Galaxy Z Fold SE vs Z Fold 6 preview depicts the future of Samsung's foldables
Samsung released its long-rumored Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition (SE) phone without much fanfare and in only a few select locales. It first appeared as, well, a special Z Fold edition on its Korean web store, priced $400 higher than the Z Fold 6 there, and touting its more elegant design and more capable camera.
It then arrived in the form of a W-series handset in China, called the Samsung W25. Put in a fancy box and clad in golden accents, the Chinese Galaxy Z Fold SE version is made with a ceramic instead of a titanium backplate to adjust to local tastes, but in China Samsung charges even more for it, the equivalent of $500 above the Fold 6 pricing.
The higher pricing is somewhat justified as the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition comes with a 7.99-inch display, the largest that Samsung has put on a foldable, a record thin for a Samsung foldable design, and a big 200 MP main camera sensor borrowed directly from the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Just how thin is the Z Fold SE compared to the Z Fold 6 becomes clear from one of its first preview videos where it gets sized up with its summer sibling.
The Z Fold Special Edition is 157.9 x 142.6 x 4.9mm in dimensions when open and 157.9 x 72.8 x 10.6 when closed, weighing in at the decent 236g, so it is not big by any means, just not exuding the same elegance as, say, the Honor Magic V3 foldable.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition size | Image credit – Samsung
Samsung, however, has managed to make it tougher with Armor Aluminum frame, water-resistance, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 all around. Its thinking goes that the design and camera upgrades are enough of an argument to release the Z Fold Special Edition as its third foldable phone for the year.
Given how inventory was wiped in 10 minutes upon launch, Samsung may have been vindicated for daring to release a phone thicker and with lower specs than its Chinese rivals. The Z Fold Special Edition also gives us more than a hint about the future of Samsung's foldables that is shaping up to be more elegant in terms of design and with more powerful camera set.
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