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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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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