months of leaks and rumors, Samsung has finally announced the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition. Launching officially on October 25 in South Korea, this new model boasts a slim profile, powerful hardware, and a reworked design.

Weighing in at just 236 grams and measuring 10.6mm thick, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is 1.5mm thinner and 3 grams lighter than its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 6. This reduction in size makes it the thinnest and lightest model in the Galaxy Z Fold series, possibly allowing for a more comfortable grip and easier handling.

The Special Edition also stands out in the Galaxy foldable lineup with its striped pattern back. Samsung says the phone uses premium metal/glass materials. We’re guessing it’s the same Armor Aluminum finish the company uses on the Galaxy Z Fold 6. You can see that Samsung has also reworked the camera housing a bit to make it more rectangular than oval.

In a significant upgrade, the Special Edition features a 200MP main camera compared to the 50MP primary shooter of the regular Galaxy Z Fold 6. All the other camera sensors remain the same as the standard model, but Samsung says the upgrade will deliver more vivid and detailed photos and videos.

Complementing the new camera is an increase in memory capacity, with 16GB RAM for multitasking or running AI tasks. The standard Galaxy Z Fold 6 tops out at 12GB RAM. The new phone offers only a single 512GB storage variant, whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 6 comes in 256GB and 1TB options.

The Special Edition’s 8-inch main screen has a 20:18 ratio when unfolded, making it the widest screen in the Galaxy Z Fold lineup. The cover screen is also a practical 6.5-inch screen with a 21:9 ratio. Both the main and cover displays are slightly larger than those of the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Another difference between the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition lies in their Wi-Fi capabilities. The standard model is equipped with Wi-Fi 6e, while the Special Edition supports Wi-Fi 7. This means that the latter should deliver much better speeds for downloads, streaming, and gaming.

Regarding battery life, Samsung states that the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition has a rated capacity of 4,272mAh and a typical capacity of 4,400mAh. This is the same as the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

You can also expect top-tier performance from the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition, as it’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy. Samsung is promising the same seven years of updates to the new phone, so it should receive new Android versions up until 2031. The device has launched with Android 14-based One UI 6.1.1 and, ideally, should be eligible for the One UI 7 beta coming later this year.

As for S Pen support, unfortunately, there isn’t any. It was previously rumored that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition would bring support for the stylus but now we know that’s not happening thanks to Samsung spelling out the same on its product page.

Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition price and availability

The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition will be available for purchase on Samsung’s Korean website and major mobile carriers in the country starting October 25, with a price tag of 2,789,600 won (~$2,038). Early adopters will be rewarded with discount coupons for additional Galaxy ecosystem products, including the Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.

There is no word on a broader launch for the phone, so if you were hoping to get your hands on it in the US, you might be disappointed.